ORCADIAN FOOD, ART STYLE
Orkney knitwear designer Judith Glue and her husband David Spence have a wealth of experience behind their business ventures, which give both visitors and locals an all-round experience of the best food, accommodation and handmade goods our county has to offer.
Judith started her business at just 18, creating her own knitwear designs, having been brought up in a family with a flare for business.
“I was blessed with entrepreneurial parents, who brought up our family with a strong work ethic, and a confidence that we could succeed in whatever we chose to do in life,” explains Judith. In 1979, she moved into her existing premises opposite St Magnus Cathedral in Broad Street, Kirkwall.
“It was originally Orkney’s first supermarket, and had been empty for two years,” she recalls.
“My father said I was crazy to take on such a large shop, but I was young and full of energy and nothing was going to stop me succeeding, which was just the way we had all been brought up.”
Judith has always admired the colours and textures found in Orkney’s rich natural landscape; its history and its light.
It was this which inspired her eye-catching designs. It would appear that this same flare for creativity and business has been passed down to another generation. Judith’s daughter, Annie Glue, has taken up the same age-old Orkney tradition as her mother, designing knitwear which can be bought online or in Judith’s shop.
There is also a selection of work for sale on show from Judith’s twin sister, well-known watercolour artist Jane Glue and Jane’s daughter Elsa who also sells her range of candles. So this is truly a family business with a communityminded ethos, which supports both Orkney’s traditional crafting skills and its self-sustaining economy by representing local makers.
“I’ve been lucky over the years to have had a great team of Orkney knitters and finishers behind me, but sadly, these days, they are hard to find, and our handmade knitwear is a dying art,” she explains.
“My ethos has always been to support my local community by selling produce made within Orkney and the Highlands and Islands. Today, over 60 per cent of our business turnover is locally made or bespoke-designed products.
“These days, with large supermarkets and shopping centres, it’s hard to find something that’s truly different.
“I hope that we succeed in doing this, while offering our customers original choices that are
local, handmade and unique, whether it is food, jewellery, textiles, stationery, clothing or gifts.
“In 2011, we opened our Real Food Café in the back of our Orkney shop, which concentrates on cooking local Orkney produce”.
From breakfast to lunch or an early tea, homemade meals are served, and the open kitchen is run by Kirsty Aim, our head cook and baker. Along with her small team, Kirsty is serving up dishes such as seafood salads, hotpots made with Orkney beef, bere bannock — a local delicacy made with bere meal flour from Barony Mill — cheese and fruit scones made fresh daily, along with homemade quiche and soup of the day.
The café is also licensed, so you can enjoy a glass of wine or local ale with your meal. They allow children and they are dog friendly too, so you can bring your four legged friend when you visit!
But this creative expansion with Orkney at the heart didn’t stop there. In 2010, a second shop was opened in Inverness, at 15 Bridge Street and in 2018, Judith and David started their next project — The Storehouse Restaurant with Rooms in Kirkwall, renovating an old storehouse which was originally built as a herring and pork curing station — offering fine dining and luxury accommodation with the character and history of both Orkney and the building itself taking pride of place.
“It was a massive project, supported by THI Town Centre Heritage Initiative and Orkney Islands Council, along with the lottery fund and a great deal of personal investment. We renovated the whole building, recycling all its internal original materials, such as the flagstone courtyard and the wooden structure which was originally built using ship-wrecked materials such as ships’ masts,” Judith explains.
“When choosing the interior fittings and furniture, l wanted to make sure the restaurant felt as if you had entered somewhere that could have been set in a big city, but at the same time it is very recognisably Orcadian.
“I also designed the interiors of our eight luxury rooms on our upper two floors, with each one telling its own unique Orkney story, while still paying homage to the original fabric of this amazing building and providing a truly luxurious stay.”
The Storehouse Restaurant boasts a top-quality talented team, led by Gayle Grieve, executive chef and manager, with local Danny Cormack as head chef who creates incredible dishes using the best local produce. Together, David and Judith have crafted a homegrown local business which showcases Orkney’s beauty and heritage across its various offerings giving a true taste of Orkney.