The Larder

Best of 2011: Scottish food producers

The brewers, smokehouses, bakers and cheesemakers on the rise

20 Jan 2012

2011 wasn’t a fun year for small business but food and drink in Scotland continued to make advances with impressive new products, new producers, new markets, growing food festivals, and an increased awareness of the value and importance of local food…

The Scottish vineyard making its own wine

Pioneering Scottish viticulturist Christopher Trotter on course for grape harvest

13 Dec 2011

In the spring of 2011, Christopher Trotter planted a 2.4-hectare vineyard on his Upper Largo estate on the southern coast of Fife. Facing his first winter as a pioneering Scottish viticulturist, Trotter, who's Fife’s official ‘Food Ambassador’, isn’t at…

A food-lovers journey along the River Tweed

Borders-based writer Sandy Neil on the food of south-east Scotland

10 May 2011

For 100 miles from source to sea, the River Tweed drains the Borders’ 18,000 square miles of landmass, collecting waters from the upland valleys of the Ettrick, Yarrow and Teviot, meandering across the fertile fields of The Merse flood plain, and…

Border bannocks - The Scottish flatbread

The bannock wasn’t always just a tea-time treat

10 May 2011

From a flatbread that was an everyday staple, the traditional Border bannock changed its character over the years. The rich cakes that bear the name ‘bannock’ owe little to their ancestry but their round shape. When Burns talked of southern Scotland…

Food and drink highlights of the Scottish Borders

The best producers, hotels, cafes and farmers' markets

10 May 2011

Cocoa Black. By her own admission, Ruth Hinks has the best job in the world. ‘I get to mess about with chocolate all day,’ she says. ‘Can you think of anything better?’ Her enthusiasm comes in handy at her Chocolate and Pastry School in Peebles. Behind…

Discover the Scottish Borders landscape and food

Travel by foot or two wheels for the best food in south-east Scotland

10 May 2011

Geology is the key to under-standing the diverse terrain and the food it produces, so let’s begin our adventure with the Borders’ story in stone. The Borders rose from the Iapetus Ocean floor 4.5 million years ago as the American and European tectonic…

Innovative approaches on traditional farms in the Scottish Borders

The new ideas lighting up the local food scene in south-east Scotland

10 May 2011

The old woods and hedges of Peelham Farm shelter fields that have been brought back to life. After decades of exploitation under an earlier owner’s intensive arable regime, Denise and Chris Walton, and their business partner Amanda Cayley have invested…

The Borders’ culinary heritage is well documented

The early Scottish cookbooks

10 May 2011

The Scottish Borders may not have been the only cradle of the Scot’s cuisine but they did play a role in establishing the canon of Scots cookery. Elizabeth Cleland’s New and Easy Method of Cookery of 1755 was one of the first cookery books published…

How the sheep and lamb from the Scottish Borders earned its reputation

Some of the finest meat available in Scotland

10 May 2011

Sheep have been grazing on Border hills since at least the 12th century, yielding wool, milk and meat – mostly eaten as braxy when the animal died by disease, old age or accident. While in the Highlands sheep were farmed for subsistence, in the Lowlands…

How the woman behind Stichill Jerseys maintains high food standards

Brenda Leddy on cows, cheese and clotted cream

10 May 2011

It takes quite a woman to take one Jersey cow and make it into an award-winning transatlantic enterprise, but then Kelso’s Brenda Leddy, of Stichill Jerseys, is not just any woman. A recent runner-up in BBC Radio 4’s Food and Farming Awards, those…

How Eyemouth is clinging to centuries of fishing heritage

The Scottish fishing town on the North Sea coast

10 May 2011

There’s a part of the Borders that’s seafaring, with a direct link to the fish of the North Sea. Catches from Eyemouth’s last dozen boats are packed in ice or landed live on the harbour by 6am, and on the fishmonger’s counter by opening time at 9am in…

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.

Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin on Scotland's best berries

The Larder: Chef's Choice

17 Sep 2010

The Scottish idiosyncratic climate is good for something – it provides ideal growing conditions for our produce. Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin explains why he uses only Scotland’s best berries in his restaurants.

