Delicious D&G Issue 2

DeliciousD&GDirectory ofmembers centre pages 12-13

Farmers’ &Community MarketsExplore local flavours at12 markets across D&Gpage 24

FlavourFortnightA taste of D&G’sfoodie festivalpages 22-23

Your freeguide to discovering a more delicious Dumfries & Galloway 2012

2 Delicious D&G

Welcome to the 2012 editionof Delicious D&G, ourannual newspaper looking

at the flavours of Dumfries &Galloway through the food, the drinkand the people of this creative cornerof Scotland.

Dumfries & Galloway is a naturallydelicious place to indulge in artisanfood and drink, produce that’s beencreated by hand, often usingtraditional methods, usually in smallquantities. The resulting food anddrink is special and very different

from what you would find onsupermarket shelves, it’s food to be tasted, savoured and enjoyed.

But it’s not only the artisanproduce that tells the story of thisregion. In this edition of DeliciousD&G we’ll introduce you to some ofthe iconic foods that are stronglyassociated with this area, payingparticular attention to Galloway Beef.We’ll also give you an insight intohow some of the top chefs inDumfries & Galloway work closelywith producers to ensure the food

Welcome to Delicious D&GContents4-7News8-9Awards10-11Distinctly D&G12-13Members’ Directory14-15Going Wild!16-17Meet Douglas Lisi Bee-ing a Bee FarmerGarden Grown18-19Deliciously FreshMeet Allen Henderson20-21 Meet Dennis CockburnTasty Events22-23 Flavour Fortnight 201224 Farmers’ & CommunityMarketsMeet MargaretVaughan

Delicious D&G is published bySavour the Flavours of Dumfries& Galloway.

All details are believed to beaccurate at the time of going to print. For up to date member information visitwww.savourtheflavours.co.uk

Contact Savour the Flavours on 01644 430 109 or [email protected]

Front coverMain image: A loin of local wildrabbit encased in a spinachmousse with baby vegetablesand a truffle foam, at Del Amitri,Annan. Credit: Debi Allan

D&G Food on ShowDumfries & Galloway holds the

Presidency of the RoyalHighland Show this year and

Savour the Flavours is taking titlesponsorship of the Food Hall CookeryTheatre to showcase the deliciousproducts and the inspirational chefswho make our region such a tastyplace to visit.

For four days in late June the eyesof rural Scotland turn to Inglistonnear Edinburgh. 180,000 peoplevisited the Show last year and 90% ofthem took in the sights, sounds andflavours of the Food Hall, making theFood Hall the perfect place to putDumfries & Galloway in the spotlight.

In the Cookery Theatre five of theregion’s top chefs will demonstratehow to create mouth wateringmenus from Dumfries & Gallowayproduce. Russell Pearce, TomKirkpatrick, Lara Smith, Ian

McAndrew and Stephen Myers are allpassionate about using quality localproduce and they’ll inspire visitors tothe CookeryTheatre with theirculinary ideas.

The chefs willuse local produceto highlight theirFlavour Fortnightevents, much ofwhich will beavailable to buy atthe D&G producers’stand, just a fewsteps away fromthe Theatre.Organised by theSouth of ScotlandCompetitivenessProjects the Dumfries & Gallowayproducers’ stand will let visitors buyD&G produce direct from the

producer, hearing the stories behindthe products and discovering exactlywhat it is that makes artisan food and

drink so special. Meanwhile in the

Countryside Area, Showvisitors will be invited intothe Dumfries & GallowayVillage which will highlightsome of the things to seeand do in the region, suchas nature and wildlife, artsand culture and outdooractivities. The flavours ofDumfries & Galloway arehigh on the agenda heretoo as new regional eventcatering group DeliciouslyGood Food serves D&Gburgers, ice cream, soups

and snacks to thousands of RoyalHighland Show visitors.

The Royal Highland Show is alsothe launch pad for Flavour Fortnight2012. Now firmly established as oneof Scotland’s most important foodfestivals, Flavour Fortnight sweepsacross Dumfries & Galloway from25th Aug – 9th Sep – find out moreabout this year’s festival on pages 22-23.

Liz Ramsay of Savour the Flavourssaid:

“The Royal Highland Show is aperfect platform upon which tocelebrate Dumfries & Galloway’sexceptional food and drink. Fromcatering to producers to chefdemonstrations to food festivals,visitors to the Royal Highland Showwill be in absolutely no doubt thatDumfries & Galloway provides anaturally delicious holidayexperience.”

they present speaks volumes of theland it was created in. We’llintroduce you to some of the peoplebehind Dumfries & Galloway produceand we’ll invite you to get closer tothe flavours of D&G through socialmedia, events and markets.

Whether you’re visiting Dumfries& Galloway for the first time or havelived here for decades, indulging indelicious locally produced food anddrink is a perfect way to discover theflavours of this beautiful part ofScotland.

3www.savourtheflavours.co.uk

Savour the Flavours champions Dumfries &Galloway local food and drink, working with

producers, chefs, retailers, markets and schoolsto highlight the quality and encourage the use ofDumfries & Galloway produce. Savour the

Flavours is funded by LEADER and Dumfries andGalloway Council and it welcomes membershipfrom businesses who produce, use or sellDumfries & Galloway food and drink. For moreinformation visit www.savourtheflavours.co.uk

About Savour the Flavours

Riaghaltas na h-Alba

There’s been a real boom inDumfries & Galloway produceover the past few years, driven

by a surge in interest in quality localfood and drink. That interest ismanifesting in independent foodretailers thriving during the recession,community and farmers’ marketsbecoming ever more popular andlocally produced, artisan food anddrink appearing on menus rightacross the region. Dumfries &Galloway is becoming a fooddestination, a place where qualityfood is just as sought after as beautifullandscapes and friendly welcomes.

As one of Scotland’s largest andmost rural regions, Dumfries &Galloway has traditionally beenassociated with agriculture and

primary production. Now this regionis increasingly appreciated for itsquality artisan produce and deliciousdining experiences.

With its swathes of lush greenhillsides, tumbling rivers and a hugesweeping coastline, the landscape ofDumfries & Galloway paints a prettypicture of Scotland’s natural larder.That landscape is home to adisproportionately large number ofartisan food and drink producers;small and micro businesses who haveturned their love for food and drinkinto thriving enterprises, creatingunique products that often carry aflavour of heritage, tradition andinnovation.

People in this part of the world arepassionate about their food – and it’s

no wonder when the natural worldaround them is filled with suchbounty. You can delight both bodyand soul with specialities such asGalloway Beef, Solway Scallops,Scotch Lamb, traditional breed pork,freshly caught local seafood, smokeddelicacies, local ales, wine, whiskyand cider as well as a wide range ofspeciality local cheese, scrumptiousice cream and hand-made chocolatesto round off your meal.

For visitors to Dumfries & Gallowaydiscovering and sampling theseartisan treats is a joy. Whether inrestaurants and cafes, independentshops and farmers’ markets or directfrom the producer themselves, real,fresh, local, seasonal produce is adelightful sensory experience.

The interest in local food doesn’tstop at the regional boundaries. Asthe world becomes ever more fastpaced and as technology creeps into

every facet of our lives, there’ssomething wholesome, honest andinspiring about connecting with realpeople who make artisan food intraditional ways.

With local food and drink soaringin popularity across the UK, Dumfries& Galloway is playing a small butimportant part in a real foodrevolution. People are turning theirlove of quality food and drink intosmall businesses and many, manyother people are turning away fromthe convenience of supermarkets toreturn to the satisfying pleasure ofquality, local produce, purchaseddirectly from the people who aremost passionate about it.

Treat your senses by indulging in ataste of Dumfries & Galloway this yearand discover the pleasure to be foundin carefully crafted, high quality localfood and drink served in beautifulsurroundings in Dumfries & Galloway.

The Flavours of our LandscapeTake a bite out of Dumfries & Galloway thisyear and join our region’s real food revolution.

4 Delicious D&G

News

Poacher’s Pickle Celebrates25 Tangy Years

New for 2012: Hot Smoked Trout

Get Social

Galloway Lodge Preserves’ iconicPoacher’s Pickle celebrates its

25th anniversary this year and thepopularity of the famous traditionallymade pickle shows no signs ofslowing down, outselling all ofGalloway Lodge Preserves’ otherproducts by a factor of five!

Fiona Hesketh of Galloway LodgePreserves describes it as the ‘littleblack dress of chutney’ and creditstraditional manufacture with itscontinued appeal:

“We make it in small batchesusing tomatoes, apples and onions,

Food producers from across theregion were recently invited to take

part in a special social media trainingcourse designed especially for foodbusinesses. As a result Savour theFlavours members have beentweeting, liking and sharinginformation on socialmedia networks,engaging with customersin this friendly andaccessible medium.

For award winning butcher IainRenicks from Thornhill (John GRenicks Family Butcher), social mediais much more effective than websites,he said:

“Facebook is massive for us, thefact you can get info out instantly topeople who know your business isgreat and it’s also good for promotingwhat we do – we have even had

orders placed via Facebook.”Nigel Taylor of Barlochan Highland

Beef @BarlochanBeef started usingTwitter in February and has beenamazed at the impact it’s had on hisbusiness.

“I’m very new to social media, Iwas very sceptical but I am becomingconvinced that it works and we havehad direct benefits. I found MarkSchatzer, author of the book ‘Steaks’ in

Canada and I’ve hadsome very interestingconversations with him,and I’ve also started tohear about all the new

foodie things going on in London,especially about things such as newsteaks being invented, for examplePicahana Steak and Jurassic Steak,and I’ve found some new customers!”

You can also follow Savour theFlavours on Twitter on@SavourFlavours and like Savour theFlavours on Facebook for D&G foodnews and events.

cooked slowly for a long period oftime in traditional barley malt vinegar.That’s quite a different process tocommercial chutneys which areoften made with acetic acid, but thedifference in flavour is reallynoticeable. Our traditional methodproduces a depth, richness andcomplexity of flavour that ourcustomers love.

“Poacher’s Pickle is very muchour flagship product and I’mdelighted to see it reach its quarter ofa century milestone, still as popularas ever!”

Moffat Water Foods haslaunched a new range ofkiln-roasted hot smoked

rainbow trout. The company, now aregular at Moffat and Dumfriesfarmers’ markets, has also recentlyopened the rainbow trout fishery tothe public so that customers canenjoy a day’s fly fishing and takehome a freshtrout, as well asbuying hot orcold smokedtrout direct fromthe farm.

SharaRoutledge said:

“We havejust celebratedour 12 monthanniversarysince we firststarted smokingour ownrainbow troutcommercially and are feeling verybuoyed up by the positive feedbackthat we have had from everyonethrough the year.

“We are always experimentingwith new ideas and right now areworking on two exciting newproducts – one is potted hot smokedtrout and the other is hot smokedtrout pate, and we will be launchingthese in time for Christmas.

“We are also continuing to workclosely with chef Russell from local

restaurant Brodies in Moffat and weare enjoying sampling the new andinventive ideas that he is coming upwith, most recently Posh Fish andChips.”

Russell Pearce uses the hot andcold smoked trout regularly on hismenus:

“I first discovered Shara’s troutwhen a friendcame runninginto therestaurant andasked if I hadtried thesmoked Moffattrout. I wasintrigued,imagine troutcoming just fourmiles from therestaurant! Isoon discoveredthat this was avery much

fledgling venture and I managed tosecure twelve weeks of exclusive useof the trout within Moffat, in return forhelping Shara and Ollie raise theirprofile by providing a demonstrationat their trout farm during FlavourFortnight.”

