Edinburgh: Scottish Cooking Class + Dinner

You’ll start with an introduction to traditional Scottish cooking while tasting homemade cheese oatcakes with rhubarb and ginger gin liqueur. Next, you’ll learn to cook Cullen Skink, a classic soup made with smoked haddock, leeks, potato, and cream. After that, you’ll prepare all-butter Scottish shortbread to take home. Finally, you’ll relax with a seated dinner featuring haggis (meat or vegetarian option), served with mashed potatoes and turnip, plus a dram of whisky while your host recites Robert Burns’ poem “Ode to a Haggis.”

The activity lasts about 3 hours. It generally flows from a welcome and Scottish cooking introduction (with tastings), into the main cooking session for Cullen Skink, then a shortbread-making segment. The experience concludes with the haggis dinner, whisky tasting, and the Burns poem tribute.

The experience is hosted by Nell in her 200-year-old home in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town. This historic setting is part of the charm of the evening, and you’ll be welcomed for both the cooking instruction and dinner in her home.

Yes—haggis is served in both meat and vegetarian options. If you have other dietary requirements (for example, allergies or intolerances), you should inform the host or tour provider in advance so they can advise on what can be accommodated during the cooking and dinner portions.

You’ll take home the Scottish shortbread you bake during the session. Any additional items or leftovers (if available) may depend on how the host organizes the meal, but the shortbread is a guaranteed take-home part of the experience.