Nibble Scotland

Nibble Scotland is delighted to welcome Jackie Brierton, Chief Executive of GrowBiz Scotland. GrowBiz Scotland is a charity established in 2007 to support rural businesses across Scotland.The Coronavirus crisis has had a disproportionate effect on the businesses and self-employed outwith Scotland's urban areas and without support that is specifically designed for their needs we risk losing a huge proportion of Scotland's economic activity and that means jobs, livelihoods, opportunities and life in some of our most beautiful regions.  Jackie outlines some of the new opportunities as we emerge from the COVID Lockdown with grants to help entrepreneurs to start new businesses with a support network under the umbrella REDS.REDS - Rural Enterprise Development ScotlandREDS is a program of support that is designed specifically to support micro-businesses, social enterprises and the sell employed in rural Scotland. From nurseries to food producers, and accommodation providers to artists, GrowBiz have supported thousands of people to start and build their own businesses in Scotland's rural areas.The Scottish and UK governments have provided much-needed temporary support, but many small enterprises and self-employed in rural areas are struggling to survive. More than 60% of businesses in rural Scotland have closed their doors, and without our urgent support, many have no prospect of re-opening. The REDS fund will provide flexible grants to social enterprises and small businesses in Scotland’s rural towns, villages, island communities and remotest regions - to get them and their communities back up and running. And priority will be given to young people who want to develop their business ideas to create jobs for themselves and their peers.REDS comprises an online directory which will be an interactive catalogue of all rural businesses in Scotland. From the directory, members can apply for grant funding up to the value of £5,000 to help them recover post-COVID and all members can access free and ongoing enterprise support. The directory is currently being built, we are just a few weeks away from launch. But our primary focus is on building the REDS fund, we are crowdfunding to raise £3 million which would enable us to support 1,200 enterprises to re-open post-COVID. We have the whole REDS concept neatly communicated on our crowdfunding page so please take a look at that here: www.reds.scot

Welcome to Scotland’s Food Podcast, Nibble Scotland. My name is June Carroll and this is my journey to find out about the people behind Scotland’s outstanding food scene and celebrate the many food champions around the country.Many farms have been in families for generations often adapting to changing market conditions. So when Tuggy and Jonny Delap returned to run the family farm In the 90’s, they had the aim of finding a new purpose for the family estate to create jobs, tourism and industry. On Tuggy’s suggestion, they begin the process of converting a former dairy building into a brewery. Join Nibble Scotland to chat with Tuggy's son Mungo Delap as he talks about their journey into craft brewing and the great tourism story which draws beer fans from across the world to Argyll each year for Fyne Fest and their tasting room, the Tap.Like many businesses who continued working through the Covid lockdown, Mungo also gives an insight into some of the initiatives which have helped bring them through but also how their loyal customer base have supported the business. For more information about Loch Fyne Farm Brewery please check out their website www.fyneales.com and if you get an opportunity to visit please do - especially if you can coincide your visit with FyneFest!Please follow us on social media @NibbleScotland for a first look at future guests and a behind the scenes look of everything mentioned in each episode Wherever you are listening to the podcast ensure you have subscribed and if you can please add a review to help others find out more about Scotland’s world class larder. 

