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What to Eat in Scotland Right Now: Spring 2026

A seasonal eating guide for spring in Scotland — what's just come into season, what's about to finish, and what I've been cooking this month.

By Gary··5 min read

April in Scotland is the month where winter food and spring food overlap on the same plate. The last of the stored root vegetables from autumn — parsnips, celeriac, beetroot — are still good, but the first forced rhubarb and wild garlic are appearing at farm shops and markets. The sea is waking up too: langoustine season has properly started, brown crab is coming back, and mackerel won't be far behind.

Here's what I've been eating, buying, and cooking this month.

What's just come into season

Langoustines. April marks the real start of langoustine season on the west coast. The first decent-sized catches are hitting fishmongers now. Prices are still high-season (£30–40/kg for live mediums) but they'll come down through May as the catch volumes increase. I steamed a kilo last weekend — 4 minutes, garlic butter, lemon, two slices of sourdough. Total cost about £12 per person for what any restaurant would charge £30+. If you've never cooked them, now's the time to start. Our langoustine cooking guide covers everything.

Wild garlic. If you live near any Scottish woodland — particularly along river valleys — wild garlic (ramsons) is everywhere right now. The leaves are best before the plant flowers (usually late April/early May). Pick a carrier bag full, wash it, and make wild garlic pesto: blitz with Parmesan, pine nuts, olive oil, salt. It freezes in ice cube trays and lasts months. Free food, better than anything in a supermarket.

Forced rhubarb. The Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb Triangle gets all the press, but Scottish-grown forced rhubarb is available from farm shops and some farmers markets from February through April. It's more delicate and less sour than outdoor rhubarb (which arrives in May). Roast with a spoonful of sugar and some stem ginger, serve with custard or over porridge. The colour is extraordinary — electric pink.

Brown crab. The season runs May to September but the first crabs of the year start appearing at fishmongers in April. Ask if they've got any in — early-season crab is often excellent quality as the animals have been feeding all winter. A whole brown crab (£5–10) gives you enough white and brown meat for a proper crab on toast lunch for two.

What's still going from winter

Purple sprouting broccoli. The last of the winter brassicas and, in my opinion, the best. Scottish-grown PSB is available from farm shops until late April. Steam for 3 minutes, dress with good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Nothing else needed. Once it's gone, you're waiting until next February.

Stored roots. Parsnips, swede, celeriac, and turnips from last autumn's harvest are still in good condition at farm shops. They won't be for much longer — by mid-May they'll be soft and sprouting. Make the most of them now: roast parsnips with honey and thyme, mash celeriac with butter and white pepper, cube swede into a proper Scotch broth.

Leeks. Scottish leeks are available through April. They're the last allium before spring onions take over. Leek and potato soup — the simplest, most comforting thing you can cook — is a spring staple that uses two ingredients both still in season.

What I've been cooking this week

Tuesday: Wild garlic and potato soup. Foraged the garlic from a park near the flat. Sweated a diced onion and two potatoes in butter, added stock, simmered 20 minutes, stirred in a big handful of wild garlic, blitzed. Ate it from a mug. 30 minutes, about £2.

Thursday: Langoustine linguine. Bought 500g of frozen langoustine tails from the fishmonger (£9). Pan-fried in butter with garlic and chilli, deglazed with white wine, tossed through linguine with parsley and lemon. Fed two generously. Under £15 including the pasta and a glass of the leftover wine.

Saturday: Farm shop run to Craigies (South Queensferry). Picked up forced rhubarb, free-range eggs, sourdough, and their own-farm sausages. Roasted the rhubarb for Sunday breakfast with yoghurt and granola. The sausages went into a toad-in-the-hole with the last of the leeks from the veg box. Total farm shop spend: £14.

What's coming next month

May brings the start of proper outdoor growing season in Scotland. New potatoes (Ayrshires, if you can find them), the first Scottish asparagus (from a tiny number of growers — East Lothian mainly), and strawberries from polytunnel operations. Mackerel fishing picks up on the east coast. Crab and langoustine are fully in swing.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival runs in late April/early May — the first major food and drink event of the year.

For the full month-by-month seafood picture, check our Seasonal Seafood Calendar. For produce and markets, our Farmers Market Finder covers 26 Scottish markets.

This is a quarterly column. I'll update it in July (summer), October (autumn), and January (winter) with what's in season, what I've been eating, and where I've been buying it. Subscribe to The Scottish Bite to get the update when it drops.

TasteSCOT is an independent editorial site. We are not affiliated with any distillery, brewery, producer, or tourism body. All opinions are our own. Prices, availability, and opening hours are checked at the time of writing but may change — always verify with the retailer or venue before visiting or purchasing. If you drink, please drink responsibly.