Lanarkshire Larder

Lanarkshire Larder puts Lanarkshire Food and Drink on the Map

Support grows for food group with almost 60 members

Scotland is lucky to be home to many regional food groups that are set up when businesses come together in their local areas to promote their local food and drink sector. As well as promoting regional specialities and encouraging people to purchase local produce, these groups are also powerful ambassadors for their region, often providing business support and delivering food tourism projects.

Lanarkshire was one of the few regions in the country without a regional food group, despite being home to some of Scotland’s best-loved food and drink brands and a thriving network of small producers. In early 2021, Lanarkshire Larder was established to support the local food and drink industry and to raise awareness of the variety of quality produce from Lanarkshire.

The driving force behind the group is Selina Cairns, Director of Errington Cheese, who runs a 250-acre farm near Carnwath producing award-winning farmhouse cheese. Selina, who is the current Chair of Lanarkshire Larder, was frustrated that Lanarkshire — Scotland’s biggest food and drink producer and one of the most populated regions — lacked the support that organised food groups offered other regions. As a long-time ambassador for locally-sourced, sustainable food and drink, she drafted a business plan that was presented to Scotland Food & Drink and South and North Lanarkshire Councils who were offering match funding to employ a coordinator to run the group.

The funding was approved in April this year. Selina commented at the time “This is a huge area of opportunity for economic growth and development for the region and we are delighted to have the support to push the region to the forefront of the great food and drink being produced across Scotland.”

The vision of Lanarkshire Larder is for Lanarkshire to be recognised as one of the leading regions in Scotland for quality, sustainable food and drink, raising awareness of local offerings as well the diverse range of largescale manufacturing operations.

As a membership organisation, Lanarkshire Larder is run by a steering committee of members who offer voluntary support to the group. The current committee comprises representatives from MacDuff 1890, Mclean’s Gin, The Wee Farm Distillery, Jackton Distillery, Carmichael Estate, What’s Fresh and Errington Cheese.

Andrew Carmichael, whose family runs Carmichael Estate near Biggar — ‘Scotland’s oldest

farming family business — was supportive of the group from the start. He said “Lanarkshire has always been home to the highest quality food and drink and it’s great to see our food network coming together with support from such a broad variety of businesses. We are excited to be part of putting Lanarkshire on the map as one Scotland’s most richly diverse food and drink regions”

Lanarkshire Larder also secured funding from Scotland Food & Drink’s Regional Food Fund, allowing them to create a brand and a website. The website coupled with a social media presence has attracted interest from potential members as well as members of the public. Within 6 months the group had registered 55 members from a diverse range of businesses ranging from meat and poultry, dairy, fruit and veg, bakeries, butchers, larder produce, delis, farm shops and hospitality.

One of the founding members is MacDuff 1890, run by Rory Duff and his son Andrew in North Lanarkshire. The company sources top-quality meat from a small selection of trusted farms in the Scottish Lowlands and Borders, supplying beef and lamb to high-end butchers, caterers and restaurateurs across the UK.

Jackton Distillery, strong believers in supporting local and sustainable food and drink businesses, were also on board from the start. Located near East Kilbride, the independent, family-owned distillery is home to Raer Craft Spirits whisky and gin, made using their own water source. The family have recently purchased barley fields and are now bringing production of their own neutral grain spirit and maltings in-house, as sustainable production is fundamental to Raer’s ethos.

The key benefits of membership include promotion via Lanarkshire Larder’s website, social media and email marketing campaigns, as well as being kept informed of industry updates, funding opportunities, networking and training events, as well as opportunities to attend events under Lanarkshire’s Larder branding.

At the consumer level, Lanarkshire Larder aims to encourage people within the region to shop locally for food and drink, thus improving communities, reducing carbon footprint and supporting economic growth, making Lanarkshire a healthier and happier place to live and to visit.

On a broader scale, Lanarkshire Larder has a pivotal role to play in the successful growth and development of Scotland’s food & drink, and food tourism sectors, especially in the recovery from Covid-19. One result of the pandemic was a resurgence of interest locally-produced food and drink, and in September Lanarkshire Larder secured funding from the Visit Scotland Recovery Fund to create a Food and Drink Trail for the region.

The trail is designed to enrich the visitor experience, increase visitor numbers and spend, whilst creating community pride in their quality food and drink offerings in Lanarkshire. Producers, farm shops and hospitality venues are enthusiastic to be involved in the trail that highlight the passion of the people whose businesses have struggled during the COVID pandemic. The trail gives the opportunity to bring communities together, to nurture community pride, and deepen the awareness of the resources they have.