Welcome to Scotland’s Food Podcast, Nibble Scotland. My name is June Carroll and this is my journey to find out about the people behind Scotland’s outstanding food scene and celebrate the many food champions around the country. As we continue with lockdown in Scotland I’m honoured that Kirstie Campbell from Seabuckthorn Scotland joined me for a coffee from her base in East Lothian. Chatting candidly about her life’s adventures as a UN front line aid worker to how she found her way back to Scotland to establish a social enterprise dedicated to the research of sea buck thorn. This podcast reminds us why we are so blessed in Scotland to have people like Kirstie who are so passionate about their products.  Kirstie spent 15 years working as a professional humanitarian worker, including ten years on mission in the Middle East. She first came across Seabuckthorn in 2010 as part of a United Nations logistics mission to assist with the floods in Pakistan. When she returned home to Scotland in 2013, she discovered that our native berries- a unique source of nutrition- were being largely overlooked- and in some cases destroyed..while our population is suffering from increasing challenges in heart health, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and mental health. She decided to apply her passion for food security, local solutions and herbal healing - plus her so far under-utilised Chemistry degree- to work in founding Seabuckthorn Scotland CIC to tackle these issues. The CIC was registered in Winter 2018 and started in trading in July 2019.For more information about Kirstie and where to find her products please check out her website - www.seabuckthornscotland.comPlease remember to follow us on social media @NibbleScotland for a first look at future guests and a behind the scenes look of everything mentioned in each episode Wherever you are listening to the podcast ensure you have subscribed and if you can please add a review to help others find out more about Scotland’s world class larder. 

As we continue with lockdown in Scotland I’m delighted that Nev Kilkenny a fungi specialist and mycologist takes time out of his foraging day to join me for a chat. Nev leads many foraging forays around the country throughout the year discovering the amazing diversity of fungi and runs workshops both for beginners and those who wish to develop their interest. Nev’s expertise is often called in to help raise awareness of fungi with organisations such as The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), TCV, Plantlife Scotland & Scottish Natural Heritage.  From foraging to gin making this is quite a diverse podcast and a conversation I hope you will enjoy.Nev will be running a range of forays and workshops in the autumn for dates and booking please check out his website – www.fungi.co.uk Recommended books for fungi beginners are John Wright’s River Cottage mushroom book – it has a key and Nev likes books with keys! So the key Nev uses for workshops is this one by Paul Nichol, in conjunction with Roger Phillips’s Book will take you a long way.And finally a link to all things fungi in Scotland - Scottish Fungi – there’s links there to all the recording groups in Scotland and lots of other information, including the diagnostic flowchart that I created to advise the National Poisons Information Service about mushroom poisoning. Just before we get started a couple of housekeeping notes this week, if you are looking for a face mask as we exit lockdown please get in touch with Nibble Scotland via social media to order directly. Currently we have in stock Noordi face masks which are antibacterial, washable and available in 4 colours for adult and children costing £6 each – most importantly they are cost effective and practical in our new environment tackling Covid-19. Also, please follow us on social media @NibbleScotland for a first look at future guests and a behind the scenes look of everything mentioned in each episode and wherever you are listening to the podcast it would be great if you could subscrible/follow the podcast and drop a review. So its time to grab your coffee and listen into my chat with Nev who in light of our social distancing world I welcome over Zoom.

Welcome to Scotland’s Food Podcast, Nibble Scotland. My name is June Carroll and this is my journey to find out about the people behind Scotland’s outstanding food scene and celebrate the many food champions around the country. This week as the country is currently in lockdown with Covid19 I’m delighted to welcome John Murray to todays podcast via zoom. John is currently establishing the Highland Food and Wine Club, a membership model which will promote all the producers in the Highlands at shows, exhibitions and offer a digital shopping channel.  John has a wealth of experience in the food industry, has sat on the Scottish Grocers Federation National board, a director of Highlife Highland and a non-exec director of the Farmer Jones Academy, a skills company for the food and drink in schools.  Wherever you are listening to the podcast it would be great if you could drop a review and ensure that you subscribe to you don’t miss a future episode.  Follow us on social media @NibbleScotland for a first look at future guests and a behind the scenes look of everything mentioned in each episode.If your a food or drink producer in the Scottish Highlands and interested in learning more and taking part please contact info@highlandfoodanddrinkclub.com

