What is Christmas about but eating, drinking and being merry? Rosalind is here in part 1 of our two episode Christmas special to help you do all those things! But of course, Christmas is also about caring and giving so she's also been visiting a charity that is doing just that with the help of the public.
First up on this festive episode of Scran Rosalind heads to Bowhouse Market in Fife - if you are looking for a festive shopping destination without any of the guilt of buying from supersize producers then this is the place for you!
Luckily there is one more market happening before Christmas so this is your opportunity to hear from a small selection of the food and drink traders who will be there to help you tick off that Christmas list. First up Rosalind chats to Susie Anderson of East Coast Cured, followed by Stuart of Barnett's Bakery in Anstruher who was joined on his stall by his daughter Jessie, Lucy Patto Davidson from Fodder and Farm and Rosie Jack who manages the market.
Every year the team at Scran like to take the time to feature a charity in Scotland who is working with those who won't be able to enjoy the Christmas they might have wished for. This year we went along to the Eva Burrows Life House project in Cambuslang which is run by the Salvation Army. There Rosalind met with Karen Good who runs the service, service users Stephen and Peter and finally staff members Yvonne Mackenzie, Paula Thomson and David Dean.
Finally, you'll hear Rosalind chatting to Fiona Grant, the Founder of Glen Lyon coffee who have released a special Christmas coffee that you are going to want to get your hands on before the festivities begin.
To support the work of the Salvation Army in Scotland and the wonderful team at Eva Burrows Lifehouse visit salvationarmy.org.uk/scotland-office
First up on this festive episode of Scran Rosalind heads to Bowhouse Market in Fife - if you are looking for a festive shopping destination without any of the guilt of buying from supersize producers then this is the place for you!
Luckily there is one more market happening before Christmas so this is your opportunity to hear from a small selection of the food and drink traders who will be there to help you tick off that Christmas list. First up Rosalind chats to Susie Anderson of East Coast Cured, followed by Stuart of Barnett's Bakery in Anstruher who was joined on his stall by his daughter Jessie, Lucy Patto Davidson from Fodder and Farm and Rosie Jack who manages the market.
Every year the team at Scran like to take the time to feature a charity in Scotland who is working with those who won't be able to enjoy the Christmas they might have wished for. This year we went along to the Eva Burrows Life House project in Cambuslang which is run by the Salvation Army. There Rosalind met with Karen Good who runs the service, service users Stephen and Peter and finally staff members Yvonne Mackenzie, Paula Thomson and David Dean.
Finally, you'll hear Rosalind chatting to Fiona Grant, the Founder of Glen Lyon coffee who have released a special Christmas coffee that you are going to want to get your hands on before the festivities begin.
To support the work of the Salvation Army in Scotland and the wonderful team at Eva Burrows Lifehouse visit salvationarmy.org.uk/scotland-office
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to the first in our annual two-part Christmas celebration.
00:09What is Christmas about but eating, drinking and being merry?
00:13I'm here to help you do all those things.
00:16But Christmas is also about caring and giving, so I'm pleased to say we'll be visiting a charity that's doing just that with the help of the public.
00:25First up on this festive episode of Scran we head to Boathouse Market in Fife.
00:29If you're looking for a festive shopping destination without any of the guilt of buying from supersized producers then this is the place for you.
00:36We last visited a couple years back when the market was still new.
00:40Luckily there's one more market happening before Christmas so this is your opportunity to hear from a small selection of the food and drink traders who will be there to help you tick off that all-important Christmas list.
00:50First up I chatted to Suzie Anderson of East Coast Cured, followed by Stuart of Barnett's Bakery and Anne Strother who was joined on the stall by his daughter Jessie,
00:58followed by Lucy Patil Davidson from Vaudern Farm and finally Rosie Jack who manages the market.
01:08If you're an out-of-the-jar piccolita or if somebody you know is, the Rodeo Disco is the best straight out-of-the-jar piccolita all day long.
01:16Also the brine in that is great for a dirty martini.
01:21Every year we like to take the time to feature a charity in Scotland who is working with those who won't be able to enjoy the Christmas they might have wished for.
01:28This year I went along to the Eva Burrows Lifehouse service in Cambuslang which is run by the Salvation Army.
