FoodScape Podcast

09/07/2024

Join Charlotte for Episode 10
After four months of gathering food stories, sounds and flavours from across the region, it is time to step back and take a look at our FoodScape.
Think of this episode as a Tasting Menu - celebrating the people and places we have met so far. And if this is your first time listening, we hope it whets your appetite to listen to the previous episodes , and to join us again in September when we return from a short summer recess.
Don't worry, we'll be still be gathering ingredients for future episodes, so do get in touch if you have ideas and suggestions for future episodes - or if you want to comment on the podcast so far - or just want to say hello!

03/07/2024

Lovely write up in the SBCAN news letter

In this months edition you can find updates on what SBCAN have been up to, funding case studies, a website update and information on what is happening in the Scottish Borders Climate Action Network this summer.

21/06/2024

Episode 9 - A bonus episode with Charlotte sharing her favourite books on food - not recipe books - food books which really help us to understand how food shapes our lives. Listen now and we’ll be posting individual books and reviews during the coming week. What’s your favourite??
Listen at www.foodscape.podbean.com where you can also catch up on previous episodes.
Borders Community Action
Scottish Borders Climate Action Network
Borders Good Food Partnership
Abundant Borders

12/06/2024

John and Louise Seed are regenerative farmers in Berwickshire. They’ve seen a 20% increase in their bean crop since including a 6 metre mid-field strip of perennial plants - seen here - to encourage pollinators and other beneficial insects. They now spray no pesticides in this field.

The bean crop contributes protein to their home-grown feed for their 32,000 laying hens, helping them reduce their need for imported soya.

Listen to their story in Episode 8 of the FoodScape Podcast available on Podbean Spotify, Apple and more. ⬆️link in bio⬆️










Borders Community Action
Borders Good Food Partnership
Abundant Borders
Scottish Borders Climate Action Network
Greener Peebles
Scottish Borders Council

04/06/2024

If you haven't listened to Episode 7 yet, what are you waiting for???? (https://foodscape.podbean.com/) Most of us will never get the chance to visit a livestock ring and to share what is, sadly, becoming a rarer and rarer sight in The Borders. This is a fantastic recording of a day at St Boswells Mart in the company of Mary Howlett of Going Native butchers, who shares what she is looking for when they buy animals for their butcher shops.
Abundant Borders
Borders Good Food Partnership

28/05/2024

‼️EPISODE 7: To Market, To Market! ‼️

Hear the commotion and community of the market in this field trip to Newtown St Boswells mart, with Mary Howlett of Going Native.

⬆️Link in Bio⬆️









Abundant Borders
Borders Good Food Partnership

16/05/2024

Greengrocers of the past…

Bill Miller’s father had predicted that his job would be harder, and his son’s even harder still. Hear how the greengrocer trade has changed from the 1910s to the present day, in Episode 6 of the FoodScape Podcast: Eating Our Greens. ⬆️link in bio⬆️

Photos of Millers of Jedburgh in the 1930s and the 1960s provided by Bill and Irene Miller, whom it was a privilege to interview.

13/05/2024

“We don’t want to eat conventionally grown vegetables, and it’s really difficult to get organic veg in the Borders, I’m afraid to say.”

Helen and Paul tend an acre near Morebattle. Although they are not totally self sufficient, they eat from their garden every month of the year showing that is is possible to produce fresh fruit and vegetables in this region year round.

Hear the astonishing diversity of food they grow in Episode 6 - Eating Our Greens

10/05/2024

🎉NEW EPISODE🎉

Episode 6 - Eating our Greens

I asked a bunch of folk what they wanted to know about food in this region, and the most asked question?

🥦Why is it so hard to buy local veg? 🥕

This episode is all about people with a passion for fruit and veggies:
- *almost* self sufficient growers in Morebattle,
- a horse-powered market garden at Westruther,
- a greengrocer who has seen the trade change over 35 years,
- and two of the Borders most loved and known greengrocers remembering how things were in the past…

Have a listen to find out who knows their onions in this region…

04/05/2024

“I love the problem solving nature of this job!”

