Scran Laudable

This is a special partner episode of Scran with The Borders Distillery.
On on a very very wet day, Rosalind took a trip to Hawick to visit The Borders Distillery - an up and coming whisky brand that is making a big impact. When it opened its doors to the public in 2018, The Borders Distillery breathed new life into an industry that had ceased to exist in the Scottish Borders for nearly two centuries.
Rosalind met with founding member and director John Fordyce who showed her around the distillery and talked her through how it all came about, how they have been able to incorporate sustainable production into everything they do, the importance of a nurturing local talent and all about the liquid they are producing at this modern yet historical distillery.
You'll also hear from Andy Baird on this podcast, he is one of the 12 local farmers who has been working with the distillery through the Borders Growers and Distillers programme.
Finally John does a tasting session with Rosalind where he takes her through their workshop series. You can find out more about The Borders Distillery, their products and visitor tours at www.thebordersdistillery.com

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On this episode Rosalind explores the world of wild dining. This is an area of the food and drink industry that's seen a steady growth in popularity, particularly since the pandemic. Rosalind set out to hear more about why people are choosing to eat in outdoor settings and what they can expect from these experiences. Who better to hear about this from than Chef William Hamer who runs Wild Kabn which is based in a characterful greenhouse on the stunning Ardkinglas Estate in Loch Fyne. William has travelled the world mastering the art of cooking by fire. William connects food, fire and nature with an ethos of supporting local businesses and suppliers and sourcing the finest organic and sustainable ingredients.
Listen to Rosalind's chat with him to hear all about his background, how he came to favour this form of cookery and why he values continuous professional development. You will also hear what you can expect should you choose to try wild dining and where you can start if it's something you would like to try yourself at home.
Thanks for listening.
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On this episode of Scran we're fully embracing this time of year and investigating some of the more macabre elements of Scottish food and drink history. 
Earlier this year Rosalind was lucky enough to attend Whisky & Witches Presents Mythical Beasts, an immersive, mystical, musical whisky tasting produced and presented by Christine Kammerer and Jane Ross. The show touched on the history of women and whisky in Scotland and explained how women who distilled whisky were turned upon by the church and society. These alewives and brewsters were often framed as what we would now recognise as witches. Singer and composer Christine and whisky aficionado Jane who runs The Mother Superior in Leith, join Rosalind to talk all about how women became vilified for distilling and how even today there are challenges around being a woman in the whisky industry.
Connotations of witchcraft and herbalism have gone hand in hand for centuries, and delving into the ancient art of herbology is a great way to explore some natural magic in the run up to Halloween. On the second half of the podcast Rosalind chats to Catherine Conway-Payne, author of Herbology- A Psychic Garden Pharmacy, a book being published by The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the coming weeks, which includes an illustrated guide that brings herbology to life. (rbgeshop.org) 
Catherine takes us back to a time when insects, frog spawn and basically all sorts was used in medicine and self care. She tells Rosalind all about how, even now, some of the remedies and uses from the past can be found in modern products such as snail slime in beauty products. She also shares some of the lessons to be learnt from the book including some brilliant uses for cleavers, more commonly known as sticky willy.
Thanks for listening and have a spooky, tasty halloween!
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On this episode of Scran Rosalind visits Harris Distillery to hear all about their long awaited whisky, The Hearach. The whisky was launched in September and sold out straight away but Rosalind's visit took place earlier in the summer when excitement was building for the launch.
First up you'll hear from Maria Morrison who showed her around telling the visitors all about how the distillery came to be and its importance to those living on the island both as an industry and a community hub. She explains the motivations that drove the incarnation of the project and the commitment to provide local employment that continues today.
Rosalind chats to Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller at Harris Distillery about the pressure to design a new bottle when the Harris Gin bottle has become so iconic and much loved by so many.
Finally, you'll hear Rosalind being one of very few to taste the new whisky before it's formal launch and speaking to Dave Broom, Whisky Expert about what his take on the new liquid is.
Thanks for listening.
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On this special partner episode of Scran with 'Eat Drink Hebrides' Rosalind visited Uist for the first time and had the wonderful opportunity to sample just a little of what this unique island has to offer. 
First up Rosalind chatted to DJ Cameron from Long Island Retreats. A sixth generation crofter, DJ tells Rosalind all about his business and how visitors come from all over to understand their farming methods from field to fork. DJ explains that despite the challenges of trading on the Western Isles, their high quality product and singular location keeps customers coming back for more.
Next up Rosalind met Mick Huda at Charlie's Bistro in Benbecula. Mick is a Production Manager at Salar Smokehouse. He explained how the business came to be and why their product is so singular whilst they tucked into some delicious salmon and scallops. 
All that running around Uist is thirsty work y'know - so the next stop was welcome - North Uist Distillery - set up in 2019 by Jonny Ingledew and Kate McDonald. It's home to Downpour Gin and in time, some of the first whisky ever to be distilled on the island legally. Whilst there Rosalind enjoyed a gin tasting, a tour of the facilities in this historic building and a chat with founder Jonny.
The final stop was at Lochmaddy Bay Prawns located at Clachan Sands where Rosalind met Tina Nicholson to hear all about their unique business which was a positive result of the impact of covid-19. 
If you are looking for somewhere to get away from it all and enjoy a wonderful welcome and delicious local produce, Uist is for you. You can find out more by visiting www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk and searching for 'Food and Drink'.
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On this episode of Scran we headed west for a very important date in the seafood calendar. Producer Kelly, videographer Craig and Rosalind boarded the Vital Spark with fishermen Rab Lamont and John Mills. The team sailed out into Loch Ryan on the 1st of September to catch oysters on the first day of the new season. Rab, who has been catching oysters on the Loch for 18 years told Rosalind all about the only natural oyster bed left in the UK and how they go about catching oysters in season.
Allan Jenkins, from the Stranraer Development Trust also joined the team on the boat to talk to us about the upcoming Oyster Festival which takes place from 15-17 September. This relatively young festival has been going from strength to strength and expands further this year as you'll hear from Allan.
Once the day's fishing was done they headed to Henry's Bay House Restaurant, one of the most popular in Stranraer, with two dozen oysters and an appetite after the fresh sea air. Their Chef owner John Henry shucked the oysters and prepared them for the team to try.
Thanks for listening, please do rate, review and subscribe to the podcast if you're enjoying it.


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