Moffat Water Foods are nowsupplying restaurants, caterers, delisand farm shops across Scotland andEngland, as well as selling direct viamarkets, the fishery and the internet.

Shara Routledge


Introduction to Sourdough workshopsduring Flavour Taster earlier this year,and he was overwhelmed with theinterest from members of the publicwith all his events selling out. TheSourdough event will run againduring Flavour Fortnight 2012 as wellas a more in-depth half-day ArtisanBread Baking workshop.

Real Bread Campaign co-ordinator Chris Young added:

“It’s great that The Earth’s CrustBakery is one of the first bakeries inthe country to sign up to the scheme.We still call for an Honest Crust Actthat requires all bakers to declareeverything that goes into a loaf, butfor now The Loaf Mark is a quickguide to additive-free loaves.”

Any baker can use The Real BreadLoaf Mark by signing an annualagreement that he/she will only use itto promote loaves made without theuse of any processing aids or otherartificial additives and full details ofThe Loaf Mark scheme can be foundat www.realbreadcampaign.org

Leading chefs from acrossDumfries & Galloway have come

together to form the D&G ChefsAssociation. The organisation,which was officially launched thissummer, has been in discussion forsome time and has the ultimate goalof increasing the use of local andfresh food across Dumfries &Galloway’s hospitality sector.

The ten chefs, representingrestaurants and hotels from GretnaGreen to Stranraer, have puttogether an ambitious programmeof activity for the Association, muchof which focuses on training andskills development. An onlineprivate forum for people working inhospitality businesses such asrestaurants, cafes, B&Bs, visitorattractions and pubs, provides aplace for chefs and cooks to shareideas, recipes, suggestions as wellas being a place to ask for adviceand support, or to get answers toquestions on topics such as localsourcing and menu planning.

The group is already addressinga lack of formal cookery training inthe region by mentoring youngchefs and the chefs are talking withtraining providers to look at ways ofadding value to existing certificatedqualifications. Meanwhile the chefswill also be organising workshopsfor chefs and business owners in theautumn, explaining the multiplebenefits of using local, seasonal andfresh ingredients within menus.

Liz Ramsay of Savour theFlavours who has supported thegroup said:

“It’s incredible that so many ofour top chefs want to share theirknowledge and expertise with theindustry, investing considerable timeand effort in this drive to improvethe food experience for visitors toour region. This is an opportunityfor all sectors of the hospitalityindustry to think about how theycan improve their food offering byusing more fresh local food, and I’moptimistic that this important neworganisation will have a lastingimpact, creating a more deliciousDumfries & Galloway in the years tocome.”

New RegionalChefs Association

Caron Kennedy Stewart of ClashFarm in Port Logan has been

inspired by her Italian heritage tointroduce a new product – ScottishSalami. The salami is made fromClash Farm’s free range pedigreesaddleback pigs, grown for twice aslong as a commercial pig, to imbuethe salami with a rich, rustic flavourwhich has already passed the tastetests of her Italian family members!

Caron said:“My father came over to Scotland

from a small village near MonteCassino when he was 17 havinggrown up on a family smallholding,so Italian approaches to food andsmall scale artisan production havealways been part of family life.

“When the opportunity forintroducing a new charcuterie rangeof Clash Farm products arose it

seemed a very natural step. Oursaddleback pork is very well suited tothis type of product. So far we’vestarted with three flavours of salamiand we’re excited about introducingthe salami to our customers.”

Clash Farm Scottish Salami will belaunched at the Royal Highland Showin June, and will be available to buyat D&G farmers’ markets and directfrom Clash Farm later in the summer.

New for 2012: Scottish Salami

Earth’s Crust Bakery Pioneers The Real Bread Loaf Mark

The Earth’s Crust Bakery is oneof the first fifty bakeries inBritain to adopt The Real Bread

Loaf Mark, offering an at-a-glanceassurance from a baker that a loafwas made without the use of anyprocessing aids or other artificialadditives.

The essential ingredients thatmake up real bread are consideredby the campaign to be flour, water,yeast and salt, with no artificialadditives but with additional naturalingredients such as nuts, cheese,herbs, oils, fats and dried fruitsallowed.

The Earth’s Crust Bakery, whichopened last year in Laurieston,specialises in Sourdough as well asSpelt, Rye and other speciality breads.Artisan baker Tom van Rooyen said:

“All of the loaves we bake arewhat the Campaign calls Real Bread.Of course, our regulars know andlove the taste of our natural loaves,but now The Loaf Mark makes it easyfor other people to see that we’rebaking an honest crust.”

Tom recently shared his passionfor artisan bread by hosting

6 Delicious D&G

Deliciously Good FoodAgroup of local food producers

have joined together to raisethe quality of catering at

events. Called Deliciously Good Foodthe aim of the local and artisan foodproducers is to bring high quality localfoods at reasonable prices to events inDumfries & Galloway and beyond,giving people visiting and living in thearea a snapshotof the flavoursour region hasto offer.

The newgroup will bedebuting at TheEden Festivalbefore attending the Royal HighlandShow and the British Pipe BandChampionships in June, ToughMudder at Drumlanrig Castle in July,Wigtown Show, Dumfries &Lockerbie Show and the GallowayCountry Fair in August.

Deliciously Good Food isdetermined to wow the crowds with

Dumfries & Galloway flavours andthey’ve put a delicious line-up oftreats on the menu. A Taste ofGalloway is well known for theirGalloway Beef and hog roasts but thisyear they’re adding a ‘Tartan Burger’,made with a pure Galloway BeefSteak Burger, topped with LockerbieCheddar, Galloway Lodge Preserves

relish, saddlebackhog roast, freerange sweet curebacon andonions. It’s ahearty D&G feastthat’s not for thefaint hearted!

Specialising in catering forvegetarian and gluten free diets, theGreen Tea Room from Moniaive willhave a delicious range of eats on offerincluding produce from multi-awardwinning Loch Arthur Creamery.

Meanwhile there’s nothing quitelike a tasty ice cream on a glorioussummer day and Glen Urr Ice Cream

has created some deliciously Scottishflavours including tablet and whiskyice creams, made from the milk fromtheir award winning herd of Ayrshirecattle. Other regional producers andmore local products will be added toDeliciously Good Food as time goeson.

Chirstie Baird of A Taste ofGalloway who leads the group said:

“We know that people are hugelyinterested in local, quality artisan foodand drink, they’re actively looking forsomething different and authentic atevents and festivals, after all, enjoyingthe food at an event should be just asspecial as enjoying the event itself.We’re really looking forward tomaking Dumfries & Gallowayproduced food and drink accessibleto people at our region’s majorevents, and we’re excited about theprospect of taking Dumfries &Galloway’s deliciously good food toevents and festivals in other parts ofthe country.”

Dumfries & Gallowaynutritionist, dietician and foodallergist Lorna Willock is

encouraging people to think abouthow using more fresh, local producecould boost the nutrients they getfrom food. Lorna has put together atypical menu of local fare, full ofnutrient dense local produce. Shesaid:

“I often hear clients bemoaningthe tastelessness of the vegetablesand fruit bought in supermarkets.Why? Because most of this produce

is picked unripe and shipped halfwayround the world! It’s all about costsrather than quality.

“For fruit and vegetables to gain alltheir nutrients they need to beripened and quickly made availableto the consumer. That’s where ourfarmers’ markets and local producerscome up trumps. The food quality isfantastic and its nutritional value istop of the range.

“Look at our local, high qualityartisan cheeses – from GallowayFarmhouse producing their delicious

ewe’s milk cheese, with masses ofhealth benefits, to Loch Arthur withtheir amazing farm shop. Local grassreared meats and game contain nohormones.

“Local breads are freshly bakedon the day without preservatives andlocal baked goods and cakes onlycontain the basic ingredients, withoutall the additives used to keepsupermarket products on the shelvesfor weeks. You really can taste thequality in these local foods.”

Give Your Diet a Nutrient Boost

Lorna’s typical daily menu ofhealthy local foods includes:

Breakfast Omelette with localfree range eggs and vegetables.Earth’s Crust Bakery bread, suchas rye sourdough, with local JohnMellis honey.

Lunch Salad platter with localcheeses and GallowaySmokehouse game served withGalloway Lodge Preserves’Poacher’s Pickle and localoatcakes.

Dinner Locally landed fish fromFerry Fish, served with localvegetables and potatoes washeddown with a glass of WaulkmillCider.

Treats Local chocolate, icecream or produce from aselection of local bakers.


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WINNERMost promising New

Business Award

The perfect place for a casual lunch, coffee & cake, or acosy dinner with friends and family. Early doors menu &dinner menu are both available. Wine, Dine & Relax inmodern surroundings servinginformal food. Seasonal menushighlighting local produce.

Brodies Restaurant & Wine Bar, 1-2 Altrive Place, Holm Street Moffat, DG10 9EB t: 01683 222870

Open 7 days a week, for opening times visit:

www.brodiesofmoffat.co.uk

Why not bring your special occasionto Brodies?

Love Food Hate WasteDG Zero Waste Volunteers are

encouraging people toembrace Dumfries & Galloway’srich food culture by reducing foodwaste. It’s estimated that anastonishing £1 billion of food iswasted in Scotland each year, butsmall steps can make a bigdifference in reducing that waste.

Planning meals in advance,

making shopping lists, checkingportion sizes and cooking withleftovers can all help householdsreduce food waste, whilstincreasing their enjoyment ofquality local produce. Tips onmaking more of local food byreducing waste can be found atwww.dumgal.gov.uk/dgzerowastevolunteers

Highlanders in Prideof Place at Ramsay’s

been brilliant for us. He is passionateabout food and works hard to sourcethe best ingredients and then to servethem in a way that lets the foodspeak for itself.”

Angela Taylor said: “We are really indebted to Cary

and to Claire Smyth, Head Chef atRamsay’s, for the help they havegiven us. One of the highlights was

last autumn when both chefs helpedus achieve the BBC Good Food ShowBursary Award. This meant thatBarlochan Highland Beef was onshow for five days in front of nearly100,000 people. It was awesome!We had five staff on the stand and stillstruggled to keep up. So much hashappened in the last twelve months,it’s been a wonderful roller coasterride.”

Nigel credits their success with apassionate belief in the quality ofDumfries & Galloway produce.

“We have some of the best foodproducts and raw ingredients righthere in this region, and you have tobelieve this to be able to sell it. Okay,we had some very fortunatebreakthroughs, along with someextraordinary help from GordonRamsay’s team, but it’s all abouthaving the best product andabsolutely believing in it.”

As well as supplying top Londonrestaurants, Barlochan Highland Beefcontinue to trade regularly at marketsin Dumfries & Galloway includingDumfries Farmers’ Market, ColvendProducers’ Market, CreetownProduce Market, New Cample Marketand at Wigtown Market when stockallows.

Barlochan Highland Beef hashad a boom during the pastyear, and for owners Nigel and

Angela Taylor they’ve been in theenviable but daunting position ofbecoming one of Gordon Ramsay’sfavourite suppliers! While this timelast year the couple were contentwith doing a handful of local farmers’markets and supplying their localshop with steak pies, this year they’resupplying Restaurant GordonRamsay in Chelsea, one of only fourrestaurants in the UK to hold 3Michelin stars. Nigel explains:

“As a business, financially, lastyear it was kind of borderline. Now,it’s all gone crazy! The majority ofour beef now goes direct to Londonsupplying Gordon Ramsay’s FoxtrotOscar and Restaurant GordonRamsay where our produce actually

appears on the menu as BarlochanHighland Beef. Our turnover of beefhas tripled and it looks set to increaseeven further with the London BeefCartel now placing regular orders.”