01:35There I met with Karen Good who runs the service, some service users and staff members who will be working there on Christmas Day.
01:42This is an amazing place and I was privileged to learn about how they help those in need all year round, including putting on a full Christmas dinner on the 25th for those staying at this temporary accommodation.
02:00But on the normal kind of Christmas day here we can have families in, we can have children in, so again you're trying to make it really magical for them.
02:08But it's a really hard time as well because you have quite a lot of people that might have lost contact with their family.
02:15Finally you'll hear me chatting to Fiona Grant, the founder of Glenlion Coffee.
02:19I had the pleasure of tasting some of their Christmas coffee and promise you, you're going to want to listen if you or anyone in your life is a coffee lover.
02:26It was simply delicious.
02:31Here's my chat with Susie of East Coast Cured at Bow House Market in Fife.
02:39We're here today at Bow House Market in Fife and we're going to speak to some vendors who are gearing up for Christmas because we're now only a few weeks out.
02:47The first person we're going to speak to is Susie from East Coast Cured. Hello.
02:51Good morning.
02:52Good morning and it is quite early morning for a Saturday.
02:55It is indeed, as is standard on a market weekend.
02:59So for anyone that doesn't know, could you just briefly tell us a little bit about your business?
03:05So East Coast Cured is a Scottish charcuterie company based in Leith in Edinburgh and we make a range of continental style cured meats using Scottish pork.
03:16Obviously people can't see we're standing in front of your stand here at Bow House so I can see a lot of different types of cured meats, sausages, looks like salami.
03:26So for people looking to buy things at Christmas, it's not something that you would maybe necessarily associate with Christmas Day but what would you sort of suggest for festive buyers?
03:35Happily we have lots of customers that do big charcuterie spreads on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
03:44But we've got a lot of people that have shopped with us for many years who want to put together a nice sharing board because it's simple using charcuterie and perhaps some nice local cheesies and things as well.
03:54So it's ideal for festive eating but also if you've got guests popping in at the last minute having a little bit of salami etc in the fridge is also good too.
04:05And then we do hampers and things for gifting as well.
04:08So is there any of your products here today that you would sort of suggest that people might want to pick up for Christmas?
04:14All of them sell well at Christmas, this is our busiest time of year.
04:18However, our sort of more luxurious ones are particularly popular at Christmas like our porcini and truffle salami.
04:25And also, although I don't have it today because it's not quite ready, we do a black garlic and oloroso sherry salami as well.
04:32We use oloroso sherry from Leaf Distillery which is quite handy, they're just down the road from our business.
04:37So those are two good decadent ones.
04:41The whole lot, our Nduja is very good with Brussels sprouts.
04:46But I think the ease of this kind of food when you're just after a wee snack over the festive season is quite good and also great for canopies at parties and things too.
04:55And do you find people buy them as gifts as well?
04:57Yeah, quite often people will buy for gifts early and then come back to us because they're like, oh whoops, accidentally we ate it all so we need to stock up.
05:08There's a lot of hilarity with salamis as stocking fillers.
05:12That has been very popular in the last few years but it's our hampers that tend to be the most popular for gifts at Christmas time.
05:19We do a range of mixed meat hampers, a smaller one, a larger one and then we tend to do what we call party hampers at Christmas time as well.
05:27That has other bits and bobs in that will go very well with our meats like olives, cornichons, etc, etc.
05:34That's good. And you mentioned your black garlic and olive oil, so that won a Scran award last year.
05:40It did indeed! It did indeed, it's gorgeous.
05:45We weren't sure because obviously our more luxurious ones are quite pricey but because people haven't come across that sort of combination before they get quite excited about it.
05:56And yeah, people seem to love it which is great, as did you guys.
06:01And you had a big move this year, is that right?
06:03We did indeed. So for the first seven years we were producing all of our meats in the basement of the little shop we used to have in Leith but we've been bursting at the seams for years.
06:13So we have moved to a bespoke cured meat workshop just further up the road in Leith that we refer to as Salami Land because it was a former kids soft play.
06:24So to my knowledge you've been at Bow House for a while because I tend to come here as often as I can from Glasgow.
06:30Why is it important for you to sell here and what was it that drew you into it?
06:35Bow House and ourselves started our businesses at roughly the same time when we were looking to do as many markets as possible.
