Larder 2010

Scotland's best artisan bakers

Featuring The Steamie Bakehouse, Different Breid and more

17 Sep 2010

Everyone loves to have a small, charming bakery just around the corner, yet in Britain 95 per cent of the bread sold is made in factories. John Cooke spoke to Scottish artisan bakers who have started their businesses from scratch in the last few years.

A guide to sustainable Scottish seafood

17 Sep 2010

Fish and shellfish rank among our most lauded produce, but there are issues of sustainability and kitchen confidence. With Seafood Scotland and chef Kevin MacGillivray, we offer a guide to recognising, understanding and cooking it.

Foraging for wild produce

Top chefs are looking to Scotland's natural plant life for inspiration

17 Sep 2010

Eating local, for some, means foraging for the wild foods that grow right on our own doorstep, writes Andrea Pearson.

The Orkney crab industry

17 Sep 2010

Lobster and langoustine may get the glamour roles in Scotland’s stellar shellfish line-up, but crab is starting to nip at their heels, as Donald Reid found out in Orkney.

Scotland celebrates a thriving brewing industry

Caledonian, Brewdog and more are holding their own on the world stage

17 Sep 2010

High-quality water, historic recipes and a growing number of microbreweries means that Scotland is producing beers to rival those produced on the Continent, writes David Pollock.

The Scots' culinary heritage

17 Sep 2010

The Scots’ relationship with home-grown food is changing, and efforts to preserve our culinary traditions are gathering momentum. Catherine Brown offers a historical perspective.

Milk and its place in Scottish culinary culture

17 Sep 2010

Milk – and what it can be turned into – are integral not only to the Scottish diet, but also to our culinary heritage, writes Carine Seitz.

Scottish Highlands offers best free-range meat

So why aren't we eating it?

17 Sep 2010

Scotland’s hills, upland moors and Highland glens offer great scenery, but in addition to that they’re the source of some excellent food. Gordon Davidson finds out more from the people championing the ultimate free-range food industry.

Scottish regional food finds its identity

Food networks across the country raise the profile of Scottish food

17 Sep 2010

Local and regional food groups - cooperative associations of smaller-scale food growers, producers, distributors, shops and restaurants - are gaining a higher profile around Scotland, as Jackie Hunter found out.

Local Scottish artisan chocolatiers

Cocoa Black, The Chocolate Tree, Oban Chocolate Co and more

17 Sep 2010

Cocoa beans may not grow in Scotland, but the last decade has seen small, artisan chocolate makers spring up across the country. In this survey we take a particular look at examples of local influences in the ranges on offer.

The best Scottish cheeses

17 Sep 2010

It’s perfectly possible to fill your cheese board with Scottish artisan cheeses. The Larder has teamed up with Pierre Leger of respected cheese retailer and wholesaler Clarks Speciality Foods to assemble some of the country’s prime cuts.

Scottish independent ice cream production

Enterprising dairies keep the Scottish-Italian tradition alive

17 Sep 2010

The availability of quality produce from diversifying dairy farms has fuelled a taste for ice-cream from our independent makers, writes Cate Devine.

The growing popularity of rapeseed oil

17 Sep 2010

Cold-pressed rapeseed oil is one of the more fashionable new products to appear on the local food scene in recent years. Donald Reid found out more about Scotland’s other national oil.

A guide to Scotland's potato varieties

Including Highland Burgundy and Mr Little’s Yetholm Gypsy

17 Sep 2010

Scottish heritage potatoes are no longer an underground movement, explains Cate Devine.

Technology's role in Scottish berry production

17 Sep 2010

The soft fruit industry in Scotland has long benefited from the appliance of science. Nicki Holmyard looks at the technology keeping Scottish berries in juicy good health.

Hand-pressed Cuddybridge Apple Juice

17 Sep 2010

From a small room in the Scottish Borders, Graham Stoddart is using the hand press he designed and made to create Cuddybridge Apple Juice, as John Cook discovers.

Smoking Scottish seafood with peat

17 Sep 2010

The unmistakable whiff of peat smoke is something we associate with crofting townships or whisky distilleries. For a few Scottish fish smokers, it’s the sweet smell of success, as David Pollock discovers.

A brief history of Ayrshire's Dunlop cheese

17 Sep 2010

Scotland’s equivalent of Cheddar is enjoying a revival thanks to a number of artisan makers. Jackie Hunter looks at the story of Ayrshire’s Dunlop.

The importance of pastry in Scotland's pies

Stuart's of Buckhaven, Simple Simon, Acanthus and more

17 Sep 2010

Nicki Holmyard looks at the different types of pastry used by the makers of Scotland’s famous savoury pies.

Scottish gin fast-becoming the nation's new spirit

Producers Spencerfield, Blackwoods and VC2 all on the rise

17 Sep 2010

It's seen as quintessentially English, but gin is now being produced by a number of Scottish distillers, as Jay Thundercliffe reports

Guide to different breeds of Scottish beef

17 Sep 2010

With many farmers choosing larger and faster-growing continental breeds such as Charolais and Limousin in the post-war era, Scotland’s native breeds were on the decline. Rob Fletcher looks at four Scottish breeds whose meat is back in fashion.

Alison Sykora on Scottish island produce

The Larder: Chef's Choice

17 Sep 2010

With focus on air-miles and carbon footprints, restaurateurs are looking to source their food as locally as possible. Alison Sykora, Chef Manager at Mount Stuart, tells us about the produce available on the Isle of Bute.

Val Buchanan on food from local allotments

The Larder: Chef's Choice

17 Sep 2010

Nothing compares to fruit and vegetables freshly dug from a plot around the corner. Val Buchanan, of Buchanan’s Bistro, tells us why produce grown on local allotments is becoming an increasingly prevalent feature on her menu.

Stornoway butcher seeks protection for Marag Dubh

17 Sep 2010

Black pudding from Stornoway – or marag dubh as it is named in Gaelic – is a common sight on Scottish menus these days. David Pollock caught up with moves to secure its status and identity.

Fred Berkmiller on Gartmorn Farm chicken

The Larder: Chef's Choice

17 Sep 2010

It’s not everyday a Frenchman will admit that non-Gallic produce rivals their own. Fred Berkmiller, of Edinburgh’s L’Escargot chain, on why Scottish Gartmorn chicken cuts it as an alternative to the famous authenticated Poularde de Bresse.