The demand for BarlochanHighand Beef was bolstered afterFoxtrot Oscar Head Chef CaryDocherty named it ‘the best beef inthe world’. The first of GordonRamsay’s chefs to discover it, he hassince shared his passion for theHighlander beef with others anddemand has soared.

Nigel continues:“What’s so amazing is that we

didn’t go looking for this business,Cary found us! We didn’t understandthe restaurant business well enoughto even imagine that our beef couldmake it onto the tables of one of thetop restaurants in the UK. Cary has

8 Delicious D&G

Best Food Producer 2011 Loch Arthur scoops top award at the BBC Food & Farming Awards

Whilst many people wax lyrical about theworld class quality of Dumfries &Galloway produce, it’s particularly

rewarding when that quality is officiallyacknowledged by industry experts. The cheeses ofLoch Arthur Creamery in Beeswing became someof the most sought after in the UK last winter afterthe social enterprise was named the best foodproducer in Britain at the prestigious BBC Food &Farming Awards.

Creating quality, artisan food while providingmeaningful work opportunities for adults withlearning disabilities, volunteers from around theworld and a devoted local workforce, Loch Arthurwas the perfect fit with Radio 4’s Food and FarmingAwards who were specifically interested inindividuals and communities taking control of theirfutures by working from the ground up. The judgescommended Loch Arthur’s approach, noting itscontribution to sustainability through organicproduction methods, social enterprise, meaningfulwork and, of course, its high quality produce.

Chef Richard Corrigan, chairman of the judges,said:

“The spirit of Loch Arthur will follow me to mydying day. That cheese is not just good – it’s a greatcheese.”

The response to the win was staggering, withLoch Arthur inundated with orders for its awardwinning cheeses. Barry Graham of Loch Arthursaid:

“The wonderful thing about this award was thatwe were nominated by a member of the publicwho thought well of us and wanted to share theirsupport of us with the award organisers. So it wasgreat to simply be nominated but then to beshortlisted was a great honour in itself.

“The actual judging process when the judgescame here, was an amazing experience becausewe felt they really connected with us. It didn’t feellike an inspection or judging, just sharing what wedo with people who were appreciating it.

“The award was based on our produce beingworld class and it was wonderful to hear a chef ofRichard Corrigan’s standing saying at the awardsceremony that ours was undoubtedly one of thetop ten cheeses in Britain. Winning the award hasbeen very uplifting for everyone at Loch Arthur, it’svery much a recognition of what we’ve been doingfor the past 25 years in pioneering local and artisanfood.”

The awards ceremony itself was broadcast onRadio 4 and was followed shortly thereafter with aprogramme that told the story of Loch Arthur andthe other Best Food Producer finalists. Barryadded:

“It became apparent to us very quickly that theRadio 4 Food Programme has a very committedand devoted audience and the response was soprofound and so immediate after the programmewas aired that it was as though someone hadopened the floodgates. The people who contactedus had a real interest in what we were doing, anappreciation of what we were about and a reallonging to get hold of our produce.

“It catapulted us into a different level of publicawareness than anything we’ve ever felt before, somuch so that we couldn’t fulfil the quantity oforders that came towards us for Christmas. Theaward has undoubtedly drawn people’s interestand attention to this area, and has helped toenhance Dumfries & Galloway’s reputation as acentre for artisan food.”

Members of Savourthe Flavours shone

at the prestigiousScottish Hotel Awards inMay. Cavens Country House Hotel was named asthe Hotel of Charm whilst Annandale Arms Hotel inMoffat and Hillcrest House in Wigtown bothcollected Real and Local Food Gold Medals.

Head Chef of Smiths at Gretna Green, StephenMyers was one of only four chefs to be awardedthe Hotel Executive Chef Médaille d’Or. Stephen ison something of a winning streak, having alsorecently been awarded 2 AA Rosettes for food.

Scottish HotelAwards

Rising Stars of Retail Kilnford Farmshop and Restaurant near

Dumfries was awarded the Rising Star Awardby FARMA, the UK’s leading farm retail

organisation. The Awards, known collectively asthe ‘FARMA’s’, recognise farm shops, farmers’markets, pick-your-own and farm attraction sitesthat are leading the way, exemplifying a passion forlocal food, a commitment to farming and theenvironment and a talent for retail.

Receiving the award in January Jock Rome,owner of Kilnford, said:

“It is particularly pleasing that the huge effortmade by our staff, both in the shop and on the farm,has been rewarded. They are committed to highstandards in food production and presentation andso it is wonderful to be given national recognition.Kilnford Farmshop has created much needed jobsin the region, provided an outlet for a variety of localproducers and a source of good local fare for ourcustomers.”

Awards

Loch Arthur farm shop is popular with local people and visitors alike

Jock Rome andMaurice McMenemy


Abbey Cottage Tearoom in NewAbbey has recently celebrated its

tenth Award of Excellence from theTea Council in their Top Tea Place ofthe Year Awards. Abbey Cottage,which overlooks the beautifulSweetheart Abbey, is a populartearoom serving a wide range of localproduce and home baked treats, andwas also a recent finalist in the

Scottish Thistle Awards, being pippedto the post in the category of BestCafe, Bar or Restaurant Award by theSalon Bar at Blythswood Square inGlasgow. Abbey Cottage’s 2012Award of Excellence was one of only38 awarded to tea rooms acrossBritain in recognition of theiroutstanding quality and consistentlyhigh standards in tea service.

Excellence in Tea for 10 years!

Thistle Do Nicely!Two members of Savour the

Flavours took home trophies atthe regional finals of the Scottish

Thistle Awards recently and will nowprogress to the finals in November tocompete for a coveted nationalaward.

Ice cream producer and visitorattraction Cream o’ Galloway tookhome more trophies than anyone elsein Scotland, winning the Best VisitorAttraction, Best Nature BasedExperience and Training and SkillsDevelopment awards in the CentralSouth West region. Meanwhile CastleDouglas deli Thistle ‘B’ Scrumptiousproved that small is beautiful byscooping the Best ShoppingExperience award.

Considered to be the Oscars of theScottish tourism industry the ThistleAwards recognise and rewardexcellence throughout the customerexperience.

Speaking of their win Wilma Finlayof Cream o’ Galloway said:

“It was absolutely amazing to win3 awards. We were hoping for oneand fantasising about winning two,but never dreamed that we would getthe hat-trick. For me it recognises theoutstanding work that Helen Fenby,our visitor centre manager, has doneover the past 10 years and it has madeall our staff proud of the work thatthey do every day. But we won’t beresting on our laurels, our aim will beto continue to improve our serviceand our facilities and try to win someof those national awards!”

Clint Burgess and Helen Cronie ofThistle ‘B’ Scrumptious are nostrangers to award wins, having alsothis year taken home trophies from

the Dumfries & Galloway Life PeopleAwards where they were namedRetailer of the Year, and from theDumfries & Galloway BusinessAwards where they scooped theLocal Food Hero award. Helen said:

“We are thrilled and overwhelmedto be a Regional Winner in theScottish Thistle Awards, this reallydoes mean the world to us. The lastyear has been great for Thistle ‘B’Scrumptious as we have also beenlucky enough to win Retailer of theYear as well as Local Food Heroawards. Our aim is to work with asmany local producers as possible andeach award is very much a credit tothem too. Without such high qualityproduce, totally committedproducers, loyal customers andsupport from Savour the Flavours,none of this would have beenpossible. Our thanks to everyone.”

Scotch Pies from Dumfries &Galloway were named the bestin the world earlier this year as

butcher Iain Renicks of John GRenicks in Thornhill was crowned the2012 World Scotch Pie Champion.Fighting off tough competition fromnorth and south of the Border Iain’ssecret pie recipe, that includes wellseasoned local Galloway Beef, wascarefully crafted to appeal to theexperienced palates of the judgingpanel.

Speaking of the win, Iain Renickssaid:

“I have been competing in thecompetition since it started and it hasbeen a long held ambition to win thetitle, because the competition holds a

Pie Perfection!great deal of credibility within boththe butchery and baking trades. It is a truly independent competition,judged by your peers.”

“We are probably the smallestbusiness so far to win the World title.I make every pie that goes out of ourdoors so it has been a lot of workkeeping up with the incredibledemand. We have sent Scotch Piesto Norway, France, Ireland andAustralia and we’ve had peopletravelling from all over Scotland andEngland just to get their hands on thepies. The Saturday after we won theaward we had a chap travelling allthe way down from Aberdeen for adozen pies!”

Helen Fenby and Wilma Finlay celebrate a hat-trick

Afternoon tea at Abbey Cottage

10 Delicious D&G

Distinctly D&GEvery land tells a story through the food and

drink that it creates, produce that speaks ofthe soil and air, the rivers and seas that

nurtured and imbued the meat, fish and fruit withrich, distinctive flavours. Dumfries & Galloway hasmany distinctive flavours, a rich agriculturallandscape perfect for dairy, beef and lambproduction, with a long sweeping coastlinepeppered with busy harbours. We take a look atthree products that are distinctly Dumfries &Galloway, representing our region’s heritage breeds,traditional production methods and new productsthat are breathing life back into ancient orchards.

Galloway Beef and Belted Galloway BeefWhile the white striped Belted Galloways are the

most obvious and perhaps the most iconic of localcattle breeds, they trace their origins to the ancientGalloways. Both breeds are perfectly suited to thelandscape and climate of Dumfries & Galloway andboth breeds produce exceptional, highly soughtafter beef.

Galloways and Belted Galloways are both hardybreeds which thrive on the rugged landscapes ofDumfries & Galloway, in fact they positively benefitthe landscape. Their lack of fussiness in grazingimproves the biodiversity of an area for wildlife andgame by controlling weeds, rushes and toughgrasses.

It’s the traditional methods of rearing thatcreate such an exceptional beef. Chirstie Baird of A Taste of Galloway explains:

“Galloways are a traditional slow maturingcattle breed, they hate being kept inside and thrivehigh up on the D&G hills grazing our hill grassesand vegetation. To produce the meat for a goodsteak I’d say that one of the qualities that you needto have is patience. Like most fine foods qualitybeef needs time to mature in its naturalenvironment.

“As our cattle are mainly kept on a diet of grassand barley grown on the farm, producing our beefis a slow process but the end result is worth it.Beef produced like our Galloway beef has a muchfiner grain, the fat has flavour and the beef tastes ofhow beef should taste.”

It’s that distinctive flavour that makes Gallowaybeef so sought after by chefs. Lara Smith, HeadChef of the Buccleuch Arms Hotel, says the qualityof Galloway beef is noticed and appreciated by hercustomers.

“Galloway beef is a long standing, traditionallyfarmed beef, free ranging and very hardy. This lifestyle gives a full bodied flavour to the beef that isconsistent and delicious, which is why Gallowaybeef has seen off competition over the generationsof more commercially viable, pen fed, quicklyfattened and early finished herds.

“Galloway beef is renowned for its low fatcontent without losing any of its flavour benefits, soit’s the natural choice for us at the Buccleuch, butthe most important factor for us is the continuouspraise we receive over the quality of our beef.”

The Belted Galloway, affectionately known asthe Beltie, is thought to have resulted from crossingthe ancient Galloway with the Lakenvelder, aDutch belted cow, in the 17th and 18th centuries.

