The mere prospect of a foodie trip to Dumfries and Galloway is, for want of a better word, relaxing. I couldn’t wait to exchange my home of East Sussex and its congested food scene for the wild nature and unpretentious fare of Scotland’s south-western shore.
This region is unspoilt, perhaps because it’s so often bypassed by travellers hurrying to Ireland from Stranraer, or up towards Edinburgh and Scotland’s more famous national parks. To the south, the Lake District absorbs much by way of tourism, evidenced by the tempting farm shop and restaurant at Tebay Services – undoubtedly the UK’s most delicious motorway service station.
The result is, there are few restaurants trying to lure you on a promise and zero over-marketed ‘hot attractions’ or ‘must-visits’. You arrive, and you are free to explore. The crisp, rugged scenery of the Solway Firth coastline and the chocolate-box hues and fairy tale pines of Galloway Forest Park are just unspeakably beautiful. This is picnic country. Time to pack your rucksack with meat pies, bread, cheese and waterproofs, and return home to a warming plate of simply prepared haggis, neeps and tatties.