Other than the fact that Scottish smoked salmon is delicious, there are many reasons to eat it – including those relating to good health.

However, for the purposes of this blog, we’re going to focus on the fact that Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight (4 – 19 September) is underway and outline why it’s important to celebrate the best Scottish food.

With such a rich history, combined with how it’s home to so many prominent, internationally renowned food brands, Scotland has become a food brand in its own right.

This boom is down to a number of factors including growing interest from China (a country that we’re proud to say that John Ross now supplies). However, in our view, one of Scotland’s strongest foodie assets is the importance it places on provenance.

Its cold climate, lush fields and clear waters typically provide the perfect environment for farming beef, which is often associated with Scotland, and salmon, which can be reared in conditions that result in lean, well-exercised and non-oily fish. And that’s before you consider the traditional production processes that Scotland, with its rich history, is home to.

John Ross, for example, still uses traditional brick kilns that date back to 1857 to create what we believe is the best smoked salmon in the world. Not only that, but each salmon is individually hung, by hand, over piles of oak and beech wood chippings that sit atop a cobbled floor with a history as long as the kilns. The piles are then lit and the salmon cold smoked for up to 24 hours.

We don’t have to do this, of course. We could, like many UK smoked salmon producers, use industrial electric ovens. Aside from the fact that the end product is nowhere near as good – both in texture and in taste – where’s the skill there? Where’s the time-honoured production methods required to create something of note.

The phrase ‘made with love’ is often used, but for artisan producers like John Ross it’s absolutely true. To get the perfect product, the conditions have to be perfect – even air temperature and humidity has to be taken into consideration in order to create the perfectly smoked salmon.

Thankfully, there are many artisan producers in Scotland who remain committed to methods passed down from generation to generation, and who work tirelessly to not only create the best products possible but also promote everything that is good about Scotland. Despite the changes in language and culture as you leave Scotland, one thing seems to cut through language: provenance.

For this reason we fully support Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight and the campaign’s goal of showcasing the very best of Scottish food and the producers behind it.

So, if you’re looking to buy Scottish smoked salmon online (or even buy smoked salmon in the supermarket), then be sure to look out for Scottish food producers – and, it goes without saying, John Ross in particular.

Oh, and if you do want to know why eating smoked salmon is healthy for you, click here.