New products from Orkney

But they’ve also been finding time to create exciting new products, from handmade furniture to special edition rum releases.

Check out just some of the new items available to buy from our Creative Orkney and Taste of Orkney members.

Local craftsman, Kevin Gauld, the Orkney Furniture Maker, is often inspired by Orkney’s history when he’s creating new pieces of furniture. These mirrors feature some of the ancient symbols left by those who once called the islands home, from the Vikings at Maeshowe to the masons who built St Magnus Cathedral. Kevin has captured these famous symbols in black stained glass before hand-painting them to bring them to life. The mirror frames are available in a range of quality timbers, including Orkney sycamore and cherry. You can view videos of the mirrors via the Orkney Furniture Maker website.

This beautiful collection of pendants, necklets, earrings and more is the result of a spectacular encounter local jewellery designer, Celina Rupp, had with a bull orca close to her gallery overlooking Scapa Flow last year. Known as orca 35 from the 27s pod, the huge bull swam right up and around the pier in St Mary’s village where local residents including Celina were watching on in awe. After returning to her gallery, Celina was immediately inspired to start work on creating this collection, which is available on the official website.

These brand-new designs from local glass artist, Carrie Paxton, feature some of the beautiful birds you can find across the islands, including oystercatchers, curlews and great skuas (known as bonxies in Orkney). The collection comes in a range of shapes and sizes and each piece is kiln-fired and hand-painted using clear sheet glass, enamels and silverstain. These pieces have been developed for sale in the Judith Glue shop in Kirkwall, or from Carrie’s studio on the outskirts of the town. You can purchase the rest of Carrie’s work via her official website.

The team at J. Gow Rum continues to experiment with new ideas and recipes, and the latest release is one of the most innovative yet. Orchweizen is the third rum in the distillery’s wild yeast series, made with yeast from northern marsh orchids that grow beside the distillery on Lamb Holm. It was then blended with rum made from hefeweizen beer yeast, which is known for creating isoamyl acetate, or banana flavour esters. After a long fermentation period, the rum was distilled down to 58.8% to match Lamb Holm’s latitude. Only 200 bottles will be available from the March 29, so be quick!

You might have seen the fascinating news story recently about the section of an ancient wooden ship that washed ashore on the Sanday coastline. Talented local woodturner, Michael Sinclair, certainly did and was immediately inspired to create something very special. With a nod to his time as a commercial fisherman too, this trawl float wall hanging is turned from Scottish elm and hangs from a hook made from Orkney willow. It has a hand-spliced natural fibre rope, and the backing board is Scottish oak which has been blackened using vinegar and steel wool. Elsewhere it features copper boat nails, an English boxwood amulet, and a fish motif which was hand-drawn using pyrography. All in all, it’s a perfect showcase of Michael’s skills.

These beautiful new mirrors from Burray-based Leo Kerr Mirrors are made from slices of Scottish elm where the centre heartwood has decayed away, leaving a natural space for the mirror glass to be placed. A lot of care and attention goes into each piece Leo creates, with these mirrors dried thoroughly first and any shrinkage cracks filled with a vein of black epoxy. The ring mirrors come in two styles – one has a natural wax/oil finish, and the other has a charred look.

The RNLI is an organisation close to Orkney’s heart, with three lifeboat stations across the islands and many tales of heroism and tragedy. This year, it's celebrating its 200^th anniversary and there will be a special event in Stromness in early May to mark the occasion, featuring crews and volunteers from the town, the Kirkwall and Longhope stations, and folk from further afield. Orkney Isles Preserves will be playing its part by producing a special range of packaging for its jams and chutneys which will be on sale at the event in Stromness on May 5, with 20% of all sales to be donated to the RNLI.

Nonnie Dingwall is the creative character behind Made It Orkney, a local fused glass art workshop and studio in the east mainland of the islands. Her colourful and fun designs feature everything, from puffins and Highland cows, to flowers and thistles. Her latest collection focuses on Orkney’s Norse heritage, depicting wild Vikings – the perfect souvenir for anyone visiting this summer! The Viking designs will be available as coasters and glass hangers via the new Made It Orkney website.

Orkney jeweller, Marion Miller, has added to her beautiful seashells range with a new design inspired by limpet shells. Shards of these shells can be found on Orkney's beaches, each with its own story to tell after surviving stormy seas and swirling sand. It's these delicate pieces that inspired Marion to create her limpet pendants, all handmade at her studio in Stronsay. The most recent addition features a large rose-cut Aquamarine centrepiece, a nod to the pristine waters found around Marion's home island.

Browse delicious products from Orkney's food and drink producers and handmade jewellery, furniture, textiles, and more from our Creative Orkney community.