Greg Boyd with his partner Maddi at their market stall

FROM delectable smoked fish to sweet and crumbly shortbread, Scottish cuisine comes in many shapes and sizes.

And for those who think it must all be deep-fried Mars bars and cans of Irn Bru, a new deli in Angel is changing minds and winning hearts.

The Shoap is the brainchild of Scottish foodie Greg Boyd. Opening last week, his café-deli is loaded with high-end offerings from north of the border – though he admits on his first weekend, they sold out of the fizzy orange drink made in Scotland from girders, and cans of every off-licence’s Scottish best seller, Tennent’s lager.

He moved to London as a graduate and worked as an economic analyst – parking student dreams of food businesses on the side – until the pandemic struck.

Mr Boyd said: “There was no real Scottish food being sold in London. I had been doing my job for eight years and I always had this idea in mind based on the fact there is so much great Scottish produce but few places to buy it.

“I had worked in a farm shop that sold haggis and other Scottish produce, and during lockdown, I set up delivering by bicycle haggis, neeps and tatties for Burns’ night. The idea was well received.”

Happy customers enjoy the opening weekend

The Shoap is the culmination of a lifetime ambition, said Mr Boyd.

He said: “When I was a kid growing up in Glasgow I was really into cooking. For example, I chose home economics instead of woodwork at school.”

Mr Boyd had considered going into the catering world, but instead headed to university to study economics – but never lost his passion for food and cooking.

From there, he set up Auld Hag, which went from deliveries to weekend food markets. This earned Auld Hag a catering contract with the Scottish government’s London HQ.

The demand was such he has now opened The Shoap in St John Street, Angel, London’s only Scottish speciality deli.

He says people are curious when they see the shop sells “Scottish Scran”.

He said: “It is a conversation starter. It perks up Londoners who do not know what it means.”

And running the deli gives Mr Boyd the chance to explore his home nation’s vast array of products. They range from traditional soft Glaswegian morning rolls to a croissant-like pastry from Aberdeen. High-end meats from Edinburgh, smoked fish from the isles and of course cans of Irn Bru and Tennent’s lager are available.

He added: “Scotland has great diversity in the food available. There is a sense that Scottish food is unhealthy and deep-fried, but that is a tiny percentage – and we don’t have a deep fryer here.

“That is what is really exciting about Scottish food – there is so much going on.”