Flying off the cabinets? Leith’s The Kilted Donut promoting limited-edition insect-topped doughnut

The special offer, only available today, comes as the baked goods specialist prepares to open its second store on St. Stephen Street in Stockbridge tomorrow. The new location will complement its original location on Edinburgh’s Great Junction Street.

The company asked on Instagram if people “have the courage” to try the “Jiminy” – a chocolate-glazed donut, sprinkled with crickets roasted in Sriracha and a fiery scotch bonnet sauce.

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Director and co-founder Lena Wollan said it was “a great combination of chocolate and chilli, with the crickets only making one crispy – they are actually very tasty!”

The donut is billed as a “great combination of chocolate and chilli, with the crickets just for a crunch”. Image: contributed.

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Why we all need to catch the insectivorous beetle

Ms. Wollan, who is from Minnesota and co-runs the company with Glaswegian Mark Anderson, said the company was inspired to bring the product to market because of its concern for sustainability as it followed the movement that is eating Encourages crickets and other insects for protein rather than getting it from conventional meat-producing animals.

“We just thought it would be fun to see people’s reactions,” she added – saying that it caused a lot of “intrigue”.

“Some people were a little disgusted by this, which doesn’t surprise me … but overall it was a pretty positive response,” she said too.

Lena Wollan and Mark Anderson run the donut shop that opens in Stockbridge. Image: Catriona Thomson.

The move follows in the footsteps of other unusual donut flavors the company has offered over the years, including curries, black pudding, and haggis. “We’re definitely trying to push boundaries,” laughed Ms. Wollan.

The company’s current range includes a fiery Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce glazed donut topped with shredded Cheetos and a maple and bacon offering, as well as more conventional flavors like chocolate sprinkles, red velvet, and vanilla.

Whether The Kilted Donut plans to debut something similar to the cricket version, the answer is clearly “yes”. Ms. Wollan said, “We are always ready to try new things – and to try strange and wonderful things.”

One study predicts the edible insect market will be worth the equivalent of $ 3.3 billion by 2027, and another believes that replacing half of the meat consumed worldwide with insects like crickets will reduce farmland use by a third could.

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