06:44It's always been a really, really, really popular one for us as well.
06:49And while generally we don't do as many markets now, it's nice to just have that direct feedback from customers.
06:57It's nice to catch up with other business owners and producers as well.
07:01And it's an amazing space for people to come together and meet up with friends and do some excellent shopping.
07:08And the Christmas markets I imagine are pretty off the scale.
07:11They're wild. And this year we're having three days as well.
07:15We're doing Friday. You might have to correct me on this, but I think it's two till eight.
07:20And then we've got the Saturday and the Sunday as well.
07:22So I'm usually good for nothing by the end of a market weekend.
07:26So this Christmas will be even better, I think.
07:30And for anyone that can't make the markets, how do they buy your products?
07:34You can shop online at www.eastcoastcured.com.
07:39And you can pick up in Leith as well if you want.
07:41You can pick up in Leith. And also we've got loads of stockists.
07:44And my shiny new website has a lovely stockist map on it that will show you where else you can buy our meats to.
07:50When it comes to actual Christmas yourself, what is it that you'll be up to?
07:53Will you be working? Will you be off?
07:55I will be working right up until probably the 23rd or 24th.
08:01We're closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
08:05Christmas Day involves me and my husband, who I run the business with,
08:09going up to my mum's with the kids and chilling out for a couple of days.
08:13And then foot off the gas for a wee while.
08:16We're a bit busy between Christmas and New Year.
08:18And then January, as is the case for most businesses, is a lot quieter.
08:22So that tends to be recovery time.
08:24Well, thank you very much and Merry Christmas.
08:26Merry Christmas to you too.
08:35My name's Stuart Barnett from Barnett's Bakery in Anstruther.
08:39Hello Stuart.
08:40Hello.
08:41So your stall looks amazing, smells amazing.
08:44People can't see, so it's lots of different types of bread.
08:47You've got cheese and leek, spiced fruit, really nice looking loaves as well as scones and donuts.
08:52Can you tell me a little bit about the business?
08:55We've been in business since 1947.
08:59Just recently, in October, that was our...
09:02I can't work it out, 77 years or something.
09:05My father's before me, I'm second generation and Jesse's third generation.
09:10We're a traditional baker, artisan baker.
09:12We bake all the products from a lot of bread to fresh cream to cakes to savoury products and stuff like that.
09:19So we do the full range.
09:21We have five shops of our own and we supply well over 100 wholesale customers as well.
09:29Restaurants and golf clubs and anything like that.
09:33You're here obviously at Bow House.
09:35Is going to a farmer's market a relatively new thing for bakers?
09:38Because what I've noticed, especially in Glasgow, is there's a lot of artisan bakers have popped up.
09:43And I imagine your traditional bakers have had to change a little bit maybe?
09:47I think, well, definitely.
09:49Because if you don't change, you won't survive.
09:51So that is the kind of way forward we saw it.
09:56The fancy bread that's on the stall just now wasn't around 20 years ago.
10:03So it's a relatively new thing and I think you have to go with the change.
10:09And it's quite interesting for the staff as well.
10:13The guys that are baking the bread rather than just baking traditional bread.
10:16It's good fun to try different products and try something.
10:20If somebody comes up with an idea, we'll all give it a go.
10:24Sometimes it works. It doesn't always work.
10:27And coming to places like this as well, is that a relatively new thing?
10:31Yeah, definitely.
10:32I think it helps showcase your business.
10:35You can see the full range of stuff that we do.
10:41We are quite limited in the stalls size.
10:44So there's only the certain products that you would like to bring with you.
10:48So we're obviously not far from Christmas.
10:51So what products are really popular for Christmas?
10:54Or how does the business kind of change in the lead up to Christmas?
10:56We still sell a lot of artisan bread at Christmas.
10:59Not so much traditional Christmas cake and stuff like that.
11:02We find that younger people in particular are more likely to just buy a slice of Christmas cake.
11:08Rather than buy a formal Christmas cake to sit in the middle of the table.
11:11We still make black bun, which is very traditional in Scotland.
11:15Filled with fruit.
11:16Make a lot of shortbread.
11:17Make an awful lot of oat cakes.
11:19But we normally find it's like oat cakes for cheese after dinner and bread as well.
