London shows appetite for first Scottish deli

Source: The Sunday Times
Author: Marc Horne

Angel in Islington is home to Auld Hag: the Shoap, offering a selection of sweet, savoury and liquid favourites from north of the border

It is a multicultural metropolis that welcomes cuisines from around the globe -- but a Scottish delicatessen has become the toast of north London.

Auld Hag: the Shoap, which serves up Stornoway black pudding, Lorne sausage, tattie scones, smoked fish from Arbroath, Highland venison, Cullen skink, Glasgow rolls, Dundee cake and Aberdeen butteries, has been inundated since it opened its doors last month in Islington.

The shop is the brainchild of Gregg Boyd, 30, a former economist who is among 200,000 Scots living in the city.

"When I moved to London, I couldn't believe Scottish food wasn't readily available," he said. "Where could I get a roll and square sausage or a Scotch pie or a can of Tennent's? Where was all of our incredible