For farmer Jock Rome who opened KilnfordBarns just outside Dumfries last year, BeltedGalloways were the obvious choice.

“I’ve been farming beef cattle for almost 50years and during that time have enthusiasticallytried different breeds, different feeding anddifferent systems and continually tried to improvethe quality of the product. Now that I’ve been ableto finally retail our own product, few things havegiven me as much satisfaction as the very high


proportion of customers who come back and say‘it’s the best I’ve ever tasted!’.

“The three most important things we look for ingood beef are flavour, tenderness and marbling.Galloway beef excels in taste because the cattlegrow slowly and almost reach maturity beforeleaving the farm. Galloways are much smaller atmaturity than their continental cousins. This meansthat the fibre strands within any particular cut ofmeat from Galloway cattle are often finer giving asuperior texture. The marbling is the result of thenatural survival methods ofGalloway cattle which requirethat they store fat within theirtissue to help survive the longcold winters. That marblingwithin the tissues is the key tothe ‘cookability’ of the meat,producing a succulent joint thatis just bursting with flavour.”

Net and Coble Salmon Fishing Dating back to at least the

12th century, net and coble fishing is the onlymethod of net fishing allowed in estuaries and it’sthe method of fishing that Vincent and Ruby Marruse to catch wild salmon in the Cree.

Net and coble salmon fishing has been part ofthe Marr family since 1890 and Vincent’s passion forthis traditional method was inherited from hisparents who would take their sons along with themwhen they fished the Cree. Vincent’s wife, Ruby, isprobably now the only net and coble salmonfisherwoman left in the country.

Ruby Marr said: “For us the net and coble salmon fishing is more

than just a labour of love. On summer days whenwe work the tide at 4am, the town sleeps as we fishwith the morning mist and the sunrise over

Cairnsmore can be quite breathtaking. It is ourescape from mobile phones, computers, orders anddeliveries. We enjoy nature as little has changed inour salmon pools since our forefathers’ day, weknow our heritage lives on with our generation.

“Fishing a night tide, we enjoy the silence, andthe beauty of the moon on the water. Awaiting a 20fttide however, is an eerie experience, as we sit in theestuary awaiting the tide to get us back to ouranchorage. She arrives with a roar, whirls of wavessurround us and at times can be frightening. You dohave to love it. You take the bad days with the good,respect the sea, and every year, as the seasonapproaches be prepared to mend nets, dig trees outof salmon pools, and prepare for the year ahead.”

To this day, it is still only Vincent and Ruby whocatch their own wild salmon. Although catches areno longer as they were in Vincent’s father’s day,there is still an adequate supply of fresh wild salmonwhich allows Vincent and Ruby to serve visitors totheir cafe with wild smoked salmon, from the sea tothe table, caught, cured, smoked, sliced, packedand often served, all by their own hand.

Dumfries & Galloway Cider and Perry Two years ago few people knew that Dumfries

& Galloway was home to some ancient appleorchards but when Chris Harrison moved to thearea he was determined to seek out and harness

the heritage apples of theregion, turning them intodeliciously refreshing,traditional still cider.

Launched last yearMuckle Toon Rosie fromWaulkmill Cider Orchardhas soared in popularity andScotland’s only traditionalcider is made from 100%Dumfries & Gallowayapples. Chris Harrison said:

“There are plenty of apple trees flourishing in thelocal area and a number of local estates still haveparts of ancient walled orchards from which we’vebeen able to collect some of our apples. Everyapple used for our Muckle Toon Rosie cider iscollected from within Dumfries & Galloway and weuse a wide selection of apple varieties to enhancethe texture and tastes, for example a very oldScottish heritage red fleshed apple called a BloodyPloughman gives the cider its beautiful rose colour.”

This summer Chris will launch a brand newproduct at the Scottish Beer Festival, traditionalperry (pear cider), made from ancient perry peartrees growing in a secret location somewhere inDumfries & Galloway. Imaginative award winning

food using local and locallysourced produce

9 suites and rooms plus 2 self catering cottages

Perfect for small weddings andspecial occasions and exclusive use

Cookery School

Tel: 01659 50270www.blackaddiehotel.co.uk

Dum

fries & Gallow

ay Life Chris Harrison of Waulkmill Cider

Ruby and Vincent Marr

12 Delicious D&G

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CASTL

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STRANRAER

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NEWTON STEWART

A7

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A75

A75

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A762A712 B

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1 Abbey Cottage Tearoom lMain Street, New Abbey DG2 8BYt: 01387 850377www.abbeycottagetearoom.com

2 Annandale Arms Hotel andRestaurant l

High Street, Moffat DG10 9HFt: 01683 220013www.annandalearmshotel.co.uk

3 Auchenree Food Store llLow Auchenree, Portpatrick, Stranraer DG9 8TNt: 01776 810844www.auchenreefarm.co.uk

4 Ballards Butchers l152 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1DAt: 01556 502501www.ballardsbutchers.co.uk

5 Balmaclellan House lBalmaclellan House, Balmaclellan,Castle Douglas DG7 3PWt: 01644 420227www.balmaclellanhouse.co.uk

6 Barony Country Foods Ltd. llCarse of Ae, Lochmaben, Lockerbie DG11 1SEt: 01387 860487www.baronycountryfoods.co.uk

7 Barstobrick Visitor Centre lllRingford, Castle Douglas DG7 2ATt: 01557 820112www.barstobrick.co.uk

8 Best Western Selkirk Arms Hotel lHigh Street, Kikrcudbright DG6 4JGt: 01557 330402www.selkirkarmshotel.co.uk

9 Blackaddie Country House Hotel lBlackaddie Road, Sanquhar DG4 6JJt: 01659 50270www.blackaddiehotel.co.uk

10 Blackwater Produce Ltd ll139 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1DXt: 01556 504345www.blackwaterproduce.co.uk

11 Brodies of Moffat lAltrive Place, Holm Street, Moffat DG10 9EBt: 01683 222870www.brodiesofmoffat.co.uk

12 Buccleuch Arms Hotel lHigh Street, Moffat DG10 9ETt: 01683 220003www.buccleucharmshotel.com

13 Caroline’s Catering lBarquhill Farm, Wigtown, NewtonStewart DG8 9BQt: 01988 860266

14 T H Carson lThe Cross, Mill St, Dalbeattie DG5 4HEt: 01556 610384www.thcarson.co.uk

15 Castle Kennedy Gardens lStair Estates, Rephad, London Road,Stranraer DG9 8BXt: 01776 702024www.castlekennedygardens.co.uk

16 The CatStrand llHigh Street, New Galloway, CastleDouglas DG7 3RNt: 01644 420374www.catstrand.com

17 Cavens lKirkbean by Dumfries DG2 8AAt: 01387 880234www.cavens.com

18 Cinnamon l73-75 Victoria Street, Newton Stewart DG8 6NLt: 01671 404440

19 Cream o’ Galloway lllRainton Farm, Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas DG7 2DRt: 01557 814040www.creamogalloway.co.uk

20 Creebridge House Hotel lMinigaff, Newton Stewart DG8 6NPt: 01671 402121www.creebridge.co.uk

21 Creetown Gem Rock Museum lChain Road, Creetown, Newton Stewart DG8 7HJt: 01671 820357www.gemrock.net

22 Dalbeattie Fine Foods l69 High Street, Dalbeattie DG5 4HAt: 01556 610349www.dalbeattiefinefoods.co.uk

23 Dee Fish llThe Smokehouse, Borgue, Kirkcudbright DG6 4SHt: 01557 870466www.deefish.co.uk

24 Del Amitri Restaurant l95A High Street, Annan DG12 6DJt: 01461 201999www.del-amitri.co.uk

25 Drummuir Farm Ice Cream llCollin, Dumfries DG1 4PXt: 01387 750599www.drummuirfarm.co.uk

26 Ferry Fish lThe Rock, Carsluith, Creetown, Newton Stewart DG8 7DWt: 01671 820748www.ferryfish.co.uk

27 Foodhall at Gretna Green lGretna Green DG16 5EAt: 01461 338601 www.gretnagreen.com/foodhall

28 Galloway Farmhouse Cheese llMillairies, Sorbie, Newton Stewart DG8 8AL t: 01988 850224

29 Galloway Forest Park llStronord, Palnure, Newton Stewart DG8 7BE t: 01671 402420www.forestry.gov.uk/gallowayforestpark

30 Galloway Lodge Preserves lllBurgh Parks, Castramont Road,Gatehouse of Fleet DG7 2JEt: 01557 814007www.gallowaylodge.co.uk

31 Galloway Smokehouse llCarsluith, Newton Stewart DG8 7DNt: 01671 820354www.gallowaysmokehouse.co.uk

32 Garden Wise Plant and Garden Centre ll

Castle Douglas Road, Dumfries DG2 8PPt: 01387 262654www.gardenwise-dumfries.co.uk

33 Glen Urr Farmhouse Ice Cream ll

Halmyre Farm, Haugh of Urr, Castle Douglas DG7 3LBt: 01556 660326www.glenurr.co.uk

34 The Green Tea Room llHigh Street, Moniaive DG3 4EJt: 01848 200099www.green-teahouse.co.uk

35 Grierson Bros l148 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1LUt: 01556 502637www.griersonbros.co.uk

36 Hartfell House & The LimetreeRestaurant l

Hartfell Crescent, Moffat DG10 9ALt: 01683 220153www.hartfellhouse.co.uk

37 The Hightae Inn lHigh Road, Hightae, Lockerbie DG11 1JSt: 01387 811711www.hightaeinn.co.uk

38 Hillcrest House lMaidland Place, Wigtown DG8 9EUt: 01988 402018www.hillcrest-wigtown.co.uk

39 House O’Hill Hotel lBargrennan, Newton Stewart DG8 6RNt: 01671 840243www.houseohill.co.uk

40 Hullabaloo llRobert Burns Centre, Mill Road, Dumfries DG2 7BEt: 01387 259679www.hullabaloorestaurant.co.uk

41 I & B Catering l3 Clunie Avenue, Dumfries DG2 9FGt: 01387 251655www.iandbcatering.co.uk

42 In House Chocolates ll128 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1LUt: 01556 503037

43 Irvings Homestyle Bakery Ltd llUnit 1, Abercromby Industrial Park,Castle Douglas DG7 1LHt: 01556 504162www.irvingsbakery.co.uk

44 Isherwood & Co l41 Butts Street, Annan DG12 5BDt: 01461 202144

45 John D Owen & Son ll47 Victoria St, Newton Stewart DG8 6NLt: 01671 402666

46 John G Renicks Butchers ll117 Drumlanrig St, Thornhill DG3 5LSt: 01848 330243

47 Kev’s Farm Choice lKirklauchline Farm Cottage, Meoul,Stoneykirk, Stranraer DG9 9EEt: 01776 850011www.kevsfarmchoice.co.uk

48 Kilnford Farm Retail Ltd llKilnford Barns, The Glen, Dumfries DG2 8PTt: 01387 253087www.kilnford.co.uk

49 Kings Coffee and Books ll12 Queensberry Street, Dumfries DG1 1EXt: 01387 254444www.kingsonline.co.uk

50 Kirkpatrick’s Restaurant l29 St Cuthbert Street, Kirkcudbright DG6 4DXt: 07778 742556

Treat yourself to a trip to Savour the Flavours member

restaurants, hotels, cafes, shops,caterers or producers and indulgein delicious Dumfries & Gallowayfood and drink.

