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With mince pie and a wee glass in hand, a special guest and I chat about why we love returning to the familiar at this time of year. We wonder what a traditional Scottish Borders Christmas would have looked like, and discuss which foods and traditions are essential to make the festive season taste right.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you for all your support of the FoodScape. The podcast will return in January 2025, exlporing how food shapes the lives and land of the Scottish Borders.
The FoodScape Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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A day with the Royal Highland Educational Trust (RHET) and Field to Fork at the Hirsel Estate in Coldstream.
Agriculture dominates the Scottish Borders landscape, but fewer and fewer people are choosing careers in farming and more of us want to know where our food comes from.
Organisations like RHET and the Field to Fork programme at the Hirsel, engage children directly with the realities of food production and estate management. I join around 100 students from Berwickshire High School as they de-breast pheasants, mee prize Highland cattle, bake bread and have a tour of some serious farm machinery.
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In this episode:
www.rhet.org.uk
* RHET operates across Scotland, aiming to familiarise children with the world of farming and food production.
www.fieldtofork-hirsel.co.uk
* The Field to Fork programme runs year round at the Hirsel estate in Coldstream, bringing kids from the south of Scotland and northern England to experience estate life.
Special thanks to Anne Redpath, Leslie Mason, Sally Fleming and all the staff and students of Berwickshire High School.
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Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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Thank you to the Borders Food Forum for their continued support.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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An interview with Jessica and Richard Keeling of Three Hills Coffee, at their coffee school and roastery near Gordon.
Coffee isn’t exactly a local product, but here - as across the world - it has become integral in our daily routine. Many of us can’t countenance getting through a day of work, or even getting out of bed, without it. And in our rural region where the drink-drive limit is zero, meeting for a coffee in one of our many independent coffee shops is fast becoming the most common way to gather with friends. Nowadays we expect barista-made real coffee as standard, but it hasn’t always been so easy to get a good espresso in the Scottish Borders.
In this episode I look at how drinking coffee has become part of Borders food culture, and meet with two entrepreneurs seeking to further improve our espresso-sipping experience.
The Keelings have been sourcing green beans direct from producers, roasting them, and serving up cups of coffee in the Borders for 8 years. More recently, they’ve realised how important it is for their whole business to offer coffee barista training. They’ve set up one of Scotland’s only coffee schools in the central Borders, to help more people understand how to get the best out of their beans.
We discuss coffee-drinking history, the importance of honouring the product by overseeing the process from farm to cup, latte art, how to hone your senses, and the delightfully complex, geeky world of making a decent coffee.
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In this episode we mention:
* Three Hills Coffee
* https://www.threehillscoffee.com/
* Specialty Coffee Association
* https://sca.coffee/
* Learn more about AST (Authorised Specialty Coffee Training) here:
* https://education.sca.coffee/trainers-how-it-works
* Coffee Tasting Notes
* https://sca.coffee/research/coffee-tasters-flavor-wheel
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Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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Thank you to the Borders Food Forum for their continued support.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
An interview with Anita and Ed Withers on their smallholding near Kelso.
The Withers raise Oxford Sandy and Black - a rare breed of pig, as well as goats, chickens, bees, fruit and vegetables. Being smallholders was never the plan, but as their operation grew they realised that being responsible for most of what they ate - from planting to harvest, and from birth to death - had changed the way they saw the food system and there was no turning back.
We discuss the value of rare breeds, the challenges of facing life and death as a smallholder, and how to deal with the reactions of school kids when you show them where sausages come from.
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Mentioned in this episode:
The Oxford Sandy and Black Pig Foundation Charity
* visit the website and find out more about the breed Ed and Anita raise
RHET [Royal Highland Educational Trust]
* the educational organisation that aims to get every primary school pupil in Scotland onto a farm. RHET regularly bring groups of school children to Clifton Lodge. Visit their website.
The Rare Breed Survival Trust
* For more information on rare breed livestock and how eating them could save them. See their Scotland website.