This week I’m really delighted that James Withers the head of Scotland Food and Drink joins us to give his take on the Covid 19 tsunami that has affected our food and service industry. We chat about some of the challenges he has faced over the last 6 weeks, how their members are adapting, how buyer behaviours are changing and even hear some uplifting stories emerging from the marketplace. As we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, Scotland Food and Drink are watching carefully countries around the world to gain from some of the lessons learnt as they come out of lockdown.Scotland Food & Drink (SF&D) was established in 2007 to grow the value and reputation of the nation's food and drink industry.  It has a uniquely collaborative model, bringing the industry, government and its agencies together to develop and drive forward the sector in Scotland and give it a competitive edge.  Scotland's food and drink sector has gone from a static position in 2007 to now being one of Scotland’s best performing sectors with an annual turnover of £14 billion, including £6 billion of export sales. As a membership organisation with over 450 member companies, SF&D provides support and guidance to food and drink businesses  - small and large, new starts and well-established - to achieve their growth ambitions.  In March 2017, SF&D led the development of Ambition 2030, the strategy to drive the responsible growth in the value of the sector to £30bn by 2030.  James Withers is the Chief Executive of Scotland Food & Drink. Prior to joining the SF&D in 2011, James was CEO of the NFU Scotland where he promoted the interests of the nation's agricultural industry. Amongst a number of other roles, James sits on the Scottish Government’s Board of Trade and is on the board of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, working to enhance and promote Scotland’s world class tourism industry. Wherever you are listening to the podcast it would be great if you could drop a review and ensure that you subscribe to you don’t miss a future episode.  Follow us on social media @NibbleScotland for a first look at future guests and a behind the scenes look of everything mentioned in each episode. For latest information from Scotland Food and Drink please check out their website -https://foodanddrink.scot/ In addition Scotland Food and Drink have established a Covid-19 Hub -https://foodanddrink.scot/coronavirus-information-hub/

Welcome to the Nibble Scotland Over Coffee podcast. In the days before social distancing I was lucky enough to be invited to meet Jillian McEwan from Lunan Bay Farm near Arbroath, who you may already be following their fabulous goat breeding stories on social media. I’m also delighted that Billy Boyter, Head Chef from The Cellars in Anstruther joined us to hear more about some of the activities on the farm and start his own creative process from farm to plate for his discerning customers.So deep within the kidding shed we chat about how Jillian and her husband Neil got involved in goats, their recent busman’s holiday to New Zealand, also hear about Robert the Bruce’s Royal decree to keep goats in the area and how they plan to reintroduce 100% Scottish cashmere to the market. Lunan Bay Farm are one of around 3 farmers in Scotland harvesting asparagus and this year Lunan Bay asparagus will be found in many farm shops and greengrocers around the country for our enjoyment at home over the summer months. Be sure to drop us a review and subscribe wherever you listen if you are enjoying the podcast so far. Follow us on social media @NibbleScotland for a first look at future guests and a behind the scenes look of everything mentioned in each episode.Billy Boyter, Head Chef at The Cellar, Anstruther - https://www.thecellaranstruther.co.uk/Cider Tempura Lunan Bay Asparagus with wild garlic mayo.This is a great and simple recipe you can do at home. Making use of 2 great seasonal ingredients. The lovely crisp Asparagus dipped into the punchy wild garlic mayonnaise is perfect.6 Lunan Bay Asparagus Spears 80g of plain flour50g of cornflour1 tsp bicarbonate of soda1 tsp baking powderice cubes sparkling Cider                       rapeseed oil for deep-fryingTrim the Woody end of the Asparagus off and wash ready to use.Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl, stirring in enough cider to give a nice, thin batter. Add the ice cubes to the batter to keep it nice and cold this makes the fryer bubble furiously, which creates a super-crispy, bubbly coating. Please be careful if doing this at home. The colder the batter, the better the result. Lightly flour the spears and dip through the batter. Fry at 180c until crisp.Wild Garlic Mayo90g of Wild Garlic450ml of rapeseed oil3 egg yolk1 tsp Mustard 2 tsp white wine vinegarSaltPepperMake the wild garlic oil. Rinse the wild garlic, then blanch of 35 seconds in a pan of heavily salted, boiling water. Drain the water and plunge into some iced water, then pat dry with some kitchen towel.Chop the wild garlic roughly and add to a blender, then pour in the rapeseed oil. Start blitzing on a low speed, then increase in speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the oil is a bright green colourPass through a fine sieve, then through a fine sieve or a coffee filter.Whisk the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar in a bowl until smooth. Continue whisking and pour in a thin, steady stream of the wild garlic oil.Keep whisking and pouring until all of the oil has been absorbed and has emulsified with the egg mixture - you should be left with a nice, thick green mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper.

