Mackie's makes bacon, pancake and maple syrup ice cream for RHS

BACON, pancakes and maple syrup has always been a traditional breakfast favourite '“ but now one ice-cream company has transformed the combination into its newest creation, just in time for this year's Royal Highland Show.

Mackie's unveils its 30 flavours of ice cream for the Royal Highland show. Picture: Ross Johnston/Newsline Media

To celebrate its 30th birthday, Mackie’s of Scotland have introduced 15 new flavours of ice-cream, including gin and tonic sorbet and a handful of breakfast creations for the renowned event, which opens today.

Around 200,000 visitors are expected to descend on the country’s largest outdoor show, which will see 7000 of the UK’s finest cattle, sheep, horses and goats on display until Sunday.

Cathy Fraser, sales and events manager at Mackie’s of Scotland, said: “The new flavours bring a bit of theatre to our stall.

“To mark our 30th birthday we wanted to do something special, and something that made us stand out a bit more.

“That’s when we decided to come up with some exclusive new flavours especially for the Royal Highland Show.”

Scotland’s Larder Live is once again returning to the showground in Ingliston, where guests will be able to taste and learn about some of the country’s best produce.

Visitors can also view agricultural machinery, worth £72 million, and take a stroll in the brand new 13th Avenue Arcade, featuring everything from luxury fashion to homewares.

The Royal Highland Show is now in its 176th year and remains one of Scotland’s most iconic events.

For the first time, organisers have also unveiled a brand new “cow flyover”, a concrete overpass which has been introduced in a bid to reduce congestion between visitors and livestock.

Organisers have said the overpass is part of a £1.6m investment of improvements for this year’s show, and provides direct access for the livestock into the main show ring, without interrupting the pedestrians as it has done in previous years.

David Jackson, manager of the Royal Highland Show, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming back hundreds of thousands of visitors to the show again this year.

“Around 38 per cent of our visitors come from rural backgrounds, and the remaining 62 per cent come from urban, so it’s a good chance for the two to connect and for people from more built up areas to get a taste of the farming lifestyle.

“For a lot of people from cities, and more urban areas, it’s quite exotic for them to get so close to farm animals that they wouldn’t normally see.

“If you are looking for a farm yard safari, come to the Royal Highland Show.”

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