Visit

Keyl Eating Outl Shopl Producerl Outside

Catering


A702

DUMFRIES

LOCKERBIE

LANGHOLM

ANNAN

GRETNANEW

ABBEY

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MOFFAT

THORNHILL

SANQUHAR

MONIAIVE

NEW GALLOWAY

B725B724

A710B793

A75

75

B729

B729

00A702

A702

A712

B794

A76

A75

A74(M)

A7

A74(M)

A701

A709

A708

A701

A711

A711

B727

A713

A76

A76 236

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51 The Laird’s Inn lCastle Cary Holiday Park, Creetown,Newton Stewart DG8 7DQt: 01671 820361

52 L’Aperitif Restaurant lLondon Road, Stranraer DG9 0AJt: 01776 702991

53 Leccornia ll5 St Andrew Street, Dumfries DG1 1BSt: 01387 249693www.leccornia.co.uk

54 Loch Arthur Creamery and Farm Shop ll

Camphill Village Trust, Beeswing,Dumfries DG2 8JQt: 01387 760296 ext 1www.locharthur.org.uk

55 Loch Ken Gallery & Cafe llParton Stables, Parton Estate, Castle Douglas DG7 3NBt: 01644 470260www.allanwrightphoto.com

56 Marrbury Smokehouse lllCarsluith Castle, A75 Carsluith, Newton Stewart DG8 7DYt: 01671 820476www.visitmarrbury.co.uk

57 Moffat Water Foods llSelcoth Farm, Moffat, Dumfriesshire DG10 9LGt: 01683 220509

58 New Cample Farm Shop andTearoom lll

New Cample Farm, Closeburn, Thornhill DG3 5EYt: 01848 332325www.newcamplefarm.co.uk

59 The Moniaive Chocolatiers llHigh Street, Moniaive DG3 4HNt: 01848 200000

60 G & M Newton ll17 Main Street, St Johns Town of Dalry,Castle Douglas DG7 3UPt: 01644 430225

61 Penninghame House Cooking School l

Penninghame House, Newton Stewart DG8 6RDt: 01671 401414www.penninghame.org

62 Penpont Tea Room lllMain Street, Penpont, Thornhill DG3 4BPt: 07765 073913

63 Reading Lasses Bookshop-Cafe l17 South Main Street, Wigtown DG8 9EHt: 01988 403266www.reading-lasses.com

64 Scaurbridge House lScaurbridge House, Penpont, Thornhill DG3 4LXwww.scaurbridgehouse.com

65 The Schoolhouse lThe Old Schoolhouse, Ringford, Castle Douglas DG7 2ALt: 01557 820250www.schoolhouseringford.com

66 Smiths at Gretna Green lGretna Green DG16 5EAt: 01461 337007www.gretnagreen.com

67 Sulwath Brewers Ltd lll209 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1DTt: 01556 504525www.sulwathbrewers.co.uk

68 Sunnyside Deli llll32 Bridge Street, Stranraer DG9 7JFt: 01776 706114www.sunnysidedeli.co.uk

69 Sunrise Wholefoods l49 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1AEt: 01556 504455

70 Tarff Town and Country llLockerbie Road, Dumfries DG1 4UXt: 01387 261661www.tarfftownandcountry.co.uk

71 A Taste of Galloway lllLaughtmuirside Farm, Thornhill DG3 5DHt: 01848 330622www.atasteofgalloway.co.uk

72 Thistle ‘B’ Scrumptious lll207 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1DTt: 01556 504006www.thistlebscrumptious.co.uk

73 Thistle Inn llMain Street, Crossmichael, Castle Douglas DG7 3AUt: 01556 670203 www.thistleinn-crossmichael.co.uk

You’ll find delicious food anddrink from other Savour the

Flavours producers at markets, inshops and on menus throughoutDumfries & Galloway – many ofthem sell direct through theirwebsite too.

Abbotts Chocolatest: 013873 80376www.abbottschocolates.co.uk

Alisons Jams and Chutneyst: 07788 175548www.alisonsjamsandchutneys.co.uk

Annanwater Organicst: 07708 101336

Auchtralure Eggst: 01776 702124

The Baking Farmert: 01576 510226 /07940 878736

Barlochan Highland Beeft: 01556 600221www.bhbeef.com

Blackface Meat Companyt: 01387 730326www.blackface.co.uk

Border Tablett: 01387 381224www.bordertablet.co.uk

By Heck!t: 01387 810 444

Castle MacLellan Foods Ltdt: 01557 330905www.castlemaclellan.co.uk

Cheerful Cake Companyt: 07775 991428www.cheerfulcakecompany.co.uk

Clash Farm Pedigree Saddlebackst: 01776 860246www.clashsaddlebacks.co.uk

Connie’s Cupcakest: 01387 811759www.conniescupcakes.co.uk

CupcakeManiat: 01576 510124www.cupcakemania.co.uk

Dessert Met: 01387 810475

The Earth’s Crust Bakeryt: 01644 450624www.earthscrustbakery.co.uk

The ‘Fechan Tart Companyt: 01576 300077www.fechantart.co.uk

The Galloway Fudge Companyt: 01387 740685www.gallowayfudge.com

Enjoy Galloway Wildfoodswww.gallowaywildfoods.com

Garrocher Market Gardenst: 07944 080335www.garrochermarketgardens.co.uk

Glebe House Wineryt: 01576 300241www.glebehouseproducts.co.uk

The Jammy Coo Bakeryt: 01556 620244

John Mellis Apiariest: 01848 331280

Kaixet: 01387 720365www.kaixe.co.uk

Kirstycakest: 07740 343850www.kirstycakes.co.uk

Mayan Trufflest: 07784 389327www.mayantruffles.com

Meg’s Kitchent: 07740 926893

Millbank Parkland Venisont: 01576 203925 www.millbankvenison.co.uk

Millhill Free Range Turkeyst: 01387 730472www.millhillfreerangeturkeys.co.uk

Mrs McMyns Organic Eggst: 01387 850430www.mrsmcmynseggs.co.uk

Rowan Glent: 01671 403633www.dalefarm.co.uk

Ruthy’s Sconest: 07900 633067www.ruthys.co.uk

Solway Smokehouset: 01644 420317www.solwaysmokehouse.co.uk

Sunnyside Farmt: 01659 50258www.sunnysidefarm.biz

Thai Kitchenwww.imthaikitchen.co.uk

J. Tweedie Fresh Fruit & Fruit Treest: 01387 720880

Uncle Roy’s Comestible Concoctionst: 01683 221076www.uncleroys.co.uk

Waulkmill Cider t: 01387 370203www.waulkmill-scottish-cider.co.uk

Wigwam Bakeryt: 01671 820455www.wigwambakery.co.uk

More and more local food anddrink businesses are joining Savour the Flavours. Log ontowww.savourtheflavours.co.ukand visit our directory for themost up to date list of memberbusinesses.

14 Delicious D&G

Going Wild!Dumfries & Galloway is a forager’s paradise –

its swathes of coast, lush forests andwoodlands offering up a treasure trove of

delicious flora, fauna and fungi for those who knowwhat to look for. Wild food expert Mark Williamsof Galloway Wild Foods is Dumfries & Galloway’sforemost expert in foraging and he has set himselfa fascinating challenge this year – to eat somethingwild from Dumfries & Galloway every day for a year.

What makes D&G such a good place to findwild food? Mainly it’s the amazing range ofunspoiled wild places – rocky, sandy and muddycoast; coniferous, oak, beech and ancient mixedwoodlands; lush, not-too-trimmed hedgerows; richand diverse grasslandsand wetlands. Add aparticularly warmmaritime climate anda little shelter fromIreland and you havethe perfect conditionsfor an incrediblerange of wild fruit,fungi, shellfish, plantsand animals in arelatively small area.

D&G seems tohave the very bestthings to eat fromNorth and South. For example, it is the only place inthe UK where you can find Scots lovage and rocksamphire growing on the same beach. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect area to get toknow wild food!

What got you started in wild food, and forhow long have you been doing it?

When I was 19 I was working split-shifts in arestaurant on Arran. It wasn’t worth going homebetween lunch and dinner service, so we used togo into the woods and collect wild mushrooms. We

only had an old Italianguidebook and were veryunsure of ourselves – in fact Idon’t think we dared eat asingle one for at least a year!But I got the bug and could stilltake you to the exact spot whereI found my first patch ofchanterelle mushrooms, glowinglike gold on the forest floor! It wasvery exciting – and I’ve beenhooked on foraging ever since,gradually building my knowledgeby a few species per season for the last20 years.

Wild food is becomingmore and more popular –what’s the appeal?

So many reasons! It is, bydefinition, healthy, seasonal,local, organic and free.Many wild foods have aflavour that farmed speciescannot emulate which iswhy they are in highdemand by top chefs.Noma, widely recognised asthe finest restaurant in theworld, serves almost entirelyforaged food. All this has a

trickle-down effect via celebrity chefs, whichinfluences keen home cooks. The real joy of wildfood is that somebody on the breadline can findand eat exactly the same ingredients as peoplewho are paying hundreds of pounds for it!

More philosophically, foraging connects us tonature in a very intimate and fulfilling way. Weevolved for millions of years as hunter-gatherersand I think people are beginning to recognise thedeep satisfaction that can come from gatheringyour own sustenance.

Best of all, it’s fun! Sort of like hunting foredible treasure!

Why have you set yourself the DailyWilds challenge? How have you found itso far?

Mostly for my own pleasure and partlyto try to demonstrate how easy it is toincorporate wild ingredients into everydaylife.

When you consider that over thecourse of a year more than 200 wild ediblespecies grow within 10 minutes walk of myhouse, it doesn’t look so hard! The key with

wild foods is not finding them, but recognisingthem!

I anticipated having the odd day when I justchewed a bit of sorrel or had a nip of sloe gin, butI’ve eaten a mostly wild meal every evening since Istarted in January. I’m feeling healthier than everand the flavours of the ingredients are so good thatquick, simple cooking normally yields great results.Wild food is the new convenience food!

What’s been your favourite wild food find?Normally I’m in love with whatever I’m picking

at the time! But getting something new is always athrill. I was delighted to find and eat my first nativeGalloway oyster in March. I spent a long time in anestuary in the dark, dodging tides to get it, but ittasted all the better for it! It is always amazing tofind a perfectly formed porcini mushroom in theautumn.

What’s been your favourite Daily Wilds dishso far?

Foraged sushi was pretty special. Seaweed,spoot clams, reedmace, wild garlic, cuckoo flowersand many other things went into it. Everything waswild but the rice. I even made a wasabi style dipout of sea radish and watercress.

Tell us something surprising about wild food.I love the successive emotions of shock,

disbelief, bemusement and delight when novice


foragers discover that some of the “weeds” theyhave been toiling to eradicate for years are moredelicious than most of the vegetables they grow!For example, young leaves of the much-despisedground elder are delicious in salads and areregularly served in some of the best restaurants inthe country.

Are there any nutritional benefits to wildfood?

The humble stinging nettle is a superfood, thesting instantly disappears on cooking, leaving youwith a great spinach-like green packed full ofprotein, vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium andother minerals.

So long as they are carefully picked fromunpolluted sites, all wild foods are organic and freefrom pesticides, chemical fertilisers and such like.

There is also a growing body of evidence thatour bodies are better able to digest, and less likelyto react adversely to, ingredients sourced from ourimmediate environment.