Ed and Anita sell their pork to local restaurants and shops in the Scottish Borders.
* You can find out more and message them directly on their Instagram.
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Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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Thank you to the Borders Food Forum and Abundant Borders for their continued support.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
A day out at the Borders Organic Gardeners’ Apple Day, and an interview with Laprig Valley Apple Juices.
For many, apples are the quintessential flavour of autumn. But if we do eat an ‘apple-a-day to keep the doctor away’, it often comes from a selection of just 5 varieties available in supermarkets, which are usually imports.
At a local apple festival I peruse around 130 varieties currently growing in the Scottish Borders, learn about our unique apple heritage in this region, the most delicious way to eat apples, and the vital need to protect and restore orchards here and across the UK.
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Featured in this episode:
Robert and Carla Bailey of Laprig Valley Apple Juice
* Visit their website, Instagram and Facebook
* and take a look at Ruberslaw Wild Woods Campsite, where many of their apples grow in a 1914 walled garden
Borders Organic Gardeners’ Apple Day
* Visit their website to read more about their work and become a member
Woodside Garden Centre
* visit them for inspiration, advice and very nice cake in their tearoom
John and Elizabeth Towner’s wonderful book, on apples and orchards:
* “Apples and Pears: a history of orchards in the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland”, by John and Elizabeth Towner. Published in 2024 by the Berwickshire Naturalists Club. ISBN 978-0-9516434-9-5
Thank you also to, Borders Forest Trust, Andrew McCarthy of Anton’s Hill Walled Garden, and the Crailing Community Orchard
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Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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Thank you to the Borders Food Forum and Abundant Borders for their continued support.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
An interview with David and Claire MacTaggart of Hallrule Farm, discussing their venture into venison farming and how this has also come to support their agritourism offering; Tiny Home Borders.
We delve into the the differences between farmed and wild, venison’s reputation as a tough meat to cook, the long shadow of ‘Bambi’, why - given that we are overrun by wild deer - we still eat venison imported from New Zealand, and deer cheese.
I also take my mic in amongst the stags and hinds in ‘rutting season’ and get up close and personal with ‘Number One’; the charismatic and fragrant darling of Hallrule farm.
If you’d like to know more about Hallrule Farm and Tiny Home Borders, you can visit them on Facebook, Instagram and at:
TinyHomeBorders.co.uk
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Thank you to David and Claire MacTaggart of Hallrule Farm.
Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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This podcast was founded with the help of the Borders Food Forum, and is grateful for the continued support of Abundant Borders.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
An interview with Lucy Wilson at Wilson’s Farm and Kitchen, discussing their transition from running a traditional Borders beef farm, to also becoming a food-focussed agritourism destination.
We question why on-farm food experiences are so rare in the Scottish Borders, and whether the region could do more to celebrate its own produce.
We mentioned:
* GoRuralScotland.com
* ScottishAgritourism.co.uk
* SSDA - South of Scotland Destination Alliance
And if you’d like to know more about Wilson’t Farm and Kitchen, and the feasts and food events they offer, visit:
* Wilson's Farm and Kitchen Website
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Thank you to Lucy and Robert Wilson of Wilson’s Farm and Kitchen, Morebattle.
Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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This podcast was founded with the help of the Borders Food Forum, and is grateful for the continued support of Abundant Borders.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
After four months of gathering food stories, sounds and flavours from across our region, it's time to step back and take a look out over our FoodScape.
This episode is a tasting menu celebrating the people and places encountered so far, and the ways in which they are shaping our land and our lives through food.
And if it's your first time listening to the podcast, perhaps it will whet your appetite to listen back through the episodes so far...
The podcast will return in September, after a short break to gather more ingredients for future audible feasts.
In the meantime, stay in touch via social media @FoodScapePodcast or contact Charlotte Maberly directly at [email protected] with any comments or suggestions for the future.
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Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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Thank you to Abundant Borders for their continued support with this podcast.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
Looking for some holiday reading?
