Now

Orkney — what a place! A collection of wild, windswept islands where the weather changes faster than you can say “hold onto your hat.” The hills are completely naked (honestly, not a tree in sight), but the people? Some of the warmest and kindest you’ll ever meet. Now, being a food-obsessed human, my radar went straight to what everyone’s eating. First thing I noticed? Cattle. Everywhere. These bulls look like they’re living their best lives — big, healthy, lounging around, chewing the day away. They don’t do much except eat (same, to be honest), which explains why the beef here is so ridiculously tender. And of course, lamb — everywhere you look, there’s another fluffy future roast hopping about. You’d think, being surrounded by sea, seafood would be the main event, right? Massive scallops, famous Orkney langoustines, crab galore… Nope. You don’t see much of it on menus at all. Turns out, most of the good stuff gets shipped off “down south.” Typical — the locals are surrounded by world-class seafood and hardly eat it! But oh, dairy — that’s where Orkney shows off. The legendary Orkney cheddar is everything you’ve heard and more: sharp, creamy, and downright addictive. But my real discovery was crowdie — this soft local cheese that gets breaded, fried, and served with a sweet-savoury dip. Absolute heaven. And let’s talk about the butter. Orkney butter might actually ruin all other butter for you. It’s so creamy and rich I could happily eat it with a spoon (don’t judge). Orkney — wild weather, gentle people, and food that makes your heart (and belly) very, very happy.