Feeding people whilst also saving 1000s of kilos of food from being thrown away - what’s not to love?!

But running their extraordinary surplus food cafe in Galashiels isn’t always easy. Listen to Episode 5 of the FoodScape Podcast to hear Amy and Amanda of Cafe Recharge share the story of their journey and their insights into how we can address issues of hunger and food waste.








Cafe ReCharge CIC
Borders Community Action
Scottish Borders Climate Action Network

02/05/2024

Scotland wastes around 1 million tonnes of food every year, with at least half of that being thrown out by households.

Have a listen to episode 5 on The Hungry Gap, to find out from the wonderful in Galashiels, how you can reduce your own household food waste. As well as saving you money, it will also prevent wasting the energy that goes into producing, processing and transporting food!

⬆️ Link in Bio ⬆️

You can also listen on Spotify, Apple or wherever else you get your podcasts!

01/05/2024

EPISODE 5 - The Hungry Gap

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.

Have a listen on PodBean, Spotify, Apple, or wherever else you get your podcasts, and listen to how we’re dealing with hunger here in the Borders.

20/04/2024

‘Hospitality is a phenomenal industry to work in, but it’s facing challenges.’

Scott Hunter calls for the Scottish Government to look to the Australian approach, and set up a Scottish school of excellence to train the next generation in hospitality.

Have a listen to Episode 4: Resilient Restaurants, at FoodScape.PodBean.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

17/04/2024

My podcasting companion, Humphrey Hound, joined me for the recent FoodScape podcast. Together we considered how restaurants cope with an unreliable economy, supply chains, staffing and more, all whilst maintaining good service and a delicious menu. 😳

Listen to the latest episode - Resilient Restaurants - on PodBean, Spotify, Apple and others.

16/04/2024

Ever dreamt of opening your own restaurant?

Anthony Khoury of went and did it, but it wasn’t a straightforward journey!

Listen to the latest FoodScape episode to hear his story: the challenges, the successes and his recommendations for realising the dream.

12/04/2024

Table for two?

Listen to the tale of three Borders restaurateurs in the latest FoodScape Podcast, available now

👩🏼‍🍳🍽️ Listen on PodBean, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or anywhere you get your podcasts🍽️👩🏼‍🍳

06/04/2024

‘What do you wish people knew about raising sheep?’
‘The cost of production, the hours and the stress!’
- Watson Pringle, Spital Tower Farm

Although it’s not all doom and gloom, says Watson, it’s also no walk in the park and at this time of year it’s a 14hr work day. Listen in to the latest episode of the FoodScape to hear about the work that goes in to bringing lamb to the table.

04/04/2024

“We’re not just farmers, we’re custodians of the wildlife, the bird life and everything on the farm, not just the livestock... I can’t say it’s an easy job, but it’s deeply rewarding, particularly here in the Borders.”

- Lucy Tile, farmer at Bairnkine Farm near Jedburgh, Scottish Borders.

Hear the voices of those who shape our foodscape here in the Scottish Borders.

Listen now at FoodScape.PodBean.com
or wherever you get your podcasts.

31/03/2024

🐑🌸 Happy Easter Everyone! 🌸🐑

The latest episode is all about spring and these little chaps, so while you’re getting the lunch together, or preparing for the Easter egg hunt, give it a listen!

⬆️Link in Bio⬆️







Borders Community Action
Greener Peebles

29/03/2024

🐑 They’re a fixture on the landscape, and the Borders has more sheep than most other regions in Scotland, but apparently we don’t eat their meat here… what’s going on? 🐑

Find out more in Episode 3 of the FoodScape Podcast, available on PodBean, Spotify, Apple and elsewhere.

⬆️ LINK ABOVE ⬆️

Thanks to, and Spital Tower Farm.

29/03/2024

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.

Learn more in the current episode of the FoodScape Podcast - Ewe Turn...

Episode 3 is now available!

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,....

27/03/2024

Preparing some serious interview material for this Friday’s Easter episode!

