The Scottish Food Guide
At Blackthorn we are lucky enough to be part of Wendy Barrie’s growing proverbial family, the Scottish Food Guide. For 20 years Wendy has been running the Guide, and she is very much involved with celebrating all that is good about food and drink in Scotland – certainly the person to ask!
Right at the very beginning of Blackthorn, deep in darkest lockdown difficulties, Wendy (when allowed) came to visit be-masked and sanitised up to the nines. We had a fab tour and chat, but the total highlight was her bringing some incredible Hardiesmill Aberdeen Angus Beef, which we were lucky enough to cook up in the carriage and try along with our chats.
That is now in the distant past and so we wanted to catch up with Wendy and refresh ourselves as to what actually happens at Scottish Food Guide HQ and what makes Wendy tick, so here is what we found out:
The Guide is packed with incredibly popular recipes, eating out recommendations, a Scottish Cheese trail, where you can see all the best Scottish chesses in one place.
The guide also includes a Goodfoodology section which explores foodie issues and news, from the professionals to the food producers’ page. Wendy likes to describe the Scottish Food Guide as a ‘network of kindred spirits’, everyone who is a part of the guide has the same feelings and attitude towards Scottish produce. Some Scottish producers Wendy has welcomed into the guide is The Scottish Food Guide welcomes the public to look and learn as well as providing a convergence place for chefs seeking new producers, or for people simply looking for new places to eat around Scotland. It really is a large mix of people looking to learn more about Scottish foodie bits.
It all started when Wendy was a part of another guide, but she knew she could do something better. She started by filling a blank piece of paper with notes of what she could do to make her own and then got online to build the networking platform. For the past 20 years, every single word and taken every single picture on the site has been written by Wendy.
Along with this Wendy attends and holds food events/shows all over Scotland and the UK and is always promoting the Guide with the logo on her car, as well as giving out business cards on the ferry.
The Scottish Food Guide is clearly extremely close to her heart, and she is extremely discerning. We asked what was it that triggered her to reach out to Blackthorn, she very kindly said,
“It was easy decision to make, because Blackthorn is totally ethical and a high-quality product which I truly believe in”
It’s such an honor to be a part of the Guide, as Wendy doesn’t just let any producer join the guide. In Wendy’s own words, “The Scottish Food Guide is exclusive to the best of the best Scottish makers”, and it is something that she is extremely passionate about. To become a part of the Guide Wendy ensures the brand aligns with her morals and visions. She loves every member of the Guide and how everyone offers something different to Scotland’s food and drink scene. She is also content with all the dairies on the cheese trail, which we would recommend to everyone to have a look at, so many awesome cheeses!
Thank you so much Wendy for such a lovely chat - we are delighted to be a part of the Guide and we love working with Wendy.