Seeing as it's the Borders Book Festival in the middle of this month, here are a handful of food-writing classics to whet your appetite. These are all fantastic reads into the politics, philosophy, science and culture of food.
Buon apetito!
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The FoodScape Recommended Reads:
'How to Cook a Wolf' - MFK Fisher, 1942. North Point Press.
'Rooted: How Regenerative Farming can Change the World' - Sarah Langford, 2022. Penguin.
'The Virtues of the Table: How to Eat and Think' - Julian Baggini, 2014. Granta.
'First Bite: How We Learn to Eat' - Bee Wilson, 2015. Fourth Estate.
'Sitopia: How Food Can Save the World' - Carolyn Steel, 2020. Vintage.
'The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat' - Tim Spector, 2015. Orion.
'The Hidden Half of Nature' - Montgomery and Bikle, 2016. Norton.
'Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation' - Michael Pollan, 2013. Allen Lane.
'The Art of Fermentatoin' - Sandor Katz, 2012. Chelsea Green.
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Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
How we produce food around the world in the 21st century, is widely accused of being one of the main causes of climate change. Agriculture and nature are now seen as being at odds, and in the UK our government is putting pressure on farmers to change the way they operate and be more nature friendly. In some cases, this means ceasing to produce all together, planting trees or re-wilding previously productive land.
Do we have to make a choice between nature or food production?
I visited Woodend farm in Berwickshire to speak with regenerative farmers John and Louise Seed who share the ups and downs of their journey into a different farming approach, and their thoughts on the future of farming in the Borders.
Thank you to John and Louise Seed of Woodend Farm, Berwickshire.
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Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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Thank you to Abundant Borders for their continued support with this podcast.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
It's loud, it's fast, and when the auctioneer begins his call you've got to have your wits about you!
I accompanied Mary Howlett of Going Native to the Newtown St Boswell's mart on one of her regular missions to buy native breed cattle. We experience the raw energy of the mart, discuss the importance of traditional breeds and animal welfare, and why these are vital in creating the tastiest steak.
Thank you to:
Mary Howlett of Going Native, Hawick
The Newtown St Boswells Mart- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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This podcast was founded by the Borders Good Food Partnership with support from Abundant Borders.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
Why is it so difficult, in an agricultural region, to get a good variety of local vegetables?
Is it just because our soil won't produce them? Because we'd rather produce livestock? Or are we reluctant to grow and sell them?
One way or another, shorter supply chains increases food security, local economic activity, and of course, the freshness of the food. And like many parts of the country, people in the Scottish Borders would like to be able to buy more locally produced vegetables. In this episode, I speak with 6 people who have dedicated their lives to their love of veggies, to find out what the barriers and prospects are for growing and selling a greater variety here in the Borders.
Thank you to:
Helen Kemp and Paul Grime of Morebattle,
Billy Anderson of Fingerpost Produce,
Grant Terry of the Jed Deli,
and Bill and Irene Miller of Jedburgh.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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This podcast was founded by the Borders Good Food Partnership with support from the Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
Throughout history, people across the Borders would have expected to go hungry at this time of year. The time between March and May was known as the hungry gap, when larders were emptied after the winter, and the garden and farm hadn't yet started producing. This period of scarcity was part of the seasonal cycle, forcing people to rely on an essential and common knowledge of wild foods to keep themselves going.
Nowadays, the average supermarket creates a convincing illusion of limitless abundance all year round, encouraging us to waste food and imagine that hunger is a thing of the past.
But right now 1 in 6 people across Scotland are experiencing food insecurity, and many more of us may experience food shortages as extreme weather and high fuel costs become more regular. We need to consider how we address hunger, and how we can learn to treat food as the precious resource that it is.
I speak with Reverend Philip Blackledge from the Galashiels Food Bank, and Amy White and Amanda Robinson of Cafe Recharge, which redirects surplus food to feed people from their pay-what-you-can cafe, and hear some hopeful and inspiring stories about how we can learn to feed everyone into the future.
