Smokies are a Scots national treasure, says Lonely Planet

Fish and chips with IrnBru in Stonehaven is UK’s top dining experience

Eating fish and chips in Stonehaven and smokies in Arbroath are among the world’s top food experiences, according to a new guide by travel gurus Lonely Planet.

A follow-up to Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist, its Ultimate Eatlist celebrates and ranks the world’s top 500 food experiences.

At number 31 on the list, Stonehaven fish and chips washed down with Irn-Bru is the UK’s top entry.

Eating a smokie – “a Scottish national treasure – is the fourth best Scottish foodie experience and 163rd in the world.

Of Stonehaven, the guide says: “Sailing boats bob in the harbour; rock pools 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 and Chips, whose fish is wild-caught from Marine Stewardship Council-certified stocks.

“Considering the setting, the sustainability and the beautifully cooked fish, is it the best fish and chip shop in the world? The constant queue suggests so.

“Its default order? Battered cod, large chips, Irn-Bru.”

The guide is equally enthusiastic in its praise of Arbroath smokies.

It says: “Haggis gets the headlines but for a less well-known taste of Scotland – but one that has been protected by European Union law in the same way as Champagne or prosciutto – you need to go to Arbroath on Scotland’s east coast.

“Here, where the North Sea crashes on the shore and an Arctic north-easterly blows, Arbroath smokies are made, the ideal antidote to the Scottish weather.

“Smokies are haddock (with their backbones intact) that have been traditionally cured in woodsmoke in a kiln until their skins turn bronze.

“The smoke and steam gives the flesh a luxurious, savoury flavour best experienced picked from the bones in the fresh air. More typically they’re eaten for breakfast as the local and artisanal alternative to a kipper.

“However you enjoy them, they’re a Scottish national treasure.

“Spink & Sons has smoked haddock for five generations.

“In Arbroath, the Old Boatyard and the Old Brewhouse serve smokies.”

Locals already knew and now the whole world is aware.

Chomping on smokies in Arbroath or enjoying a fish supper in Stonehaven is about as good as it gets.

No lesser publication than the Lonely Planet has endorsed the credentials of the Courier Country staples, describing smokies as “a national treasure” and fish and chips from the Bay as “the best... in the world”.

It is a truly lip-smacking endorsement.