Our latest 'Introducing Orkney's Makers' feature focuses on Jane and Paul's Orkney Produce, a family business making delicious bakes, sweet treats, chutneys and more. We spoke with Paul Hudd to find out more about their products and plans for the future.
Where did the idea for the business come from, and how did you get things started?
Jane is a food teacher and has been teaching secondary school children how to cook for over 20 years - in fact, she's still at it at Stromness Academy! We already ran a business in Orkney offering luxury private tours and we spotted an opportunity to enhance them using Jane's culinary skills by including some tasty treats for guests, and then it just evolved from there. We installed an honesty box at the end of our house in Palace in Birsay and it became incredibly popular. We kept it filled with homebakes and plenty of other goodies, and the reaction was so positive it really just confirmed it was time to build on that side of the business.
What kind of products do you offer?
We focus mainly on jams, chutneys, and baked goods, all with a local twist. Everything is homemade in our Birsay kitchen. and we use home-grown fruit and veg where possible, including rhubarb, chillis, green beans and courgettes.
Our range includes Rhubarb and Raspberry Jam, Piccalilli, Spiced Beetroot Relish, and Caramelised Carrot Chutney. As for the sweet treats, Jane has perfected her recipe for traditional Orkney Fatty Cutties, a griddled biscuit/cake hybrid similar to a Garibaldi that generations of Orcadians have enjoyed. Our various tablet flavours are really popular too.
Does the local Orkney larder play a role in developing and making your products?
We developed our range by looking at what was available locally and creating things from there. We love working with seasonal, home grown, and locally-sourced ingredients so that was the starting point. We work with other Orkney producers to create our products too; our Pickled Cucumber is infused with distilled juniper from the Deerness Distillery, and we also use the distillery's Into the Wild Vodka in our Bloody Mary Sauce.
We have been commissioned to work with the Barony Mill too, making brownies and gingerbread men using beremeal flour from the mill. It's such an honour to use ancient Orcadian ingredients like that. We even use seaweed gathered from the shore in Birsay for compost on our vegetable garden. The bracing Atlantic air really helps our crops achieve fabulous, bold flavours. Every element in our Orkney environment plays a pivotal role in crafting the unique taste profile of our products.
What are your future plans for the business?
We've been planning something very special in Birsay for a while now and are moving towards constructing a purpose-built jam factory. We've submitted plans to the local Council for the space, which will include a custom-built commercial kitchen and packing area, plus a wonderful event space overlooking the Brough of Birsay where people can have a really unique experience with that incredible view.
Christmas is coming - what’s your favourite thing about the festive season in Orkney?
I'd secretly say the last posting date when I can finally put my feet up, but Jane would probably make me take that out!
We do love attending all the Christmas markets held across the islands, they're such good fun and folk are always in a festive mood. Meeting all our regular and new customers is a real pleasure. We also get the chance to browse and sample other products from local food and drink businesses, and the range of quality items on offer never fails to surprise us.
If you could have one other Orkney product for Christmas, what would it be?
It would have to be a nice big bottle of Orcadian Moon coffee liqueur from our friends at the Deerness Distillery, which we'd slosh over our own brownie stars and a big dollop of Orkney Ice Cream - perfect!
Find out more about Jane and Paul's Orkney Produce and visit the official website to order online.
You can also find Jane and Paul's Orkney Produce on Facebook.