Welcome to the Nibble Scotland Over Coffee podcast and how apt that we visited Fiona Grant founder of Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters up in Aberfeldy, Perthshire. Glen Lyon's vision is to put people and the environment before profit.All of their speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced. Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters build direct, long term relationships with producers and trading partners throughout the supply train and pay the coffee farmers significantly above Fairtrade prices. Glen Lyon Coffee offers a welcoming and supportive work environment and every year the team plants 200 trees in the Highlands to offset their carbon footprint. Fiona is totally committed to zero waste and making our impact on the planet a positive one.As one of Scotland’s 5 Q grader’s, like a wine sommelier, Fiona is trained to examine coffees and score them based on their many attributes and therefore overall quality.Being a Q grader Fiona can essentially communicate quality right the way through the coffee supply chain from the farmer, to the exporter, to the roaster. Please check out our special podcast about Cupping at Glen Lyon to hear more.In this episode Fiona tells us about her recent adventures to connecting with coffee growers in the depths of Kenya, visits to the coffee auctions to how you should be storing coffee at home. During our time Fiona was so lovely and outlined how she has grown the business, some of their measures to make it a carbon neutral business, and some exciting initiatives and ambitions for the future.Apologies, for the sound at the beginning but it does get better as we get into a quieter area behind the scenes at Glen Lyon Coffee.Should you wish to order coffee from Glen Lyon check out their website www.glenlyoncoffee.co.uk or visit them at Unit 1, Aberfeldy Business Park, Aberfeldy Perthshire, PH15 2AQ. Please support the podcast by subscribing, so not to miss any future episodes and sharing with your friends. 

As many people are working from home let’s get comfortable and find out what makes a good cup of coffee. Recently I visited Glen Lyon Roasters up in Aberfeldy, Perthshire where Rowan Mallon and Fiona Grant lead a group of visitors through the art of cupping – and no this isn’t the medical version.Let me set the scene, each coffee variety was spilt into 3 cups for assessment and the audience were guided to appreciate the different brews to find their favourite. This is a way of testing the beans to ensure the finest coffee is roasted.So every day is a learning day so brew up a coffee and see if you have what it takes to be a Q grader and develop your own taste vocabulary. To find out more about Glen Lyon, we shall be speaking with founder Fiona Grant about her adventures around the world in search of coffee so ensure Scotland is served with the finest coffee so don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a future episode.To visit Glen Lyon there address is:- Unit 1, Aberfeldy Business Park, Aberfeldy Perthshire PH15 2AQWebsite: - https://www.glenlyoncoffee.co.uk/Be sure to drop us a review and subscribe wherever you listen if you are enjoying the podcast so far. Follow us on social media for a first look at future guests and a behind the scenes look of everything mentioned in each episode.

