Scottish groceries: Slang

Chips or crisps?

In Scotland, chips are french fries. Crisps are potatoe chips. Both are a staple of Scottish life. Crisps can be very pricey compared to the United States. The bags are smaller and have less content but the varieties of crisps is quite expansive. You can find "baked" crisps but they are very rare. Scots like the traditional crisps. Chips are served with everything. I have witnessed dozens of combinations of dinners with chips as part of the meal. I even witnessed a young girl eating lasagne with chips.

The government understood the health risks of chips and began to take them out of the school. The parents did not support the idea, instead, showed up at the school gates with fast food, crisps and chips for their kids.

Another slang term is "take-away". Instead of "drive-thru", they have take-aways.

Also, you don't stand in line, you stand in a queue, pronounced "cue". It is very important in the UK to stand in queue properly. Cutting in line or being rude is a big mistake. Be patient and stand in queue politely.

A hint: Americans are noisy and obnoxious...if you fit the stereotype. When in queue do not talk about your life, the fascinating things you see, or ramble on about anything. Be quiet, stand in line, and listen to the people around you. You went on vacation to soak in the culture. You will learn a lot about the culture by standing in queue properly. Watch, listen and take it all in.

Save Money Traveling: Groceries

Not to fulfill the Scottish stereotype, but to help you keep your vacation within budget I recommend a few tips. Here's a couple of ideas that may save you money, or allow you to put more money into other things such as purchasing souvenirs or something else.

Self-catering saves you money but it may limit your mobility. If you pick a central location and stay in one place, you can fill up your shelves and refrigerator with stuff. At the same time, you can experience living in Scotland like a local. The grocery store experience puts you in the same circles of the locals.

Instead of buying expensive soda buy this unique product. Fruit Squash.


It is concentrated fruit juice. Mix it with bottled water and you can make it last and spend pennies a day. You can carry it with you as you travel. If you plan to go hiking it is something to think about.

Breakfast is a must, as it fuels you up for a vigorous day of travel. You can buy breakfast foods at the grocery store, experience a good Scottish breakfast and save money as well. Most restaurants are not open for breakfast. I have found the breakfast restaurant is an American thing. The B&B provides a great breakfast, as well as hotels provide something to nibble on in the morning but you may have to wait until lunch to get any food on the road. So if you self-cater, you will need to load up on breakfast goods. You can get a pack (see picture) of good Scottish breakfast staples. I do not like black pudding and you may as well. It is basically pig or lamb blood. Yuck. But some love it.


You can get breakfast cereal easily and it is the same stuff as in the States. Sometimes they put it in different packaging, but you will figure it out.

If you don't want to spend much for dinner, I recommend the margherta pizzas. You can get a two for one pizza deal in any of the grocery stores pretty easily. They are pretty good for frozen pizzas. I would have one every Friday night.

The strongest suggestion to you is to enjoy one really good meal. The lunch menu is usually good until 5pm...so if you eat early you will also save money. But if you take care of getting a good breakfast in the morning, you can have a few extra pounds for a good dinner out. Maybe an extra pint or two.

Scottish groceries: For the self-caterer.

When you look into vacations in Scotland, be aware of the self-catering option. Basically what it means is you buy your own food. As I have said many times, the grocery stores are very good in Scotland and they range in price and quality. The low end being Somerfeld, the middle Tesco and the high end Sainsbury's.

Scottish orange juice comes from South Africa.

Yogurt is available in stores for a good price. Look for deals, similar to the ones in the States...5 for a pound, etc.

Salmon is a good deal. This salmon was on sale for 4 dollars a pound.

Beer is much cheaper in the store, just like in the States. You can get a 12 pack for the same price you would pay in the States. Tennents is the most popular and common beer in pubs.

If you want an American beer, there is Budweiser but there is also Miller. The Miller tastes a little different than the American version and you can get good deals on buying the full pint cans.

You can get Pespi and Coke products the same as you can in the States. They usually come in smaller cans.

For coffee, instant seems to be more popular. Most self-catering accomodations will have hot water kettles. I recommend you go with good old Nescafe or else you may get some really strong Scottish coffee you may not enjoy.


If you really wanta to try something new and uniquely Scottish, you must try Irn-Bru. It is an orange-type soda natives love. Rumor has it, it is good for hangovers. But you will find more Irn-Bru then Coke or Pepsi. My suggestion is you give it a try. It may grow on you.

TRAVEL TIP: Go Self-Catering if you can.

Americans sometimes are surprised to hear there are "real" grocery stores in Scotland. There are many but there are three prominent ones. Tesco is the best for price and quality. Sommerfield's prices are about the same but the produce is poor quality. So, if you are afraid to go find them, they will find you. Click on the TESCO logo and see what they offer. You can also learn how to get your groceries delivered to you while you are in Scotland.

Sainbury's has the best quality produce but their prices are quite a bit higher. So if you don't like the food at TESCO go to Sainbury's but be ready to pay an extra 50p or so (that's a buck to you Yank). Click on the SAINSBURY'S Logo and take a look a their stuff.