Harvest Season Foodie Travel in Ireland and Scotland
Celtic Lughnasa – Harvest is the best season for foodie travel in Ireland and Scotland
What is it that makes for the best food in Ireland and Scotland? We say it’s got to have the heart of home in it, which means fresh-picked produce from the green fields of Ireland and Scotland’s farms, and there is no better season than the harvest season, Lughnasa, for sourcing said quality ingredients.
Celebrated as the first of the three Harvest Festivals in the Celtic Isles, Lughnasa takes place on August 1 and traditionally signalled the start of the reaping harvest seasons. Our farms are the source of exceptionally high-quality produce and products all year round, but there is something special about taking foodie travel for the best eating in Ireland and Scotland with autumn just around the corner.
We take our foodie travel seriously here and the best Irish and Scottish food is locally sourced and frequently sustainable. It's a combination of creativity and quality, and if you’re looking to go all in for Lughnasa, farm-to-table dining and walking foodie experiences are ones that you cannot miss.
Walking Tours for the Foodies
A food tour is like a mini harvest of all the best Irish and Scottish food you can find. Our Local Specialists from Galway Food Tours, Dublin Food Tours, Edinburgh Food Tours and St. Andrews Food Tours are the “farmers” per se, bringing you to the best of what is being served in their part of the land.
As you turn each corner on these tours, each stop is designed to enlighten you to the best local examples of traditional and contemporary offerings, celebrating fusion flavors, rare finds and to expose you to truly niche markets, shops and distilleries. We highly recommend taking a food tour if you want to experience a wide variety.
Wilson’s Farm-to-Table Dining
Where better to find fresh harvest season foods than at farm-to-table dining experiences? Embrace the spirit of Lughnasa and pull up a seat at the Wilson family’s Cowbog Farm. Experience famed Scottish hospitality and a Scottish foodie travel experience. There’s fresh produce and the beef for the meat-eaters that is personally cared for. The veggies? Handled with extra gentle care. The farm itself protects and enhances its local biodiversity and the conservation of not just a way of life, but of the place that provides it.
Ancient Ways on Water
The richness of a harvest season requires a crucial element: water. While rain is in no short order in Ireland and Scotland, you can take to the waters to learn more about the ancient past that produced our traditions on a Boyne Boat Experience. You’ll travel the Boyne River in the same fashion as the Celts of Ancient Ireland in a currach wooden boat and enjoy the serene beauty of this peaceful place, learning about Irish historical sites, culture and traditions, myths and of course, the famous modern movies filmed here.
Burren Farm Experience
The Burren is teeming with rare and special plant life and – it’s the home of a farm, and your guides for the day, the O Rourkes, whose family have been custodians of this land for generations. This farm is tucked into a place that just happens to look like the surface of the moon in some areas, but don’t be fooled – there's still harvest season eating to be had.
In the midst of this place of natural wonders is a 500-acre working farm, where you can enjoy a guided nature walk, and enjoy a rustic picnic filled with treats made from hyperlocal ingredients.
Whether it’s the delicious and uncomplicated flavors of Ireland and Scotland’s coasts and countryside, or the tempting creations of fine dining and castle larders – there’s going to be more than enough to go around.