Perfectly cooked venison

17 Sep 2010

Nicola Fletcher, author of Ultimate Venison Cookery, provides tips on buying and cooking venison.

David and Katie Young on sourcing from their local estate

The Larder: Chef's Choice

17 Sep 2010

For David and Katie Young, owners of The Cross at Kingussie, keeping it local really does mean local. Wild red and roe deer roam their neighbouring estate, where Highland beef is also farmed using traditional methods.

From field to fork - The meat producers of Fife, Scotland

For those who love their meat, but like to know where it comes from

10 May 2010

For at least a decade now, Fife farmers have been finding a way to market that has avoided the high-volume supermarket route and reduced the food miles between field and fork. Typical of this movement are small-scale, family farmers such as Jim and…

Why Scottish oats and bread are a cut above

The essential ingredient in porridge, crowdie, skirlie and haggis

10 May 2010

Oats thrive in a cold, damp climate and so it comes as no surprise that they have long been a staple food in Fife, and Scotland in general. Indeed oats, inseparably entwined with Scotland’s culinary heritage, were, and still are, held in high esteem.

Eat your way along the Fife Coastal Path

A guide to one of Scotland's great food areas by local chef Christopher Trotter

10 May 2010

The 105-mile Fife Coastal Path starts at the Burgh of Culross and winds its way along beach, rough paths, villages and towns to the Tay Bridge in the north. The walk is best completed in sections, and it’s always worth leaving time for some food…

Fife’s fishing industry is ready to take the next step towards sustainability

Ronald Kerr talks to Pittenweem fishermen’s spokesman Billy Hughes

10 May 2010

The fortunes of Fife’s fishing industry may fluctuate like the spring tides, but the sea continues to exert a compelling hold on men such as Billy Hughes. Having entered the industry as an apprentice fish auctioneer in the 1960s, the secretary of…

How Anster cheese become one of the Fife’s headline food acts

One of Scotland's artisan cheeses

10 May 2010

‘Right from the start, cheese seemed an obvious option. There was nobody else in Fife making cheese from their own milk on the farm; there seemed to be public demand for, and interest in, locally produced food; and last, but not least, we love…

The long and colourful history of ice-cream in Fife

Ice-cream makers in Scotland

10 May 2010

Given that it’s not the warmest country in the world, Scotland has a surprising number of excellent ice-cream producers. This trend was established as early as the 1880s, when Italians began traveling to Scotland for work to escape poverty at home.

Chefs' choices: Key chefs pay tribute to the food of Fife

Praise for Anster cheese, Falkland beef and locally-grown fruit and veg

10 May 2010

Geoffrey Smeddle on Anster Cheese Fife is hugely fortunate to have its own landmark cheese production farm, the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, home of Anster cheese. Ever since first tasting this traditional, unpasteurised cheese, we have always…

Orchards of Fife provide a bounty of fruit

Pear, plum and apple among fruit grown in Fife, Scotland

10 May 2010

There is a very rare pear tree in Newburgh, on the banks of the Tay estuary. Called the Lindores pear, it’s rooted in the twelfth-century world of Tironensian monks who founded Lindores Abbey just beside the town. The monks were responsible for the…

The farm shops of Fife

Fife boasts more farm shops than anywhere else in Scotland

10 May 2010

‘People like to see where their food is produced,’ says Duncan Stewart, manager of Falkland’s Pillars of Hercules farm. ‘Here you can see things growing in the fields and put a face to the person who’s producing the food, which means a lot more than…

Reinvigorating Fife's rich distilling heritage

The whisky produced in Fife, Scotland

10 May 2010

Daftmill Distillery in the Howe of Fife may be one of Scotland’s newest and smallest malt whisky distilleries, but it also revives a tradition of whisky making that was once a mainstay of many Fife communities. The Cuthbert family has been growing…

The Tay Salmon Fishery

An extract from Tay Salmon – Net Fishing Memories

10 May 2010

Net fishing on the Tay started several hundred years ago and, by the mid 1700s, had become a huge business, with exports to several countries. Trade blossomed further when ice (stored in ice houses) was used to preserve the fish while in transit…