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.