If you’re here, it’s because you care about shopping small and local this Christmas.  By shopping small you directly support independent makers, plus buying from small businesses goes so much further: You get a better quality product and better customer service. You often buy from the person who has made the goods themselves Small, local businesses hire local folk and pay them properly - unlike big businesses lining the pockets of shareholders Small businesses pay their taxes (unlike you-know-who!) and in turn, invest back into the local economy. You keep your local high street diverse and interesting - ultimately, you...

The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-wan) has been celebrated in Scotland and Ireland for hundreds of years.   Marking the end of harvest and the beginning of Winter, Samhain is known to be the time of the year when the boundary between this world and the otherworld can be crossed.  Folks celebrated by lighting fires to ward off the dark and dress in costumes to protect themselves from evil. Below is a picture of people in the Hebrides dressing-up for Samhain in the mid-twentieth century (from the National Trust for Scotland)     Samhain traditions alive today When I moved up...

It was wonderful to see first-hand where one of our star ingredients is created. 

Pure Sicilian Sea salt is a beautiful natural ingredient with a long, rich history and a positive environmental impact too.