From the rebirth of cheese making in the 1970's to a Michelin starred restaurant. From award-winning farmers markets, to award-winning cafes, it seems that Ayrshire has become a food destination. There really is something to offer everyone whatever their budget or taste. Looking for a top class meal in romantic surroundings? Go to Dalry. Fresh Oysters? Go to Troon. On a self-catering holiday? Go to the Ayrshire Farmers Market where the variety of produce is enough to stir even the slowest of imaginations! Ayrshire is definitely not a place to bypass on the way up north on the M74. It is a place to be visited and enjoyed for the all the food experiences it offers.

Cheese is one of my passions and it was in Ayrshire that the revival of cheese-making in Scotland occurred. Today Artisan cheese making flourishes and the pasture in Ayrshire provides excellent food for dairy herds. They in turn produce rich milk ideal for cheese-making, look out for the local Dunlop. The farm in Stewarton makes cheese not just from cow's milk but from goats' and ewes' milk. Then there is also Drumkain, made in Dalry.

We are in Burns country of course and it was the bard who made the humble haggis into a household name, but there are countless other puddings and pies worth trying. Ayrshire is the name given to a particular way of curing bacon, which allows the back and streaky to be rolled together, the one helping to cook the other. Look out for superb lamb, which may be served with wild mushrooms at Braidwoods in Dalry the Michelin, starred restaurant. This culinary star alone makes a visit to the area worthwhile.

The coast also provides some of the Ayrshire larder, with oysters now being farmed and smokehouses producing fine smoked salmon. The shellfish brought ashore is also of the highest quality. Find one of the many restaurants serving langoustines or large prawns. Eat them simply, but be prepared to battle with shells and claws - it is worth it! Served cold with perhaps a garlic mayonnaise, accompanied by a fine chilled dry white wine which may have come from the local wine merchant in Ayr whose cellars date back to the 18th century, worth a visit just to view them alone, but also perhaps to choose a wine for that special night in. A bottle of red wine and a fine steak from the farmers market are equally as tempting.

The first early potatoes in Scotland invariably come from Ayrshire and the name is also used to describe them. As a working chef I wait while my greengrocer offers me Jersey Royals then perhaps Cornish new potatoes until the real thing arrives! Still smelling of the rich soil there is nothing quite like an Ayrshire new potato. The land supports a great variety of vegetables as well so your stroll through the markets will provide choice as well as quality.

If you are looking for something a little different, organic growers are appearing all over the region and even some unusual rare breeds of pigs as well as a herd of Jacobs lamb. Some accommodation providers are also based in farms and here the food for the table comes literally from the field.

Enjoy discovering the Ayrshire food experience.
Arran
by Nick Nairn - a self-taught chef, he became the youngest chef to win a Michelin star in Scotland. With a distinctive style of cooking, he has presented three BBC cookery series, all with accompanying books, and he also writes a column for the Scottish Sunday Mail.

I first visited Arran in 1997. Despite having heard the 'Scotland in miniature' claims, I was a little sceptical. You see, I hail from the Trossachs - rolling hills and stunning scenery surround me every day, so what could this little island have that I haven't seen already? I ate my hat for lunch on the first day - I was blown away by the concentration of quality food producers on this little Isle - lest forgetting the abundance of views, walks, nature, history and heritage on offer. With a week to spend on the Island, researching my favourite subject - food, (of course) - I found myself in a little Scottish paradise.

So how did this little Island become a haven for food lovers?
Historically, Arran, or Scotland for that matter, has never been viewed as a culinary destination. Unlike our continental neighbours there is no real tradition of gastronomy and still suffer a bit of a hangover from the days when food was seen simply as fuel to get us through the day. Certainly most of the culinary heritage has been bound from necessity, even poverty rather than an indulgence. However this poverty driven cooking wasn't all gruel and oats. The abundance of fish and wild game on Arran meant that in the eighteenth century modern luxuries, such as wild salmon, oysters and game birds, were often found on the tables of peasants. Preservation of food without refrigeration has also made it's mark on the culinary map with the various processes of smoking, salting and curing leaving a legacy in the form of smoked salmon, kippers, salt herring and haddock.

Today, Arran produces a myriad of great produce, much of which uses traditional techniques and methods. I'm a well documented fan of Scottish beef, and Arran has some of the finest on offer. Lamb on Arran is mostly blackface and hill reared - their meat has a wonderful sweetness and is tender beyond belief. There are a number of butchers on the island, selling the Island's fine beef and lamb, and each has it's own speciality, whether it be pies, sausages, haggis or black pudding - all from recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.

I love walking, which is another huge attraction of the Island, and I can usually bribe my wife to join me on longer walks if we can incorporate a few interesting pits stops. Trails around Arran have led to discovering great dairies, producing superb artisan cheeses. Zingy Goat's cheese, a rich Arran Dunlop, lovely stinky Blue cheeses and a vast array of sharp cheddars are produced. To compliment these, there are local oatcakes, tasty pickles, mustards and preserves. If you're anything like me, the words "impromptu picnic" will be on your mind.

After a day of clean fresh air and breathtaking scenery, I am of course ready to feast again - perhaps time to enjoy the fruits of the seas surrounding Arran. Lively langoustine, lobster and hand dived scallops and a vast array of white fish are landed at nearby Tarbert and Campbelltown and almost every restaurant on the island takes advantage of this spanking fresh produce with wonderful results. Keen cooks will also find a good selection of fish and shellfish in some of the island's farm shops alongside organic herbs, salads and vegetables all grown on the island. Not to mention a tempting array of home-made chocolates.

So there we have it, a comprehensive larder of Scotland's prime produce, all crammed onto an island of views and vistas. Scotland in miniature? Sounds just about right to me.