What’s the law on picking wild food?The Law trails a little behind what I would call

best practice. Legally, you have the “Right to Roam” on most

land in Scotland. When doing so, it is legal to pickleaves, fruits, fungi and some shellfish, provided itis for personal consumption and you are notcollecting a commercially grown crop. Thelandowner’s permission is required if you intend touproot a plant.

Best practice – as outlined by the Scottish WildHarvest Association – is rather more sensitive. Youshould show consideration for the landowner,other people who may wish to enjoy what you arepicking (either aesthetically or gastronomically!),the habitat you are in, and the species you arepicking.

Essentially this means picking only smallamounts of even seemingly common wild foods(some can appear locally abundant while beingnationally rare); never stripping out a whole plantor colony; never picking more than you need; beingaware of your impact on the wider environmentand other people; doing some research beforeharvesting.

Generally, I find that people who pick for theirown consumption, respect nature and invest a littletime in learning about what they are picking,seldom cause any significant harm. Most peoplewho harvest wild plants for profit also act with greatsensitivity towards their crop – it’s part of their

livelihood after all! Personally, I have chosen nolonger to sell any of the wild food I harvest. It’smuch more fun to barter or donate any surplus!

How should people get started in wild food?Get a few good guidebooks, a combination of

foraging books and general identification books isessential, and get out there! Don’t be excessivelyscared of the few poisonous species, so long as younever munch on a hunch you can come to noharm, and there are endless pleasures waiting tobe discovered.

You can access tons of information forbeginners and improvers through my GallowayWildfoods website where I share information aboutwhat to look out for at any given time in the year.Best of all, come on one of my guided walks, thereis nothing like actually seeing somebody pick, cookand eat wild food to give you confidence!

Evening Cooking ClassesOur chefs will demonstrate the dishes before youre-create them. When all the cooking is finishedyou will have the chance to enjoy what you havecooked with a glass of wine. Our kitchen usesingredients sourced locally, often with produce

from our own walled garden.

Cooking for Health & VitalityFish Night

Fresh Pasta NightCurry Night

Guilt Free DessertsItalian Evening

Men’s Cooking to Survive

Demonstration and Dine EveningsEnjoy a glass of wine while you watch a demonstration byour chefs. Get together with friends, enjoy a restaurant

experience whilst learning new cooking skills.

Private party bookings Arrange your owndate, choose your class and join your friends for a great

evening out!

Our cooking school is also available for hire.Dates, prices and more information from our website.

www.penninghame.org 01671 401414 [email protected]

Time to enjoy theKilnford experience

Restaurant Enjoy fantastic local and home grown dishes in a beautiful setting

Butchery Our own top qualityGalloway Beef, Blackface Lamb andoutdoor reared pork and bacon

Delicatessen Offering a widerange of local and regionallysourced artisan foods

Larder Let us tempt you withexciting speciality foods and beerfrom Dumfries & Galloway as well as foods and wines from around the world that would enhance anydinner table

Crafts Looking for somethingdifferent – you’ll find it here – manymade by local people

Nature Trail & Kids Play AreaTake time out to get close to theland with a stroll through ourNature Trail and kids play area

Open: Mon to Sat 9.30am-5.30pmLate night Thu till 8.30pmSun 10am-4.30pm

The Glen, Dumfries, DG2 8PT(At the Garroch roundabout on A75)

t: 01387 253087www.kilnford.co.uk

16 Delicious D&G

Acall has gone out from the Bee Farmers’Association of the United Kingdom invitingpeople to consider becoming a bee farmer,

and local bee farmer John Mellis says thatDumfries & Galloway is the perfect location foranyone interested in turning this fascinating activityinto a successful business.

John, who is based at Auldgirth near Dumfries,has more than 400 bee colonies sited across theNithsdale countryside.He has been an activemember of the BeeFarmers’ Association formany years, andhighlighting the plight ofbee farming in the UK isslowly starting to pay offwith a formal BeeFarming apprenticeshipand qualification now indevelopment.

John says:“Bee farming is a wonderful lifestyle, it’s not

something you’d choose to do to make lots ofmoney, but you can make enough to livecomfortably. I get tremendous satisfaction fromproducing 10 tonnes of premium quality food everyyear, working in truly beautiful locations. Tendingthe hives when the sun is shining on a summer dayis unbeatable.”

Despite the appealing lifestyle the downwardspiral of bee farming in the UK as a whole makesfor stark reading. Around 10,000 bee colonies arebeing lost each year from a UK total of 150,000, asbee farmers leave the industry, normally due toage. Indeed more than half of the bee farmers inthe UK are over 65 years of age and in the 100 milesacross Dumfries & Galloway, from Langholm toStranraer there are only three bee farmers, oneaged 82, another aged 81 and John who is acomparatively young 66! This demographic crisiscomes at a time when bee farming has never beenmore important, with bees responsible forpollinating more than £200 million worth of UK fruitand veg and now being highly sought after for thepollination of biofuel crops such as rapeseed oil.

John explains that Dumfries & Galloway is ideallysuited to new bee farmers seeking to start a business.

“Dumfries & Galloway has a huge range ofplants and very little oil seed rape, which meansthat honey producers in this region cancomfortably sustain a range of around 5 differenthoneys each year each with a distinctive, morecomplex flavour.

“Spring honey is flavoured by chestnut,hawthorn, sycamore and dandelion giving a rich,nutty dark honey. Summer honey is lighter with a

more delicate flavour, createdby clover, willow herb, lime,brambles and hundreds ofwild flowers that grow in themeadows. Autumn is theseason for making heatherhoney. This is the fine singlemalt of the honey world, aniconic Scottish product thattourists adore, and the honeyproduced on the hills aroundWanlockhead is consideredthe best in the world.

“This region could comfortably sustain 8 to 10people like me, bee farmers with around 400 hivesapiece. Producing honey is a genuine businessopportunity, if you do it well then people beat apath to your door.”

The Bee Farmers’ Association are planning toarrange taster days to invite people to find outwhat’s involved in becoming a bee farmer, andone of the taster days is likely to take place at JohnMellis Apiaries. For more information or to registeran interest in a taster day visitwww.beefarmers.co.uk.

Describe your cooking style in five words.Keeping cooking simple and economical.

What inspired you to become a Chef? Myfather was a chef and he was very inspiring. Hetrained as a pâtissie, a pastry chef, and he was alsoa trained opera singer, training under the Pavarottiof his day. When he moved to Scotland after thewar he worked at Turnberry and became HeadChef of Portpatrick Hotel where he was known asthe singing chef, as he sang opera whilst hecooked. His passion for cooking very muchinfluenced me and I love cooking now as much as I ever did.

Describe yourtypical day. I rise earlyto make fresh bread andsauces for SunnysideDeli and the restaurant,as well as preparingfresh desserts. Then it’soften out to dodemonstrations onhealthy cooking atschools and communitycentres.

What do you enjoy most about your job?Cooking fresh food, writing new recipes, readingabout new local products and givingdemonstrations on local produce.

What’s your signature dish? Describe it andtell us what makes it so special. Fresh scampicaught on the local boats, deep fried in a light andcrispy batter. You can taste the freshness of thescampi, that’s what makes it so special.

What’s been your biggest achievement sofar? Cooking for the Queen in 1996 with studentsfrom the college in Stranraer. It was the last sailingof the Royal Yacht Britannia before it retired inEdinburgh. Her Majesty had local smoked salmonto start followed by medallions of venison withstuffed peppers, a wild mushroom risotto andfondant potatoes. Her sweet was whisky ice creammade with Bladnoch whisky with tuille biscuit,home-made tablet and coffee.

Why is it a good idea to cook with local food?It’s fresh, you know where it comes from, it tastesbetter and it also helps local businesses to thrive.

Tell us about three local products you thinkare must-trys and explain why. Fresh crabbecause it is freshly available throughout thesummer and it makes beautifully simple dishes.Local pork, such as Clash Farm pork, tastescompletely different from supermarket pork andLoch Arthur cheese which has won lots of awards,it’s a must-try.

You’ve got five minutes to rustle up a tasty(local) bite to eat – what would you make? Bakedsalmon with tomato, cucumber and basil orlinguine with fresh crab aglia olio.

Any future plans? To try and get the publicmore aware of how easy it is to eat healthily bygoing around schools, community centres, foodfestivals and agricultural shows. My aim is to getpeople cooking fresh simple food dishes.

secondinterview

Douglas Lisi of L’Aperitif in Stranraer 60

Bee-ing a Bee Farmer


More than a quarter of the UK populationnow grows (or tries to grow) their ownfruit and veg. Although the national boom

in veg growing may be partly due to the economicclimate, for a number of chefs in Dumfries &Galloway growing their own is all about the taste.While Dumfries & Galloway is famed for its meatand dairy farming,rather than vegetableproduction, menusacross the region arebeing graced withthe most local oflocal produce – fruit,veg and herbs freshlypicked from arestaurant garden.

The Schoolhouseat Ringford has animpressive gardenwhich this year isgrowing pumpkins,mixed salad leaves, cucumbers, fennel, sweetcorn,red cabbage, herbs, beetroot, pak choi, small finebeans, french beans, courgettes, spinach, apples,plums, pears, rhubarb, redcurrants, blackcurrants,gooseberries, strawberries and raspberries. DavidLawrie is even testing whether the Dumfries &Galloway climate will support melon cultivation!

For Caroline Lawrie their passion for growingtheir own is all about freshness and flavour:

“There’s nothing like the experience of enjoyingcourgette soup in the summer knowing that thecourgettes that made it were harvested only a fewhours ago, or the flavour of a lettuce picked andserved in a salad straight away.

“The garden is really coming on, we use oursoft summer fruits in preserves, apples in pies,spinach in quiche, the list goes on and on. We’vealso started making our own organic bread freshlymade by hand every day, proved in the oldfashioned way with each loaf taking four hoursfrom start to finish. Our customers are noticing a

difference, commentingon how good thingstaste, and we get suchpleasure knowing we’vecreated such deliciousproduce.”

Several restaurantsacross Dumfries &Galloway have wellestablished gardenswhere fresh seasonalherbs, veg and fruit isgrown to be part ofdeliciously diversemenus. At Cavens

Country House Hotel accomplished chef AngusFordyce specialises in fine dining using the verybest quality, seasonal ingredients, including hisown vegetables, herbs and fruit cultivated inCavens’ beautiful gardens. Meanwhile Cretan chefNikos Apostolakis shares space in four gardens inCrossmichael to grow nearly all of the freshproduce needed for the Greek cuisine he serves inthe Thistle Inn.

A passion for garden grown produce has beenwell and truly caught by Lara Smith of theBuccleuch Arms Hotel, Stephen Myers of Smiths at Gretna Green and Robin Austin of Barstobrick,all of whom are cultivating vegetable gardens for

the first time this year.While Stephen Myers is an old hand at growing,

having managed his own half acre garden to supplya boutique hotel restaurant across the Border, thegarden he’s planning for Smiths is at a very earlystage and he has plans to greatly increase hiskitchen garden for next year. “We are growing ourown veg for the restaurant on a small scale thisyear and have started with some seeds planted andsome planting going on in early summer.”

Meanwhile Lara Smith has been inspired by asurge in local interest in growing food, she said:

“We are very fortunate to have the use ofDouglas Murray’s land and his lifetime ofexperience to draw on, I am merely the apprenticegardener under his watchful eye. We are plantingonions, leeks, butternuts, tomatoes, peppers,cucumber, herbs and chilli plants as well as someflowers. All our kitchen waste is being saved forthe compost binsand we lookforward todigging our owncompost into theground ready fornext year’splanting!”

