I MOVED to Scotland with an open mind and heart, but like any foreigner to a new country, I came with slight nervous excitement. Slowly Scotland began to feel like home, and along the way, I have met kindred spirits who share a common appreciation for this country and how it, gradually, carves a special place in your heart. People’s food experiences leave the most lasting memories of a new home, while sharing new food connects us to and offers comfort in our new surroundings.

Alicia Mederos is from the Canary Islands. Some years ago she found herself in Glasgow with little knowledge of the Scottish way of life. Having grown up with a cuisine that was a rich confluence of Spanish, Latin American and African flavours, she'd thought Scottish cooking would be bland, but the experiences she had here taught her differently and Scotland found that special place in her heart.

Hailing from a country renowned for long lunches, siestas and fresh meals, Alicia was surprised by how the British can survive on just sandwiches for lunch, but as she adjusted to her new life, she realised that light midday meals were actually a good thing.

At first she craved home cooking such as her mum’s fish pie and her mother-in-law’s lentil soup. But although she'd feared she wouldn’t find garlic to make her mojo sauce to go with wrinkly Canarian potatoes, she was pleasantly surprised to discover that every ingredient from around the globe could be had here. Alicia was impressed by the Scots' admiration for and acceptance of new flavours and it was here that she was first exposed to curries. She was also surprised by this country's incredible natural larder – particularly the abundant seafood, though she never understood why local shops didn’t sell Scottish langoustines, lobsters, crabs.

On the hunt to make her Canarian hotpot or soups, she often bought seafood at Troon harbour, where she says most shoppers were foreigners. During one supermarket visit, upon finding a rare packet of unshelled prawns, she was met with bewilderment by the cashier, who asked: "What are those hairy beasts?" in a strong Glaswegian accent.

During their time here, Alicia and enjoyed sharing Scottish dishes with others. “Food needs context," she tells me. "Sometimes when you go to a new country, you are keen to try local dishes, but feel intimidated or don’t know how to enjoy them to the fullest. When you get a chance to share them over a festive meal with local friends, for example when you eat haggis with neeps and tatties on Burn’s Night with Scottish friends, you see the dish from a new light.”

Alicia didn’t know much about whisky, until she and her husband enjoyed an educative experience with their friends Andy and Vicky, who taught them about different nuances of the drink and regions in Scotland. “When someone takes the trouble to cook for you in their home, you really get a chance to appreciate what their heritage food is all about,” says Alicia, who adds that sharing a Sunday roast with friends was one of her greatest food pleasures in Scotland.

Having now moved back to the Canary Isles with her husband, she really misses coronation chicken sandwiches – one of her more fascinating discoveries – but the Caledonian flavours that will never leave her include matured beef sampled in Crieff and chowder tasted in Ayrshire, along with hand-dived scallops, smoked haddock and oats.

She also treasures memories of first learning about halal lamb in Pollokshields, where she and her husband lived, with its huge Pakistani community. The friendly hospitality and the humility of the Scottish people to other cuisines, is an experience so different to anything she ever experienced in Spain.

Alicia and her husband still miss Cullen skink, crumpets and muffins, but they know that their time in Scotland opened their eyes not just to Scottish flavours, but to experiencing much more of the world than they ever imagined.

Special thanks for Alicia Mederos and Victoria Russell

Recipe: Alicia’s Canarian papas arrugadas con mojo de cilantro:

(Wrinkly potatoes with green mojo sauce)

Alicia Mederos's recipes for these classic Canary Islands dishes are written in her own words.

Choose good small potatoes. Wash them well and boil them, skins on, in water with lots of coarse salt (a good two or three handfuls). Don’t worry, they won’t be too salted. After half an hour drain and return to the dry pot, on the stove, for a minute or two, moving them until the salt dries on their skin.

For the mojo de cilantro, put a fat garlic clove, middle bit removed, in the food processor with a large bunch of coriander, roughly chopped; or you can put half coriander and half parsley; 3-4 spoons of wine vinegar; 300 ml olive oil, not extra virgin, and a level teaspoon of coarse salt. Blitz until smooth and serve. My mum also adds an avocado which is great to add creaminess, although is not in the traditional recipe.

Alicia’s Puchero Canario (Canarian hotpot)

Serves 6

The stock from the puchero is just wonderful. We use it to do tumbo, a soup with small noodles and whatever is left of the meat and vegetables, cut in smaller chunks.”

Half-fill a very large pot with water. Add the meats you prefer: ½kg of beef, some pork – normally a few salted ribs, you can substitute with pork belly, hock or some bacon, a piece of Spanish chorizo. Add skinned chicken quarters too if you want (but add them on the next step). Also, a whole garlic head and a drizzle of olive oil.

Simmer for at least an hour, add chickpeas that have been soaked for eight hours at least (500 grams when dry), peeled carrots and corn on the cob, all cut in two or three pieces. Simmer on a low heat.

When the chickpeas are just tender, add the rest of the vegetables: first a small cabbage, quartered, and a couple of handfuls of green beans. After 15 minutes, add four potatoes, one large sweet potato, all peeled and cut in large chunks, or whole; a large piece of pumpkin, two bubangos (Canary Islands round courgettes; used normal courgettes to substitute). Simmer in the stock on a slow heat for another 30 minutes. Halfway through cooking, put a couple of garlic cloves in the mortar, grind them with a pinch of saffron and cumin, and add them to the pot. Adjust the salt – take care if you have added bacon or salted pork ribs.