Fish and chips in Stonehaven, Hebridean Smokehouse and Ullapool eatery named in Lonely Planet list of the world’s top food experiences

TRAVEL guide Lonely Planet has named a number of Scottish food experiences in their latest ‘Eatlist’.

The guide to the world’s top spots for eating and things to try on your travels includes six tasty Scottish entries.

Topping the list for Scotland is The Bay Fish and Chips in Stonehaven and, ranking 31 out of 500, it’s also the top entry from the UK.

Set up by former navy engineer Calum Richardson 12 years ago last weekend, queues are up to an hour long most days at the popular spot.

Even still, Calum says the accolade came as a bit of a shock.

He told The Sunday Post: “I’m really proud and humbled to be honest. I didn’t know anything about it until I read STV’s tweet last night.

“I dropped my son back off after playing football and I went home and looked it up and got a bit of a surprise!

“It’s a major thing, especially when I look at some of the people that are on it. It’s really a great honour.

“Scotland’s a treasure trove of places to go eat, drink and experience. It’s getting better and better all the time. It’s good for Stonehaven as well, a little boost.”

The Lonely Planet entry reads: “Sailing boats bob in the harbour; rockpools teem with crabs and sea stars; gulls ride on the breeze; and in the distance, the leaden horizon of the North Sea.

“Completing the scene, halfway along the beach is The Bay Fish & Chips – is it the best fish and chip shop in the world? The constant queue suggests so.”

Calum attributes the success of The Bay to having a solid team behind him, including manager Stuart who’s worked with him for 20 years.

And the enduring popularity of fish and chips also helps.

“It’s funny, I travel all over the world doing consultancy work but no matter where you are, you hear folk talking about fish and chips,” Calum says.

“Fish and chips on a beach, it’s very idyllic. It’s something I never really do because it’s what I do for a living! But I have sat on the beach a couple of times in the past year with my kids and we’ve had something to eat and I totally understand it.”

Closely following The Bay in at number 39 worldwide is tasting salmon smoked over peat, beechwood and whisky-barrel oak at the Hebridean Smokehouse, Clachan, North Uist.

“We’re obviously delighted,” says general manager Christopher West. “There’s no indication that these sorts of things are coming up or that we’re being considered or anything like that.

“It’s an enormous honour, Lonely Planet guides are internationally known so it’ll be very helpful for us not just for here in the UK but for recognition overseas as well.”

International recognition for what Christopher says is “quality, and the very strong regional identity of what we’re doing here” is particularly important with the business entering into emerging markets in Asia.

“It’s very good news for overseas,” Christopher adds. “We’re a very small business and we’re just starting to do very good business in Japan and Thailand. This is going to give us a higher profile in those markets than we could’ve hoped for.

“There’s still not quite the same understanding that you would hope for for Scottish products over and above British products – we need to do more to push our own identity.”

Also making the Lonely Planet list at 162 is a traditional Burns Night feast, including haggis which the guide describes as “a small rugby-ball-shaped concoction” that “sounds disgusting, looks awful and is an acquired taste.”

Arbroath Smokies make it to number 163, and Ullapool’s Arch Inn is at number 221.

Restaurant manager Graeme Ross said: “We’re delighted to have been included and we recognise we are the only place in the village that makes everything from scratch and that we showcase the local produce.

“We have a friendly, relaxed but professional service offering langoustines, halibut, turbot and more.

“It’s a big thing for us.”

The final Scottish entry at 450 was was ordering chicken tikka masala at Glasgow’s Shish Mahal restaurant.