An oldVictorian walledgarden is gettinga new lease oflife at Barstobrick near Castle Douglas but it will benext year before the fruits of the work being donecan be fully seen and appreciated at the visitorcentre. Owner Robin Austin has handed overstewardship of the walled garden to his butcherwho has a passion for gardening. Still a work inprogress for now, visitors will be able to see thegarden taking shape throughout this year.

Garden GrownDavid Lawrie of The Schoolhouse at Ringford tends his extensive garden

Angus Fordyce selects produce for Cavens’ menu

Lara Smith’s tomato plants getoff to a good start

18 Delicious D&G

Deliciously FreshWhen the region’s top chefs spend time getting to know their local artisan food producers the result ismemorable meals that delight the palate and ignite an interest in the produce. For many Dumfries &Galloway chefs, close working relationships with their producers is par for the course and an essential partof creating deliciously fresh food.

more special. Brodies is passionate about using asmuch local produce as possible within its menus,and since the Moffat on a Plate event, we haveused Sarah’s hogget on our local tapas night andwill be putting it back on the menu pretty soon, wejust need to allow the stock to build up first!”

Sarah Burchell was thrilled with the response toher hogget on Brodies’ menu and she noticedmany people coming to farmers’ marketsspecifically looking for hogget after they’d enjoyedit at Brodies. She said:

“It has been a real pleasure to work with a chefwho recognises the potential and unique taste ofour hogget. Russell and I sat down to discusspossible cuts of lamb for him to use at Brodies andhe quickly latched onto how the hogget could besomething special for him to work with. He cameup with great ways to incorporate it into his menusand we were delighted to find it was so popularwith his customers.

“Although we have always believed that ourhogget is the best meat there is we were takenaback by the level of demand and had to workhard to keep up the supply when he frequentlyemailed demanding ‘more hogget please!’ FinallyRussell had to take it off the Brodies menu as wehad sold out. We have now increased the numberof hoggets running on the farm to accommodatefuture demand.

“It seems to me that this sort of collaboration,between local food producers and chefs is thefuture for high quality restaurants. Local chefs, likeRussell, who are keen to use what the producershave to offer and can use their culinary skills tobring out the best in it, can provide such a goodplatform to show off local food. Equally, using foodwith a real local provenance and a story to tellgives chefs an edge in this age when the publicwant to know more about what they are eating andwhere it comes from.”

Since taking over as Head Chef of Smiths atGretna Green last year Stephen Myers hasembarked on a local sourcing campaign,

building close relationships with producers fromacross the region which has led to the creation ofinnovative dishes based around veal and venison.

“I’ve just visited a farm near Cannonbie which isnow the sole beef supplier for my restaurant andI’ve been working with Ronnie at Barony Countryfoods with his venison. I’m curing and making airdried bresaola and Ronnie is also smoking some

for me to create a unique duo of venison.”Stephen is also highlighting a healthy and tasty

meat that’s had bad press in recent years andcustomers are fascinated by his demonstrations ofveal dishes. “Veal has been much maligned butI’m promoting and using Scottish veal, reared withexceptionally high welfare standards fromBlackface Meat Company in Irongray.”

Stephen will be demonstrating his veal dishesin the Foodhall at Gretna Green as part of FlavourFortnight.

Hogget atBrodies During Flavour Fortnight last year Russell

Pearce of Brodies of Moffat tested outAnnanwater Organics’ hogget on the main

menu and he was absolutely staggered by theresponse. Hogget is a lamb between 12 and 24months, low in fat with a deep, rich flavour.

Russell said: “I don’t think Sarah or myself was prepared for

the runaway success that the hogget had.Customers really loved the intense flavours of themeat and wanted to know about its origins andwhere they could source it. Very soon we both hadoutstripped supply, which I guess made it even

V is for Venison and Veal at Smiths

Sarah Burchell of Annanwater Organics with chef Russell Pearce


While interest in Loch Arthur is soaringafter winning the BBC’s Food Producer ofthe Year, Angus Fordyce of Cavens

Country House Hotel is one of their longest standingsupporters, with their award winning cheeseshaving been a mainstay of the Cavens cheeseboardfor years. Using fresh, local, quality produce is whatAngus is well known for, presenting the best of thecatch of the day or wild inseason game simply andelegantly, letting the quality ofthe product speak for itself.

Barry Graham of LochArthur has long appreciatedAngus’ approach to sourcingquality produce.

“We really do value ourrelationship with Cavens Hotel.There is no ‘token’ use of localproducts. On the contrary,Angus takes great pride in truly enhancing theculinary experience of his guests by giving them atrue experience of the finest foods that the regionhas to offer.

“Guests start their day with a hearty breakfastincluding Loch Arthur granola and yoghurt and endtheir day with a dinner accompanied by our artisanbreads and finishing off with a cheese board of ouraward winning cheeses.

“Then, very often, Cavens guests end their staywith a visit to our Farm Shop where they stock upon produce for their trip home. This truly

encapsulates the best of what can happen throughco-operation of local producers and caterers.”

Angus of Cavens Country House Hotel said: “At Cavens we buy the best produce we can.

From the very first day we opened everything hasalways been the best quality, the linen, the cutlery...the bread, the cheese. After researching whatsuppliers we would use the best cheese producer

was undoubtedly Loch ArthurCreamery.

“Yes, it’s part of the CamphillVillage Trust and provides awonderful, supportive inclusivework and home environment toboth able volunteers and less ableresidents, a worthy reason alone tosupport this self sustaining workingcommunity. Yes, they are entirelyorganic in everything they produce,and have been long before it ever

became fashionable, giving us yet another positivereason to use their produce.

“However the bottom line is they simply havethe best artisan cheese, bread and granola, which isnever off our menus. Our Restaurant cheeseboardis exclusively Loch Arthur and the Criffel, with itsdistinctive rounded flavour, has pride of place. Ithas deservedly won prize after prize for years.

“But the cherry on the icing is that they are only10 miles up the road, bet they never thought theywere a convenience food producer too!”

Allan Watson has no bigger fan than chef TomKirkpatrick of Kirkpatrick’s Restaurant inKirkcudbright. For the past two years Tom

has created a special showcase menu during FlavourFortnight to highlight the produce of GallowaySmokehouse, and the special menu has proven to be so popular that he’s hosting his GallowaySmokehouse Showcase once again this year.

Allan is an inspirational producer, landing fishcaught with his own hands, shooting wild venisonhimself and then carefully smoking a range of produceusing traditional methods. Tom Kirkpatrick said:

“Allan can smoke anything, his produce is simplyfantastic. It’s the consistency of his produce that Ilove, it’s always good, I’d have to really mess thingsup to produce anything other than a fantastic plate offood when I use his produce.

“It’s not just smoked products and venison that Iget from Allan, he’s introduced me to hake, pollockand dabs, little flounders that are really tasty andbecoming really popular. Allan has been catchingthem for years and working with him hasencouraged me to develop new recipes withproducts that I’d never even considered before.”

Describe your products in five words. Pure,natural ales from Galloway.

Describe your typical day. Busy, hectic, butvery enjoyable and good fun.

What makes your products special? We createhand crafted beers with passion and pride. Eachbeer is uniquely different from each other.

What’s been your biggest achievement sofar? It was nice to receive the title of ChampionBeer of Scotland in 2009, and it was good meetingthe Queen a couple of years ago when she visitedCastle Douglas.

Why is it a good idea to buy local? When weare so lucky to have as much top quality food anddrink produced on our own doorstep, why goanywhere else? Dumfries & Galloway has becomean area where we are more and more stickingtogether to help promote each other, which isgreat.

What do you most enjoy about what you do? I love to see the smile on someone’s face whenthey try one of our beers for the first time.

Your favourite D&G product (other than yourown)? There are so many in D&G and I like most ofthem (and that’s how you sit on the fence!!).

Eating out recommendation? Some of mypersonal favourite places to eat out are The SelkirkArms and Kirkpatrick’s in Kirkcudbright, CavensArms and Hullabaloo in Dumfries and The ThistleInn at Crossmichael to name but a few. Now I feelhungry.

You’ve got five minutes to rustle up a tasty(local) bite to eat – what would you make?We alllike to cook in my family. I like to cook steaks andpastas with local ingredients, my wife cooks locallycaught fish dishes and loads more, my son makesvarious types of Scotch Eggs with local sausage,haggis or black pudding and my daughter bakescakes and cup cakes.

Any future plans? Yes and phase one iscomplete. We have installed a lot of solar panels tohelp with our energy costs, the next step is toincrease the size of the brewery by a factor ofthree.

Do any celebs like your products? Who &why? I can only tell you which celebs have takenour beers, they are the Queen, Prince Charles, theHairy Bikers, Ewan McGregor, Antony WorrallThompson, Ainsley Harriott, Rory McGrath andFranz Ferdinand to name but a few. I hope theylike our beers, although I can’t quite picture HerMajesty with a glass of beer, but you never know!

secondinterview

Allen Henderson of Sulwath Brewers in Castle Douglas

60

World class quality at Cavens

Galloway Smokehouse at Kirkpatrick’s

Angus Fordyce of Cavens visits BarryGraham of Loch Arthur

Tom Kirkpatrick selects the catch of the day at Galloway Smokehosue

20 Delicious D&G

Describe your products in fivewords. Fresh, delicious, quality,hand-crafted luxury.

Describe your typical day. Theone thing I love about my job is thatno two days are the same, but atypical working day starts at 8.30am,and I tend to work alone listening toRadio 2. Firstly I check what ordersI have to make up and then preparethe chocolate moulds and makethe ganache or filling for thechocolates. I tend to stop for lunchat 12.30pm, take our dog Ronnie fora walk and then come back tocomplete the next stage of theprocess, whether it be rolling thechocolates or putting the finishingtouches to a centrepiece, andaround 4pm clean up and finish.

What makes your productsspecial? All my chocolate productsare fresh and made to order,making sure the customer receivesthe freshest chocolates possible,regardless of the size of the order.No order is too large or too smalland we are able to create productsto fit the customer’s needs.

What’s been your biggestachievement so far? When Istarted Abbotts Chocolates in 2006,the thing that I really enjoyed wascreating something that brought somuch joy to people. I soon beganmaking chocolates for weddingsand celebrations. To be part ofsomeone’s special occasion isquite a responsibility, so eventhough it may seem trivial, beingasked to create a wedding cake ora centrepiece and being part ofsomeone’s big day is alwaysspecial.

Why is it a good idea to buylocal? If we don’t we risk losing ourshops and small business that areso important to local communities,I believe in buying local whereverpossible.

Your favourite D&G product(other than your own)? There area number of products in the area I enjoy but if I had to choose one it would be Dirrops meat. He has a good selection of meats to coverall occasions, all locally reared and served by friendly andknowledgeable staff.

Eating out recommendation?Douglas Hotel in Langholm. Goodlocally sourced food, friendlyservice and a lovely atmosphere.

You’ve got five minutes torustle up a tasty (local) bite toeat – what would you make? I’dkeep it simple and make poachedeggs on toast. Local eggs from PSPoultry and bread from the localbakers. Simple but you just can’tbeat it.

Any future plans? To improvemy product and expand to the nextlevel. We are also expanding thewebsite to include online shoppingand we plan to host chocolateevenings for small groups atBorder House B&B in Langholm.