You are cordially invited to a special dinner party where we have a little experiment to see what would happen when you bring together a group of international people for a special meal and book reading at the inaugural ‘La Cena’. Our guests represent a modern diverse Scotland and come from Brazil, Ireland, France, Italy and Scotland and we thank them all for their participation. Italy and Love are synonymous so what better way to spend the most romantic day of the year when our host Eleonora Vanello (Instagram @ele_foodfairy) from Italy beautifully reads, in English, extracts from the ‘Food of Love’ by Anthony Capella. The story recalls Laura Patterson, an American exchange student in Rome who, fed up with being inexpertly groped by her young Italian beaus, decides there's only one sure-fire way to find a sensual man: date a chef. Then she meets Tomasso, who's handsome, young -- and cooks in the exclusive Templi restaurant. Perfect. Except, unbeknownst to Laura, Tomasso is in fact only a waiter at Templi -- it's his shy friend Bruno who is the chef.Recreating recipes from the ‘Food of Love’ Sabrina Damiani (Instagram @sabrinadamiani) artistically reproduces a menu to whet the appetite and initiate conversation amongst our guests.Listen into the conversations around the table from what is expected of men in the 21st Century, the latest netflix movie from Taylor Swift to ideas for the next dinner.Remember to follow us on Instagram @NibbleScotland and we would love to hear your reviews and feedback. Please don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss a future episode and should you wish to take part or feature in a future episode please contact us on junecarroll@mac.com 

Sometimes when you are busy in the production we can very easily lose sight of the importance of getting out to these events to meet others, listen to feedback from buyers and make connections. But shows like the Scottish Speciality Food Show gives you an opportunity to re-group, see what’s happening across the marketplace and prepare for future growth.In this episode I met with the Chairpersons' of Taste of Orkney and Food from Argyll and it's just inspiring to hear about all the different type of food producers who are coming out of the regions. These localities can help new food producers with their own marketing too – so if your starting out it’s important to seek support, these organisations are there to help you and can often give you an express route through the early days of a new business and avoid some of the marketing & business pitfalls.Scotland is an buoyant market at the moment and there are still many opportunities for those with a passion for their craft. We wish continued success to all the traders we met including Rora Dairies, Aye Pickled, Isle of Mull Seaweed and the Great Glen Charcuterie.Should you be interested in developing your own podcast please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and ensure to subscribe to Nibble Scotland so you don’t miss a future episode.

Founded by Ruth Munro the Edinburgh Fermentarium products can be found around the city at farmers markets, specialist health shops and even on the menu at the Balmoral Hotel. Following a career in fashion Ruth established the business in 2017 and has been ahead of the trend in fermented foods. The business now reaches out to teach others the benefits of fermented foods and hosts regular workshops on making Kimchi and Kombucha.Fermented foods are very popular in other countries and it’s great to see Scotland embrace this food group. Check out the podcast and listen out for the special discount code Ruth offers for her online shop.Should you wish to participate or sponsor a future episode please contact me directly at junecarroll@mac.com 

Join me as I meet Drew Watson and Pierre Leger the business partners behind the Strathearn Cheese Company.Based in central Perthshire in an old prisoner of war camp Cultybraggan, near Comrie, they were one of the first commercial occupants in this magnificent setting. First I head to the home of Drew as he gives me an insight into how the business began when friends met through the local rugby club to start this business adventure. Securing the Best Scottish Gold award at the International cheese awards from competition of over 1500 different cheeses in their first year, the Strathearn Cheese Company is now a regular at a variety of Michelin restaurants in Edinburgh and central Scotland including Martin Wishart, Gleneagles, The Peat Inn and Prestonfield House.Growing the business from scratch can be a steep learning curve but hard work and word-of-mouth recommendations through the different farmers markets and being active on social media has secured Drew and Pierre its prominent position on the cheese aisles of specialist delicatessens.Listen in as Pierre gives me a tour of the diary midst production and gain an insight into their aspirations for the future. Should you wish to participate or sponsor a future episode please contact me directly at junecarroll@mac.com 

Chatting with Sally MacColl the 3rd generation of the Tobermory Fish Company you can only be inspired with her energy and ambition for the future.A pioneer in the fish farm industry they have diversified with the birth of smoked fish to building up a mail order business on the west coast of Scotland.  I really enjoyed our conversation hearing how Sally and her family continually evolve the business to maximise the potential of the tourist market on the Isle of Mull and promote the local economy, hosting the food (and book!) festivals with local businesses to developing sustainable packaging.Hear how the support of Scotland Food and Drink has helped the Tobermory Fish Company explore new markets and their ambitions for the future. 

