The woman behind the deli counter cut the rind off the parmesan, weighed it and said “that’ll be £4.62”. Before I knew it, Snotty English Cow popped up inside me and exclaimed, “You’re not proposing to sell me that? It’s inedible.”

I guess I should have known better. This same deli counter also stocked deep fried haggis in batter but I was getting desperate.

Scotland is famous for its food. Virtually any “British” speciality is, in fact, Scottish: smoked Salmon, whisky, roast Aberdeen Angus beef, shortbread and, of course haggis. So what has happened to Edinburgh?

Like many British city centres, Edinburgh’s has been emptied by the growth of out-of-town shopping. Princes Street, Edinburgh’s main shopping area, with spectacular views of the castle and the Old Town, is dominated by clothes shops and shops selling smellies or anything with a tartan theme.

Most of the supermarkets are on or near the ring road, which is a serious hike without a car and a long traffic jam with one. So, if you’re self catering in Edinburgh or merely wanting something for a good picnic, where do you go? Scotland in general has been slow to adopt the farm shop. However, farmers markets are beginning to make in-roads and Edinburgh has one of the best. Every Saturday “under the castle”, this attracts up to 40 local producers. The problem with “under the castle”, is that it covers an area of several square miles and no one has thought of putting up a single sign to help you out. People who shop there regularly will tell you you can’t miss it. Well, you can! If you do succeed in finding it, be sure to try fried-to-order crisps from the Crisp Hut. All sorts of varieties but plain to herby. My particular favourites are the chilli ones.  If you fail to find the market or can’t wait until the weekend or here are some other ideas:

Valvona and Crolla, the iconic Italian delicatessen, stocks a good variety of cheeses and other broadly Italian goodies. Fame has not come without its difficulties, however. The narrow premises are always packed, particularly at lunch time, when half of Edinburgh piles in for the freshly-made sandwiches. The resulting queues make browsing difficult and tasting anything almost impossible.

For a more leisurely shopping experience, go to Mellis the Cheesemonger. Mellis have several shops dotted around town (Victoria Street, Bruntsfield Place and Bakers Place) with the most awesome collection of cheeses you will see anywhere. During Festival time, they also will make up picnic hampers to order. The staff are knowledgeable and urge tasting on you at every opportunity – time your shopping right and you won’t need that hamper after all! Try the expensive but delicious butter – Beurre Baratte D’Isingny. An absolute must is the quince membrillo paste, sold by the slice – you can eat it by itself to clear your palette between courses, or with cheese – it’s particularly good with the red Mimolette. Mellis also stock excellent bread and croissants and a good range of olives and other Mediterranean treats.

Two of Scotland’s most famous delicacies, smoked salmon and haggis are particularly hard to get. You see them everywhere of course, but most verge on the inedible.

When buying salmon, it’s important to take a good look at the fat content. This shows up as stripes of white between the pink flesh. Wild salmon is virtually fat free. Farmed salmon, where the fish sit in cages waiting for their next meal to be thrown in, can be the fishy equivalent of Supersize Me. Not all farmed salmon is like this – some farms site their cages in a good strong current, basically, an underwater gym– and if you can’t get (or afford) wild salmon, this is the stuff to go for.

Haggis is another trap for the unwary. In Edinburgh I have had the worst and the best haggis anywhere. The worst – and it was from a farm shop – had been mashed to an unrecognisable pulp and shoved in a plastic sleeve. The resulting mess had the texture of Kittie Kat and tasted slightly worse.

For absolute perfection in both haggis and smoked salmon, go to Herbies. A tiny delicatessen, packed to the ceiling with a wide variety of goodies, Herbies do an excellent traditional haggis and a wild venison haggis, which is a special treat. They also have hot-smoked salmon. Dark brown and flaky in texture, this is perfect for sandwiches, canapés, scrambled eggs or sneaking down in the night for a secret spoonful. Herbies also have a wide range of outstanding bread: their whole grain is filling and gutsy – ideal if you’re planning a hard day shopping or sight-seeing. They also do bagels and baguettes. Ask to try the extraordinary combination of chilli-stuffed olives followed by some of their delectable brie. The olive almost blows your head off, but pop a chunk of brie in your mouth immediately afterwards and it abates to a soothing glow. Also worth a try are their home-made pâtés, smoked almonds and expensive but irresistible chocolate-coated hazel nuts.

If you are a serious foodie, you can’t do better than Morningside Rd. About a mile long, heading South from the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links, this is one long feast.
Setting the tone at the top end, is Luca’s ice cream and chocolaterie. Selling top notch dairy ice cream and chocolate in every conceivable form, this will give you that energy burst to do the rest. Really good food shops are dotted all along this street and there is even a Waitrose – one of the few supermarkets within the ring road.

Unmissable highlights include:

Harvest Garden. A florist-cum-chocolate shop – what a fantastic idea!-  this place has really special presents to take home, if you don’t eat them first, that is. Imaginative chocolate gifts include a chocolate trowel and fork set for the gardener in the family and, in the same range, golfing, train set and car nut chocs. They also stock a mouth-watering range of Belgian chocolates to pick and mix.

Mellis the Cheesemonger has a shop in Morningside. Next door is a good fishmonger, Robert Main & Son. Make sure you try Arbroath Smokies – a delicious and much less bony alternative to kippers. Fishing boats don’t go out on Sundays, so like all good fish shops, they’re closed on a Monday.

At the bottom of the street, Henri’s is a French delicatessen, specialising in pretty much everything French. Fresh products include excellent bread and croissants; a small range of pâtisserie; salami; cheese and free range meat. They also have a wide range of general French goodies from Magret de canard, snails, pâté de foie gras and a top notch chocolate mousse.

If all this sounds highly exhausting, Morningside Rd also has a good range of eateries to collapse in. Try the Canny Man’s pub or, for unusual and imaginative Indian food, Morningside Spice.

If you are beginning to tire of traditional cuisine an are desperate for something spicy, Edinburgh can be a really tricky place to shop. The delicatessens and the supermarkets generally have a poor selection of Indian goods – Sharwoods being about the best you can hope for. Two shops, Bismillah Food Store and Al Medina virtually next door to each other in Nicolson Square, between them can satisfy most curry cravings, with a wide range of chutneys and spices and their naan bread is as good as the freshly-cooked restaurant stuff. If you’re in search of something new, try bitter melon. This unusual vegetable, looking like a cucumber with a serious skin complaint, is considered a delicacy in many parts of the Sub Continent. Slice it and sprinkle it with salt to draw out the bitter juices. It can then be cooked as a curried vegetable or deep fried to make unusual crisps