The traditional Scottish breakfast is easily vegan-ized. Since breakfast was included
with lodging, when we booked a hotel or B & B we asked if they could accommodate a vegan
diet; everyone was very obliging. Our only special request was soya [soy] milk.
Most places were familiar with the restrictions of a vegan diet. When those that
weren't asked what we wanted, we knew we could ask for fruit, cereal, porridge, beans,
tomatoes, and mushrooms without inconveniencing them. Sometimes we were pleasantly
surprised when they served veggie sausages or tattie scones (not quite a potato pancake
or a mashed potato fritter but not a traditional scone either).
In Edinburgh,
The Greenhouse Vegan & Vegetarian Guest House is highly recommended.
Not only are the rooms beautifully renovated, all bath products are cruelty-free and
there are vegetarian magazines, snacks, bottled water, fruit and flowers in the rooms.
The owner is knowledgeable of restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow and his
recommendations were accurate. The comprehensive breakfast menu included
tempeh rashers, scrambled tofu, and pate.
For lunch and dinner we never had any problem finding a vegan meal. Even in small towns
in the Orkney Islands, a pub meal could consist of a vegetable fritter and chips,
haggis with mustard sauce or freshly prepared risotto. Add to that a good selection
of Indian, Italian, Chinese and Thai restaurants, and you will have no problems dining
in Scotland.
Submitted by: Jo-Ann Severa, Portland, OR -- June 2001
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