Aberdeen, Scotland was our first overseas assignment in the oil and gas industry. (We eventually moved to Holland, then Brazil). We lived there for three brilliant years – my son was actually born there – and acted like happy tourists the entire time. Our Scottish neighbors joked that we’d visited places they’d always wanted to go to but had never been.

Revisiting the photos, food, and maps of the Highlands to write this World Geography Wednesday post has been a true pleasure.

To begin with, we read Scottish stories like, “Hamish the Hairy Haggis” by A.K. Paterson, and “Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster” by Richard Brassey. My kids still aren’t 100% sure if these creatures are real! Then we pulled out our maps of Europe, The UK, and Scotland with its capital city Edinburgh.

If you’d like a free tour of Scotland (or are planning a trip), visit Historic Scotland and check out the map of all their properties. They have castles, manor homes, gardens, forts…you’d be hard pressed to see it all! Their Facebook page also has many videos to check out, even some for kids.

I could never do the region justice with just a short blog post. Rabbie Burns (more on him below), the Hogmanay Fireball Ceremony, Highland Games, and a tribute to Culloden could easily fill a book – and rightfully inspired my next novel, FIGHTING FOR THE CROWN.

But as a mom, you learn that small hands are easy to fill. And teaching my kids about Scotland was easily achieved with an authentic Scottish meal, looking at photos of our time there, and watching the movie BRAVE after cleaning the kitchen.

Let’s unpack a little bit about Scottish culture, starting with Robert Burns. Known as Rabbie Burns, he was the national poet and bard of Scotland. Most of his poems and songs were written in the Scots dialect of English. If you’ve ever sung “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve, then you know at least one song by Rabbie Burns!

Scotland celebrates his birthday every year with a “Burns Supper” on January 25. It starts with the Selkirk Grace and progresses to the “Address to the Haggis” – which is the main course – served with neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) and LOTS of whisky. And YES, every man in attendance wears a kilt if he has one!

The Selkirk Grace

“Some hae meat and cannae eat. Some nae meat but want it. We hae meat and we can eat and sae the Lord be thankit.”

(Some have meat and cannot eat. Some no meat but want it. We have meat and we can eat and so the Lord be thanked.)

There’s always a piper (someone playing the bagpipes) at an authentic Burns Night Celebration and plenty of Scottish country dancing. We were lucky to attend several Burns Suppers during our time there, and each one was a blast.

Hiking is also a big part of Scottish life, especially where we lived in the Highlands. From Aberdeen, we were within a 30-minute drive of several castles (Drum Castle, Crathes Castle, and Dunnottar Caste, just to name a few), and each one had its own well-manicured “wilderness walk”. Most Saturdays, we would drive out to a castle, hike the 1–3-mile paths that meandered across the estate, then have tea at the manor house before heading home. It was absolutely idyllic.

We were also close to the Grampian Mountains if we really wanted a proper hike, and several lochs with paths open to the public, like Loch Kinord. We didn’t have Fitbits back then, but I guarantee we put on some miles!

I pulled out our Anderson tartan napkins (derived from “son of Andrew”, the patron saint of Scotland) and a heather-patterned tablecloth, one of the national flowers of Scotland.

We used our Highland coo espresso mugs for the whisky. Don’t judge – they were the perfect size!

Starters

We started with sharp Scottish cheddar and Walkers oatcakes. You could also spoon a bit of ploughman’s chutney on top if you can find it in your grocery store’s international food section. It’s a blend of onions, apples, garden vegetables, dried fruits, brown sugar, and malt vinegar.

I also made – our favorite – Cullen Skink. It’s a rich, creamy, smoked fish soup. My kids (and husband) ADORE it! I’ve included the recipe below, in case you’re interested.

Main Course

You basically just sear a skinless salmon fillet in a hot skillet for 90-seconds on each side – long enough to form a crust, but not long enough to cook the center. Then you bake it uncovered in a 425˚-degree oven for 10 minutes for well-done, or (better yet) 8 minutes for medium.

The sides were skillet potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts tossed in bacon fat. Pretty much ANYTHING roasted in bacon fat is delicious, and these sprouts are no exception! (You could use olive oil if you prefer.)

Another FANTASTIC side for your Scottish meal is Scotch Eggs! (We actually eat is as a main course.) If you want to see how to make Scotch Eggs, check out my World Geography Wednesday Visits Scotland video.

Dessert

The whisky was as bracing as I remember – sláinte! – and the ginger shortbread was a nice finale.

Next time, I’ll show you how to make cranachan, a layered dessert with raspberries, whipped cream, and toasted oats with honey.

Cullen Skink Recipe

Tools

potato peeler

cutting board and knife

large pot

large measuring cup

cooking spoon

potato masher

Process

Peel and rinse the potatoes, then chop them into bite-sized cubes.

Melt the butter in the pot on High, then add the onion and sauté it for about 7-minutes.  Add the bay leaf, milk, and potatoes, and bring it to a boil.  (If there’s not enough milk to cover the potatoes, add some more.)  Lower the heat to Med-Hi, and let it simmer for 10-minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the smoked salmon and white fish into small pieces. 

Add them to the potatoes, add pepper, and simmer for about 10-minutes more until the fish are cooked and the potatoes are tender.

Remove the bay leaf, and gently mash the potatoes and fish in the pot – not completely, just enough for a chunky texture.  Add enough heavy cream for a soupy consistency, then bring it back to simmer. Turn it off as soon as it bubbles.

Taste it and only add salt if needed. (The smoked fish is usually pretty salty.) Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this post about World Geography Wednesday in Scotland! Please Follow and Subscribe to my blog and my WGW YouTube channel to see more fun content on world geography for kids. See you next week!