The Cultybraggan prisoner of war camp is situated just a mile outside the picturesque village of Comrie on the edge of the Scottish Highlands. The camp comprises of a series of Anderson shelters, semi-circular sheds with red steel roofs, and is now home to a number of thriving businesses including this weeks guest John Castley from the Wild Hearth Bakery.The Wild Hearth Bakery, winners of the Artisan Food category at the Scottish Rural Awards, distributes their sourdough throughout central Scotland via farmers markets, various Michelin star restaurants and supplying a bespoke bread to the infamous Andrew Fairlie restaurant at Gleneagles.This week John shares his insights from establishing and growing his business in a remote location, the power of the different social media platforms and his ambitions for the future.There is something therapeutic in watching and listening to a craftsman in action, join me in conversation with John as I walk into the bakery during their morning shift.  Should you wish to participate or sponsor a future episode please contact me directly at junecarroll@mac.com 

Meeting Jane Brand is like a breath of fresh air. The 4th generation of farmers the Brand family have modernised a traditional arable farm in East Lothian to being multi award winning, breeders of Hampshire Down sheep and saddleback pigs to being courted by Michelin star chefs. But it doesn't stop there, this young family also expanded into caravan and holiday accommodation and most recently the farm shop.  It's been some journey over such a short period of time, take time out to learn about their aspirations for the future and some of the lessons learnt.Should you wish to participate or sponsor a future episode please contact me directly at junecarroll@mac.com 

Young farmers Lucy and Russell Calder from Kilduff Farm, East Lothian, took time out after another successful season on their farm to discuss their learning curve from launching their pumpkin patch and educating children into farming life. Hear how communities have connected to the Patch experience and their plans to build their culinary pumpkins proposition into commercial kitchens and the local marketplace. Oh and their gorgeous cockapoo puppy, Sula, can also be heard giving her input too!Should you wish to participate or sponsor a future episode please contact me directly at junecarroll@mac.com 

Delighted to welcome Mateuza Noniewicz founder of Planet Kuku to explain how he embarked on the entrepreneurial highway with a traditional Persian frittata recipe and transformed it into a best-selling vegan dish. From the humble kitchen table 4 years ago, Mat is now moving to his 3rd commercial kitchen to meet demand supplying farmers markets, restaurants and now national distributors.  Don't miss the end with a bonus interview and handy hints for other budding entrepreneurs!Should you wish to participate or sponsor a future episode please contact me directly at junecarroll@mac.com 

In conversation with Katie Philips a young farmer from the Scottish Borders specialising in corn fed, free range chickens. As we try to appreciate more about where our meat comes from, the food miles and building local economies chatting to Katie is refreshing as she leads her generation in creating a thriving farming business from nature to plate. Join me to learn how Katie got started and found her passion in hand rearing chickens and is now selling direct to consumers via farmers markets and quality butchers. Also, if you’re thinking of keeping your own chickens Katie has some useful advice.

Owned by the Raven Family, the Ardtornish estate in Lochaline on the West Coast of Scotland is a beautiful country estate where life is interlinked with the community of Lochaline. Through the vision and drive of the Raven family and management team the estate has become a successful commercial enterprise. Ardtornish produce their own lamb, beef and venison – available for sale in the estate Gift Shop & Information Centre. Several hydro schemes make power from their waterways, and country sports attract enthusiasts from around the globe to hunt, shoot and fish in the sparkling rivers, lochs and wild moorlands. At the heart of the estate is Ardtornish House and gardens, which with self-catering cottages attract many loyal long-standing visitors. The Ardtornish team is passionate about the local area, and committed to sustainability and development of the community and the Lochaline area – including by providing affordable housing and building plots at nearby Achabeag.Join me as I meet with Kenny McLaughlin, Tourism Manager as he introduces me to the Estate, it's history and the development of the kitchen garden, hydro and the farms.Should you wish to participate or sponsor a future episode please contact me directly at junecarroll@mac.com