A new Scottish cookbook is to be published later this year to commemorate the Year of Food and Drink.

However, it won't be written by a celebrity chef, but by ordinary Scots living in Scotland, the rest of the UK and all over the world.

Shirley Spear, founder of the world-famous Three Chimneys Restaurant on Skye and chair of the Scottish Food Commission, has launched a national and international appeal to find Scotland's most treasured tastes and food memories.

Scots everywhere are invited to submit their favourite family recipes and food stories for potential inclusion in You'll Have Had Your Tea?, Treasured Tastes of Scotland, which will be published by VisitScotland with the aim of reminding the world of Scotland's rich culinary heritage by taking readers on a culinary journey from the shores of Shetland all the way down to the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders.

It also hopes to highlight the importance of family meals, and the unsung role of women in Scotland's farming and fishing communities, as well as the kitchens of grand country houses as well as tenements and crofts.

Whether it's a plate of Granny Mary's mince and tatties devoured after a game of hide and seek in her Glasgow tenement, or a comforting bowl of Uncle Jim's Scotch broth following a bracing walk along the Fife coast, the national tourism organisation wants to highlight the places and people behind the country's favourite family meals and recipes handed-down through the generations.

As well as showcasing traditional food and drink, the book will help shine a light on the personal stories behind family recipes, inspiring readers to revive some great home-cooking and restore pride in our culinary tradition.

It could in future become part of the national school curriculum for home economics, history and social studies.

At the official launch of the nationwide appeal for recipes and food memories at the Willow Tearooms in Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street, Ms Spear said: "Some of my most cherished memories are of spending time with my mum, baking jam tarts and fairy cakes, followed years later with teaching my own children how to cook simple, basic things at home and making the most of seasonal ingredients such as gooseberries and rhubarb from the garden and turning them into delicious treats.

"We all have these food memories that instantly transport us back to a precious time in our lives. 'Treasured Tastes of Scotland' will provide a voice for these recipes and the stories behind in them. It is important to record these tastes and memories before they are lost forever. I hope that as many people as possible will take part in this nationwide search."

Recipes submitted will be tested by the Scottish food expert and cook Wendy Barrie.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: "Everyone has a delicious unforgettable meal they remember and invariably it is as a result of the food, company and setting. My personal favourite is my mum's stovies, made with fresh lamb from Stirling market. It instantly takes me back to Saturday dinner in the winter after we'd spent the afternoon watching the football.

"The recipe book idea is a way for us to inspire people to discover more about the culinary offering that is on their doorstep and to restore a sense of pride in our culinary heritage."

Recipes must be submitted along with a treasured story about the location or circumstances behind the meal by July 3, 2015. Entries can be sent either by post, or online at www.visitscotland.org/Treasured-Taste.aspx.