FOOD PRODUCERS WESTERN ISLES

The freshest Hebridean produce

01 BRUE HIGHLANDERS

Brue Highlanders, based on the Isle of Lewis, has been breeding pedigree Highland cattle since 2001 and sells its beef UK-wide. Many customers, including hotel chefs, have been clients since the company started; testament to the superb beef of the iconic Highland breed, which is indigenous to the Outer Hebrides and West Coast. Nevis Bakery in Fort William has twice scooped two gold stars in the Great Taste Awards for their Brue Highlander Beef Pies, and in 2013, Brue breeding cattle were exported to Switzerland for the first time. Tel 01851 840377, www.bruehighlanders.co.uk

02 CHARLES MACLEOD STORNOWAY BLACK PUDDING

Charles MacLeod is a producer of Stornoway black pudding or Marag

Dubh, made to its original 65-year-old family recipe. A traditional crofting kitchen staple, the award-winning black puddings have also been awarded EU Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) status. Tel: 01851 702445, www.charlesmacleod.co.uk

03 HEBRIDEAN SEA SALT

Nestled on the banks of Loch Erisort on the Isle of Lewis, Hebridean Sea Salt is Scotland’s first gourmet sea salt producer. Using crystal-clear sea water from the coastline of the Western Isles, the company produces a ‘Pure Original Sea Salt’, a ‘Peat Smoked Sea Salt’ – smoked with peat cut from the surrounding moor – and a ‘Seaweed Infused Sea Salt’, which uses locally harvested seaweed. Tel: 01851 880324, www.hebrideanseasalt.co.uk

04 UIG LODGE SMOKED SALMON

From the stunning west coast of the Isle of Lewis, Uig Lodge hand-produces some of the finest smoked salmon that can be found in Scotland. The smokery was established in 1984 by the Green family, who now have a loyal and growing mail order customer list, as well as supplying salmon to some Michelin-star restaurants and many fine food outlets throughout the UK. Uig Lodge has won numerous Great Taste Awards, and last year was awarded Speciality Producer of the Year. Tel: 01851 672396, www.uiglodge.co.uk

05 THE HEBRIDEAN FOOD COMPANY

The Hebridean Food Company was established by Douglas Stewart, a lobster fisherman’s son from North Uist. Douglas’ passion for the Hebrides started at an early age on fishing boats, and continues today, in letting everyone enjoy a small slice of the Hebrides. Through The Hebridean Food Company, Douglas’s vision is to deliver a truly Hebridean experience of food so fresh, it’s bursting with flavour – from the creel-caught North Uist lobsters and langoustines fresh from the water and still packing a pinch, to the Highland beef and lamb organically reared on uninhabited islands off North Uist. www.hebrideanfoodcompany.co.uk