Expect some baaa-aad sheep-related jokes, as well as an insight into the ovine community we share the Borders landscape with.

21/03/2024

Did you know there are over 8,500 varieties of potato in the world?

At the Borders Organic Gardeners’ Potato Day this month, there were a mere 80-100 varieties for sale, but that’s still 20 times as many as you normally see in the supermarket!

Listen to the latest episode of the FoodScape Podcast to hear why having so many varieties is necessary, and why people get so competitive about them!

20/03/2024

Cleavers, Goose-Grass or Sticky W***y - whatever you call it, it’s familiar to most of us!!

This ubiquitous w**d is making its appearance in hedgerows and in the garden right now and is a plant of many uses! The older plant was woven loosely into a basket and used as a sieve for raw milk, a job it did well due to all its tiny little ‘sticky’ hooks or hairs.

As I mentioned in episode 2, Cleavers is related to the coffee plant. It’s a diuretic and great cleansing plant, so good to incorporate into your diet after the long dark winter.

You can pop it in salad or smoothie now as it’s so wee and tender, or steep it in cold water over night and drink the infusion in the morning.

Every episode I’ll be featuring the seasonal wild edibles you can find in the Scottish Borders’ FoodScape. Get in touch if you have questions or any favourites you’d like mentioned!

19/03/2024

🥔🥔The marvellous John Marshall at Borders Organic Gardeners’ Potato Day. 🥔🥔

John has worked with potatoes his whole life, trading Scotland’s renowned and sought after seed potatoes all over the world. Nowadays he shares his extensive knowledge and passion in schools, at conferences, and at buzzing events like the recent BOG Potato Day.

I was lucky enough to speak with him for the recent episode. Have a listen and hear about the history, economics and politics of the potato from the man himself!

⬆️link to episode 2 in bio⬆️

15/03/2024

Episode 2 is now available!

Think you know your tatties?
Prepare to be surprised.

https://foodscape.podbean.com/e/ep2bogpotatoday/

Borders Organic Gardeners (interview with Keith Knight and Prue Pullen)
Scottish Borders Climate Action Network
Permaculture Association (input from Mark Shipperlee)
Greener Peebles (exploring the great work with local food and local community)
Borders Community Action

12/03/2024

How does food shape our landscape?

Not all agriculture is food production of course, but it’s impossible to imagine the Scottish Borders landscape without it.

We’ve been farming and producing in this region for hundreds of not thousands of years, and you can feel the relationship between people and land so strongly at spots like this - Old Melrose, where St Cuthberts and other monks would have been growing and cultivating almost 1500 years ago.

Hear more about how food shapes our physical and cultural landscape on The FoodScape podcast. The next episode is out on Friday 15th March.

08/03/2024

If you’ve listened to our first episodes, you’ll have heard the wonderful music of local artist Iain Fraser.
Our tune comes from his newest album Koterana, and always brings a smile to my face! 😁

If you’d like to see him live, Iain will be playing in Peebles’ Eastgate Theatre this weekend, Saturday 9th.

Thank you for the music 🥰🎼🎶

07/03/2024

~Our Seasonal FoodScape~

Each episode I’ll feature what’s edible in the wild, in the garden, and on farms at this stage of the season.

In episode 1, I mentioned the three cornered leek which you see here. This fleshy leaf smells strongly of onion or garlic, but appears quite a bit earlier than the weel kent wild garlic. The flavour is not so strong, and it doesn’t stand up well to processing. But it is great eaten raw in salads or as a chopped herb, and is said to help ward off colds for the rest of the year.

You’ll find it growing in profusion across the Borders right now, by rivers and at the edge of woodlands. It is a welcome sight at the end of winter!

❗️Take Care ❗️
The leaves of 3 cornered leek can appear similar to bluebell leaves and daffodil leaves which are not edible. The clear difference is the strong smell of garlic when crushed!
Don’t harvest where dogs might have been.
Always use a wild plant reference book to make sure you are 100% sure of what you’re harvesting before you eat it.
Don’t take more than you need, and leave plenty behind.