Thank you to:
Rev. Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Church in Melrose, who works with the Galashiels Foodbank
Amy White and Amanda Robinson of Cafe Recharge in Galashiels.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
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This podcast was founded by the Borders Good Food Partnership with support from the Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
Sadly, episode 5 hit a few hitches, and will be delayed by a few days. In the meantime, have a listen to some of the past FoodScape episodes!
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
They're the places we go to celebrate, to work, to broaden our culinary horizons, or just to escape having to cook. Restaurants and cafes have become part of our everyday, but they're facing unprecedented challenges in the face of energy price hikes, staffing shortages, supply chain issues and more. Last year, hospitality businesses across the UK were closing at a rate of about 3 per day, and times ahead don't look any easier for the industry.
How would the foodscape of a rural region like the Scottish Borders be effected if we saw more hospitality closures? Would we really miss our restaurants and cafes?
This episode hears from 3 business owners who have remained resilient despite difficult times for the industry. They share their experiences, reflections and hopes for the future of their trade.
Thank you to:
Kerry Waddell - Giacopazzi's Ice Cream and Fish and Chips
Anthony Khoury - Salt N Fire
Scott Hunter - Scotts of Kelso
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Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
Agricultural advisor, Laura Mitchell
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This podcast was founded by the Borders Good Food Partnership with support from the Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
Sheep are one of the most common sights in the Scottish Borders farming landscape, but with the exception of Easter weekend, we hardly eat their meat at all.
This episode explores our relationship with sheep from field to plate, and includes conversations with farmers, a trader and a local butcher, discussing the joys, challenges, flavours and future of bringing lamb to the table.
You’ll be hearing from Bairnkine organic farm and the lambing shed at Spital Tower Farm, gaining insight into how lambs get from farm to market with Farmstock, and learning how to prepare the juiciest roast from an enterprising butcher in Jedburgh.
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Thank you to:
Lucy Tile, Bairnkine Farm
Watson Pringle, Spital Tower Farm
Vicky Warcup, Farmstock
Ryan Briggs, Briggsy's Butcher
Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly
Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana
Agricultural advisor, Laura Mitchell
This podcast was founded by the Borders Good Food Partnership with support from the Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Borders Climate Action Network.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
Surprising stories from a giant celebration of the humble tattie: the 2024 Borders Organic Gardeners' Potato Day.
Every year, a thousand or so potato-philes travel to the Kelso Showgrounds to source the varieties they love best. Forget your Maris Pipers, BOG Potato Day has almost 100 varieties - each one with a unique history, flavour and character.
I learn why it's worth growing your own, tales of the breeders and gardeners who have saved the potato from being lost, and which is best: mash, roast, boiled or chips.
I discover that there is far more to the potato than meets the eye....
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Find out more at BordersOrganicGardeners.org
Thank you to Keith Knight, John Marshall and Alan Romans, for sharing your passion for potatoes.
This podcast was founded by the Borders Good Food Partnership with support from the Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Borders Climate Action Network.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
An interview with Karen Birch, Chief Officer of Abundant Borders.
Abundant Borders believes that everyone, regardless of personal circumstances, should have access to healthy, nutritious food. They have set up seven community gardens across the Borders, and offer training in gardening and cooking.
We visit the Kelso Community Garden and discuss the history of the commons, the transformative nature of growing your own, and how gardening can be a form of revolution.
Find out more about Abundant Borders at: AbundantBorders.org.uk
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Special thanks to Jules Horne at Texthouse in Kelso, for helping to bring this podcast into being.
www.texthouse.co.uk
And a huge thank you to Iain Fraser for the wonderful music. This episode features his track 'The Gazelle' from his recent album Koterana.
iainfraser.bandcamp.com
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe -
A short introduction to the FoodScape Podcast; exploring how food shapes our lives and our land here in the Scottish Borders.
Get full access to The FoodScape Podcast at foodscapepodcast.substack.com/subscribe
