Lucky passengers who were flying to Glasgow airport this week on 21 December were treated to the surprise at Heathrow Terminal 5 in celebration of Walker’s Shortbread’s new festive pop up.

People passing through the UK’s international gateway enjoyed highland tunes and shortbread samples from the family-run business.

It comes as Walker’s Shortbread launches a new pop-up experience at Terminal 5 in partnership with World Duty Free, with delicious shortbread for sale throughout the festive season, when passenger numbers are expected to rise significantly over the winter break.

The brand space sees Walker’s ‘Share the joy of Shortbread’ with a replica of the founder Joseph Walker’s original delivery van, dating from over 100 years ago, situated at the pop-up site to drive excitement among customers.

From now until 3 January, thousands of passengers can sample some of Walker’s iconic Shortbread Fingers, browse the brand’s delicious Prestige Festive Range and wider Global Travel Range (GTR), and listen to music from a live bagpiper playing at various intervals on the 21st December.

Steve McCarney, commercial director at Walker’s Shortbread, said: “As a Scottish brand with heritage at its core, we’re proud to celebrate our roots. Scots are known for their hospitality and what better way to welcome those flying home or visiting for Christmas than with bagpipes and free shortbread.

“It’s double the celebration as it also ties in with Walker’s exciting pop-up at Heathrow Airport, which is running throughout the festive season. Shortbread is such a special part of Christmas and Hogmanay, and we can’t wait to share the joy with passengers, allowing more travellers to take Walker’s with them and share in this tradition all over the world.”

To showcase the brand’s global reach, shoppers are invited to share photos of their purchases on social media, tagging @walkersshortbread and #walkerssharethejoy, where they’ll be in for a chance to win a selection of Walker’s Shortbread products.

Fraser Brown, retail director at Heathrow commented: “As the UK’s most connected airport, Heathrow is proud to support iconic British businesses as they export around the world.

“We are delighted to partner with Walker’s Shortbread to host such a unique pop-up experience, bringing the magic of shortbread to life for passengers on their travels during the festive season. We’re looking forward to welcoming a bagpiper at the gate, which is a first of its kind for Heathrow.”

Eve Fifer, commercial director for Avolta, who operate the World Duty Free stores in the UK added: “We consistently strive to deliver unique and immersive experiences that excite and inspire our customers.

“Supporting heritage brands like Walker’s is paramount in delivering that cherished ‘sense of place’ while offering our customers a way to connect to the spirit of Scotland and all things British!

“This striking pop-up and the Scottish welcome from the bagpipers really highlights Walker’s proud Scottish heritage, and will attract plenty of interest from travellers passing through Heathrow Terminal 5.”