Men In Kilts – Episode 1 Review

Now I’m a storyteller, not a TV critic so I’m vastly underqualified to “review” a show like Men in Kilts. But since I do fall into the category of “Man in Kilt”, I think the least I can do is give you a bit of background to the places that Sam and Graham visit and the things they do. I love a travel show but it’s easy to get swept away by the star quality and the banter. Afterwards I start to wonder how authentic or realistic that experience really was.

Do Scottish people really go there? Would they really do that? Do they really eat that?! Hopefully by reading these episode reviews you will have a better idea of what you can experience when you visit. Think of this like an Episode Guide more than an Episode Review.

Episode 1 is all about food and luckily, that’s one of my favourite topics. They aren’t joking when they say that Scotland’s larder is the envy of the world although the only thing people seem to talk about is haggis! Lobster, salmon, scallops, grouse, venison, beef and that’s without even getting to vegetables or dessert. Although a lack of vegetables might be one stereotype that does fit a lot of the Scots that I know.

The Kitchen

First off they visit Tom Kitchin in his Leith based restaurant The Kitchin which makes its way onto just about every food show visiting Scotland. To be fair that’s for a very good reason. The restaurant is well known in Edinburgh for its fine dining using locally sourced ingredients but it’s not for the traveller on a budget. You’ll be forking out around £80 for 2 courses, £95 for 3 courses or £110 for the tasting Menu if you go for dinner. Don’t worry it isn’t all doom and gloom though! Most people I know book for the more accessible Set Lunch Menu at around £40 each.

Your other option is to visit another one of Tom’s Edinburgh restaurants! The Scran & Scallie is a gastropub in Stockbridge and Southside Scran is a bistro in Bruntsfield. I’m by no means affiliated with any of these establishments although I’d love to be. If you’re reading this Tom then dinner on the house would be great…

https://thekitchin.com/

https://scranandscallie.com/

https://southsidescran.com/

Pittenweem

The next stop for the Men in Kilts is Pittenweem which you might recognise from some of my Instagram posts:

Pittenweem is one of several pretty little fishing villages around the East Neuk of Fife and still operates as a commercial harbour. If you like seafood then you are in for a treat with everything Scotland has for you to try. Scottish Prawns and Langoustine are the best in the world. No bias here obviously.

If you do visit Pittenweem then you’ve got a good day out around you with St Fillan’s Cave in the village here, another fishing village called St Monans with its beautiful church just along the coast and Kellie Castle not far inland. These are easily tied into a daytrip in St Andrews as well. If you’re doing an Outlander style tour then Dysart Harbour is only half an hour away and as of May 2021 my dad is actually the Commodore of the Sailing Club there. Special hat and everything.

The most important thing you should know about this area of Scotland is that the UK’s best chip shop is a few miles away in Anstruther. People regularly travel from Edinburgh just to get their fish and chips here and I can testify that it lives up to its claim. You can even see which local boat caught the fish you’re about to eat and when, written up on the board!

If you’re not used to the native chip shop etiquette then anything with chips is a “supper” so if you want fish and chips you ask for a “fish supper”. If you just want a portion of fish on it’s own then that would be a “single fish”. Next step will be a question like “do you want anything on it?” or “salt and sauce?” and that’s where you pick salt, vinegar, tomato sauce or brown sauce. I won’t tell you how to order yours but I go for salt and brown sauce which is vinegary enough that it doesn’t need anything extra.

https://www.anstrutherfishbar.co.uk/

Whisky Production

From the East Coast right over to the West, our Men in Kilts are off to Islay to get involved with the water of life. Whisky distilling is so important to Scotland and it’s integral to life on many Scottish Islands. As if pronouncing most whisky brands wasn’t hard enough, Islay will throw you as well. Just remember not to pronounce the Y at the end but say it like Eye-La.

If you like a peaty (smoky) whisky then this is the island for you. Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin are just a few of the whiskies you will find here that can knock your socks off! I love them.

If you have ever been lucky enough to visit the Western Isles then you’ll notice that while the landscapes are beautiful, there aren’t a lot of trees. That means you have to burn something else to keep warm on the windy islands or more importantly, to dry the barley for your whisky. That something else is peat, dug out of the island bogs.

Peat bogs are vital to the way of life here. Historically families would have their own sections and come out to cut enough for their home. Once cut, it is left out to be turned, dried and stacked before it can be burned. Peat burning slowed a little with introduction of oil heating but with rising oil prices, lots of islanders have gone back to traditional ways.

The episode finishes as all good things do – with a dram of whisky. If you aren’t too familiar with whisky then I’ll point out that you shouldn’t expect to sample too many 25 year old drams. That’s much older than a regular bottle and usually very expensive. For example, I would expect to pay around £25 for a bottle of Laphroaig 10 year old while a bottle of their 25 year old comes in over £300!

I hope you enjoyed this Men in Kilts Episode Review, it’s a little different than my normal content so let me know what you thought! Click here for the Episode 2 Review!

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