ANCIENT BREED, NEW APPROACH

Orkney had a rich heritage of textile weaving which had been lost for over 30 years, and my business, Orkney Cloth, is hoping to revive it once again. After arriving in Orkney on a graduate weaving placement in 2018, I began teaching hand weaving, before setting up the business — making contemporary and sustainable textiles inspired by my island home.

By employing a deliberately small-scale approach and using locally sourced materials like Orkney Boreray fleece, we focus on making our textiles as sustainable as possible — encouraging people to buy less and consume better.

I am a blacksmith and craftsman based in Orkney. Through my business, All Things Heathen, I handcraft pagan, viking and heathen jewellery, home decor, tools and many more items — available for purchase through my Etsy store.

I am currently working some new products working with Orkney Boreray sheep. These will be one of a kind products due to the colouring of the horn and the bone. Each piece I work with will have a unique and natural pattern to it that is revealed when carved. Follow me on Instagram for the latest projects and crafts.

Nearly a decade ago, our family moved to Orkney, and we chose to buy a small north-facing farm/croft, that we still absolutely love. For a number of years now, we've been raising an Orkney Boreray flock and, as with everything on our coastal patch, it's an 'all hands on deck' family operation to keep things running smoothly.

It's very satisfying to be a small-scale, single farm yarn producer, sending small batches of fleece to the North Ronaldsay Mill to produce several distinct, naturally-coloured yarns. Regular croft updates and products for sale can be found at Jen-Ewe-Ine on Facebook where you can also find contact info.

Macbeth’s Butchers is a family-run business that provides high quality meat products throughout the UK. As well as traditional Scottish native breed beef, we supply locally-sourced pork, lamb, venison, game and mutton — including Orkney Boreray mutton. We work with farms, crofts and organisations with a similar philosophy to ourselves — rearing livestock in extensive, natural environments, with grass, hay or silage feed and no growth promoters.

Orkney Boreray mutton sells out rather quickly, in our experience, so keep an eye on our website for the latest availability, and get in touch with any queries.

I am a cook, food writer and Scottish Thistle Award Regional Ambassador, as well as a campaigner for local produce. I support and collaborate with various organisations and charities, and lead Slow Food Scotland’s Ark of Taste — undertaking in-depth research into Scotland's Food Heritage.

My growing network of chefs and producers throughout Scotland and across Europe, particularly Scandinavia, has hugely enhanced my extensive experience and critical view of Scotland’s strengths, and I specialise in promoting artisan produce like Orkney Boreray mutton. More information is available on my website.

At l'escargot bleu in Edinburgh we, as a family, have given lots of thought to our food and now more than ever we are only welcoming the best ingredients into our kitchen — ingredients that respect the farmer's ethos, the grower’s philosophy, the fisherman's respect for the ocean and the cheesemaker’s traditional recipe.

We offer a blackboard ‘bistro-style’ menu that will evolve and change in response to feedback and demand. These shorter menus will place emphasis on quality and the seasons — see our website for details.

Airy Farm, Stronsay has been home to traditional beef cattle such as Aberdeen Angus and Limousin for decades. Sheep have come and gone over the years and our recent small flock started with our daughters four pet lambs.

Airy’s varied habitat is home to many species of birds and wildlife and flowers, it is a place where livestock and nature thrive together. A recent health scare meant taking the hard decision to sell off our beef herd, this left us wondering what the future would hold for Airy. When Jane approached us about hosting a flock of Boreray Sheep wethers we were very interested! The Boreray story is fascinating and the ethos behind the Boreray breed preservation and the slow food movement should be at the heart of all farming.

And so, as our new adventure begins with our own flock of Boreray sheep, we are proud to be part of their story.

Regular farm updates can be found at Airy Farm on Facebook