What is in season in Edinburgh. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

  • Purple sprouting broccoli: Arrives at Edinburgh Farmers Market from March. Sweet and tender before summer heat sets in; look for it at Castle Terrace on Saturday mornings.
  • Wild garlic: Foraged from Holyrood Park and the Pentland Hills from April. Chefs at Condita and The Kitchin use it raw in dressings and light broths.
  • Scottish asparagus: A short six-week season from late May to mid-June. East Lothian growers deliver to Stockbridge Market on Sundays.
  • Rhubarb: Forced Perthshire rhubarb arrives as early as February; outdoor stalks are at their pink best through April and early May.
  • Langoustine: Creel-caught from Anstruther and Scrabster from spring onwards. Order at The Kitchin or Ondine within hours of the morning boats arriving.

Summer

  • Scottish strawberries: Perthshire and Angus berries hit Edinburgh farmers markets from late June. The Scots season is short but the fruit is intensely flavoured.
  • Scottish raspberries: July and August from Angus and Fife farms. Available pick-your-own at farms near Kingsbarns in the East Neuk of Fife.
  • Tayberry: A raspberry-blackberry cross bred in Scotland and rarely seen outside the country. Look for them at Stockbridge Market through July.
  • Hebridean crab: Brown and white crab from the Western Isles at peak sweetness through summer. Best at Ondine's crab thermidor or simply dressed at Fishers in the City.
  • Courgette flowers: Lothian market growers bring them in July and August. Stuffed and battered on tasting menus at Condita and Lyla through the summer months.

Autumn

  • Grouse: The Glorious Twelfth (12 August) opens the season. Edinburgh fine-dining rooms list it within days; The Kitchin and Number One at The Balmoral take pre-orders.
  • Wild mushrooms: Chanterelles and ceps from Scottish forests from September. Timberyard and Condita forage via Highland suppliers and list what arrives on the day.
  • Venison: Red deer stalking opens in July for stags and October for hinds. Edinburgh butchers stock it through winter; The Scran and Scallie serves venison pies.
  • Root vegetables: Neeps, parsnips and beetroot from Lothian farms from October onwards. Edinburgh Farmers Market on Castle Terrace is the best Saturday source.
  • Arbroath smoked haddock: Cold-smoked Arbroath haddock is richest when the autumn sea runs cold. The combination with Ayrshire cream in cullen skink is the city's autumn ritual.

Winter

  • Haggis: A year-round dish but peak consumption runs from November through Burns Night on 25 January. Every Edinburgh butcher makes its own to a house recipe.
  • Scallops: Loch Fyne and Mull scallops are fattest through winter. Hand-dived rather than dredged; ask at Fishers in the City or order at The Kitchin.
  • Smoked salmon: Atlantic salmon from Scottish smokehouses is richest in cold months. Valvona and Crolla stocks Hebridean and Dunkeld salmon from November.
  • Cranachan: Raspberries preserved through summer, oatmeal, cream, whisky and honey make Edinburgh's definitive winter dessert. Burns Night season is peak time.
  • Clapshot: Turnip and potato mash served with haggis. Neeps are sweetest after the first hard frost and appear on every Edinburgh pub menu from October.

Book food experiences in Edinburgh

Georgian Edinburgh New Town Food Tour

Guided tour · 3 hours

Georgian Edinburgh New Town Food Tour

Explore Edinburgh’s Georgian 200 year-old New Town on a food walking tour. Enjoy a Scottish gin cocktail, smoked salmon canapes, port and chocolate, haggis, ice cream ...

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