Do any celebs like yourproducts? Who & why? DaveKelly from The Blues Band, MaggieBell from Stone the Crows, GregorFisher aka Rab C Nesbitt, folklegend Martin Simpson, TomMcGuiness (McGuiness Flint)among many others. Many peoplehave told us that they enjoyed theproduct because of its freshnessand interesting and uniqueflavours.

Where can people meet you?I can be found at a number ofproducers’ markets, includingMoffat and Langholm, oralternatively you could just popround for a chat at Border House,Langholm. Give us a call beforecoming as I may be hard at work inthe factory.

Award Winning Restaurant, using local fresh ingredients

on our weekly changing menu. Book to avoid disappointment.

Tue-Sat 6-10pm, Sun 12-2pm, evenings 6.30-8.30pm May to Sep

Del Amitri Restaurant, 95a High StreetAnnan, DG12 6DJ t: 01461 201999

www.del-amitri.co.uk

secondinterview

Dennis Cockburn of Abbotts Chocolates in Langholm60

Award winning traditional Butcherswith a wide range of local producehand prepared on our premises.

Farm direct quality meats.

152 King Street, Castle DouglasTel: 01556 502501


Award winning ice creamproducer and popular visitor

centre Cream o’ Galloway has beeninviting visitors behind the scenes tohear the story of how their food isproduced for years, with their IceCream Experience and Rainton Farm Tour events taking place everyday. 2012 sees the launch of a brandnew project firmly aimed at foodies – Food for Thought is a series ofmonthly lunchtime events which give an in depth look at differentaspects and issues of foodproduction.

Themes such as Rainton Farmitself, cookery demonstrations, icecream making and local wildlife willall be explored and each event willinclude a delicious lunch usingseasonal, locally sourced ingredients.The aim of the events is to provide arelaxed and friendly atmosphere forvisitors to explore foodie topics.Food for Thought events will takeplace on 29th June, 7th Septemberand 5th October. Cream o’ Gallowayalso holds ice cream tasting sessionsand farm tours daily, as well as icecream making events during July andAugust. For more information aboutfoodie events at Cream o’ Gallowayphone 01557 815 222.

Tasty Events

The brainchild of chef TomKirkpatrick, this two day food

festival on the third weekend inOctober brings together local chefsand around 20 food and drinkproducers from Dumfries & Galloway.This year’s Kirkcudbright FoodFestival takes place on the 20th and21st October in the Town Hall. Localchefs will go head-to-head in aReady, Steady, Cook event on theSaturday morning with twodemonstrations scheduled for theafternoon, and more demos on theSunday.

Why wait for Flavour Fortnight? Dumfries &Galloway has tasty foodie events all year round. Visitthe events page on www.savourtheflavours.co.ukfor details of foodie events that are coming up.

Food for Thought

Kirkcudbright Food Festival

Galloway Country Fair

Foraging

Castle DouglasFood Town

Agricultural Shows

Wild food expert Mark Williamsis spearheading a surge of

interest in wild food in Dumfries &Galloway and he holds regularforaging events throughout the year.On 28th July he’s combining foragingwith a stunning walk through themountains, lochs and forests ofGalloway on a Wild Mountain andForest Foraging Day.

Usually taking place on the lastweekend in May Castle Douglas

Food Town Day is a deliciouscelebration of the food retailers in theFood Town, and the producerssurrounding it. Castle Douglas is alsoone of six communities taking part inthe Day of the Region weekend, on6th and 7th October, and as CD is theFood Town, their activities are certainto include a foodie slant.

Dumfries & Galloway’s agriculturalheritage is evident at agricultural

shows across the region during thesummer, and local food always playsan important part in those events.Stranraer Show on 25th July is thefirst big show of the season, but it’sthe first week in August that sees arun of three major shows all of whichare supporting local food. WigtownShow takes place on 1st August,Stewartry Show in Castle Douglas on 2nd and Dumfries & LockerbieShow on Saturday 4th August. MoffatShow, on 25th August, also normallyboasts an interesting range ofproducer stalls.

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19thAugust sees the Galloway Country

Fair return to its new home atDrumlanrig Castle. As well asdisplays, demonstrations and ruralactivities, local food producers will beshowcasing their tasty treats.

www.scottishviewpoint.com

www.scottishviewpoint.com

22 Delicious D&G

25th August to9th September

Landing the big one at Moffat Water Foods’ Open Day

Plating up at TheLaird’s Inn in Creetown

Above: Proof is in the Palate starter atHullabaloo in Dumfries

Far Left: Solway scallops prepared atAnnan Harbour Festival

Jam & Jazz at GallowayLodge Preserves


Sweeping across Dumfries &Galloway in late summer,Flavour Fortnight is a delicious

celebration of local food and drink. Dumfries & Galloway’s region-

wide food festival is now recognisedas one of Scotland’s most excitingfood festivals, bringing together ahuge variety of foodie experiences inone delicious programme of events.

This year there are more than 100

listings in the tempting programmepromising 16 days of fascinatingfoodie experiences, delicious dining,thriving markets and accommodationthat puts quality food and drink rightat the heart of holiday experiences.

You can discover how salmon issmoked and how cheese is made, goon a fascinating forage or indulgeyour taste buds with fine dining, learnhow to make artisan bread or luxury

ice cream, take in a tour round a deerfarm, a brewery or a bakery, tuck intoa tapas or a mezze created with localproduce and much, much more.

Pick up your copy of the FlavourFortnight 2012 programme or visitwww.flavourfortnight.co.uk for fullprogramme details.

Visitwww.flavourfortnight.co.ukfor the latest information onFlavour Fortnight 2012

Above: Tom Kirkpatrickdemonstrates at Loch InchFood Festival

Below: Smoked SalmonJourney at Barony CountryFoods

Left: Parasol mushroom stealing theshow, part of The Art of Fungi in Dumfries

Farmers’ and Community Markets acrossDumfries & Galloway are thriving. Whetheryou consider them a wonderful excuse for a

day trip, an essential part of your regular groceryroutine or an undiscovered pleasure that you’ve yetto enjoy, markets are an opportunity to speakdirectly to the people behind the produce, to trysamples and to enjoy quality food and drink that isgenuinely different from what’s stocked insupermarkets.

From the large farmers’ market at Dumfries tothe weekly Wigtown Market where local food sitsside by side with crafts, arts and other stalls,markets offer a diverse range of enjoyableexperiences. Moffat and Langholm markets

Real People, Real Food

1. Colvend Produce MarketColvend Public Hall, Colvend, Dalbeattie DG5 4QD Time: 9am-12.30pm Dates: 22 Jun, 27 Jul, 24 Aug, 28 Sep, 26 Oct, 23 Nov, 14 Dec.

2. Creetown Produce MarketAdamson Square, Creetown DG8 7JQTime: 10am-3pm Dates: 8 Jul, 12 Aug, 9 Sep, 14 Oct, 11 Nov (Christmas Market on 9 Dec at GemRock Museum)

3. Dumfries Farmers’ MarketTarff Valley Town and Country, Lockerbie Road,Dumfries DG1 3PF Time: 11am-3pm Dates: 1 Jul, 5 Aug, 2 Sep, 7 Oct, 4 Nov, 2 Dec

4. Gatehouse Country MarketMain Car Park, Gatehouse of Fleet DG7 2HRTime: 9am-1pm Dates: Every Saturday throughout the year

5. Glenkens Community MarketDalry Town Hall, St John’s Town of Dalry DG7 3UT Time: 10am-1pm Dates: 14 Jul, 11 Aug, 8 Sep, 13 Oct, 10 Nov, 8 Dec

6. Langholm Producers’ MarketThe Buccleuch Centre, Thomas Telford Road,Langholm DG13 0AW Time: 9am-1pm Dates: 7 Jul, 4 Aug, 1 Sep, 6 Oct, 3 Nov, 1 Dec

7. Lockerbie Farmers’ MarketLockerbie Town Hall, Bridge Street, LockerbieDG11 2HE Time: 10am-2pm Dates: 21 Jul, 18 Aug, 15 Sep, 13 Oct, 17 Nov, 15 Dec

8. Moffat Farmers’ MarketTown Hall, High Street, Moffat DG10 9HFTime: 10am-3pm Dates: 8 Jul, 12 Aug, 9 Sep, 14 Oct, 10 Nov (11am-3pm), 9 Dec (11am-3pm)

9. New Cample Farm, Charity Farmers’ MarketNew Cample Farm, Thornhill DG3 5EYTime: 11am-3pm Dates: 24 Jun, 29 Jul, 26 Aug, 30 Sep, 28 Oct, 25 Nov, 30 Dec

10. Portpatrick Farmers’ MarketPortpatrick Village Hall, The Harbour, PortpatrickDG9 8TU Time: 1pm-4pm Dates: 15 July, 19 Aug, 16 Sep, 16 Dec

11. Sandhead Farmers’ MarketSandhead Bowling Club, SandheadTime: 1pm-4pm Dates: 29 Jul, 26 Aug

12. Wigtown MarketThe Square, Wigtown DG8 9JHTime: 10am-4pm Dates: Every Saturday Mar to Oct (inclusive)

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regularly include inspiring demonstrations,refreshments are on offer at Lockerbie, Gatehouseproves that small is beautiful, the New CampleCharity Farmers’ Market raises valuable funds for aproject in the Gambia, the proceeds fromGlenkens Market supports the refurbishment of thetown hall, while the markets in Colvend, Sandheadand Portpatrick provide a monthly foodie focalpoint for their communities.

Twelve markets across Dumfries & Gallowayhave come together to produce a guide to themarkets of our region. Pick up your copy in VisitorInformation Centres, visitor attractions andaccommodation providers across the region, oruse this handy summary to find a market near you.

Edited by: Lorna Young Designed by: Ian Findlay Design

Describe your products in five words.Traditional, unusual, old recipes and fruits

Describe your typical day. Busy! 3 to 4hours cooking, 1 hour labelling/stock control,then office work, delivery, purchasing orgathering of raw materials, feeding family,dogs and cat, writing minutes for variouscommittees or attending assorted committeemeetings. If I’m really lucky I might manage tosit down with my spinning wheel or do someweaving.

What makes your products special? I usevery old recipes which I modify to suit moderntastes. There are also some original recipes –some of which were originally my mistakes!

What’s been your biggest achievementso far? To make a profit! I have also learnednot to work seven days a week, five is quiteenough.

Why is it a good idea to buy local? Thelocal economy benefits, not somesupermarket with headquarters in anothercountry. Local jobs may be created to stopthe drain of our talented youngsters from thisregion. We grow good kids in this region aswell as good food. We should make the mostof both these assets.

What do you most enjoy about farmers’markets? I really enjoy meeting customersand other traders. The market community istight-knit and very friendly.

Your favourite D&G product (other thanyour own)? Glebe House Winery RhubarbWine, with Gooseberry a close second.

Eating out recommendation? Hightae Inn,five minutes away in Hightae, near Lockerbie.

You’ve got five minutes to rustle up atasty (local) bite to eat – what would youmake? Annanwater Organics lamb burgerwith By Heck! Crab Apple and Chilli Jelly.

Any future plans? I plan to complete myown commercial kitchen at home and enablemore streamlined production – everything inthe same place would be a good start!

Do any celebs like your products? Who& why? Gilly Fraser loves the Apple Orangeand Chilli Jelly.

Where can people meet you? LangholmProducers’ Market, Dumfries Farmers’ Market,Moffat Farmers’ Market, Lockerbie Farmers’Market and New Cample Farmers’ Market.

secondinterview

Margaret Vaughan of By Heck! in Lockerbie

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Documents

Delicious D&G Issue 2