11:26Whereas before, you would just get the sliced bread that people would keep.
11:30They'll come and buy different things to go with whatever they're eating at Christmas time.
11:34And what about you? Are you working over Christmas?
11:37Are you going to be off?
11:38No, we never stop.
11:40Never stop.
11:41We get one day off.
11:42Because your preparation is for the next day.
11:45So somebody still has to go in.
11:47And like the sourdough, you still have to mix up the starters so you can continue baking.
11:52But we kind of stagger it between the staff and certain people will go in.
11:58So hopefully we'll get a day off.
12:00And what do you like to eat at Christmas?
12:02Turkey.
12:03Definitely.
12:04That's what I like to eat.
12:05People, if they want to buy your stuff, they can come here, visit the shops.
12:08Do you have any online presence?
12:10We don't have an online presence as such.
12:13Some of the farmer's places like Balgove Larder, they have a website which they sell our stuff in.
12:18So it's not an avenue we've had to go down because we've been so busy.
12:24It's something we've not needed to go down that track.
12:28What's the nature of the product as well?
12:30You want to buy it fresh?
12:31Yes, it's fresh.
12:33We have been asked to put the likes of our oat cakes overseas.
12:37But they really need quite a long date on them if you're going to take them across.
12:42It was Japan in fact.
12:44It would need over a year's date.
12:46It was a bit of a risky manoeuvre.
12:49Well, thank you very much and Merry Christmas.
12:51Thank you very much.
12:52Merry Christmas to yourselves.
13:03My name is Lucy Patow-Davidson and we run Goat Rodeo Goods and Fodder and Farm.
13:08Hello, so we are here now outside your stall which is pickles.
13:13I think a lot of people will associate pickles with Christmas because of a Christmas sandwich.
13:17But for anyone, before getting into all that, could you just tell us a little bit about your business?
13:21At Goat Rodeo Goods we basically started by using surplus vegetables that were either grown in our market garden
13:28or we've got a lot of market gardens around us and veg co-ops.
13:32So we started taking all of that excess last year and turning it into things.
13:35And we thought, you know what, that's a bloody good idea, let's do it properly.
13:38So we went big on the pickles, big on the spices and seasonings.
13:41And then we've got a few kind of small batch limited edition things.
13:44Again, this is like using people's, the market garden had loads of leftover chillies and green tomatoes.
13:49We didn't want them to go to waste so we thought we'd turn them into something fun.
13:52And is this quite a busy time of the year for you in the lead up to Christmas?
13:56Oh, super busy. So we only launched this in August and it's grown a lot quicker than we were expecting,
14:00which is a great thing to happen. But yeah, it's been bananas, especially the markets.
14:04Because people are really into sort of fermented pickley, kimchi type things just now for their gut and stuff, aren't they?
14:10Absolutely. It's definitely been having a moment over the last few years and there's a lot more kind of recognition about it.
14:15And I never used to eat pickles until we started making them and turns out they're quite tasty.
14:20So I'll just, obviously people can't see.
14:22So we're standing here and you've got relatively large jars of pickles with really cool branding.
14:27You've got Rodeo Disco Pickles, Hell or High Water Pickles, Bad Boy Bread and Butter Pickles.
14:33So can you tell me a little bit about your branding and the names and stuff?
14:36Absolutely. Goat Rodeo Goods comes from, we have a herd of very naughty goats on the farm.
14:40They're always causing a bit of trouble for our supper clubs and long table feasts.
14:44And my business partner Kat, she's American and the phrase Goat Rodeo in America means basically chaos.
14:50And we thought, well, it actually means something else but I won't say it online.
14:54It basically means chaos and we thought that suits us quite well.
14:58So we thought, Goat Rodeo Goods, why don't we call it that? We're always running around like headless chickens.
15:03And then the branding, I mean, both of us are very kind of, we've got quite a keen eye for the branding.
15:08So we kind of developed it ourselves and always tweaking it and doing things with it.
15:12We just, you know, fun names, fun colours, just keep it quite silly and light-hearted.
15:16That's really where we're going with it.
15:18Yeah, I mean, it looks great. So in terms of Christmas, people come in.
15:21What would you recommend they kind of pick up for what they might be entertaining or gifts for Christmas?
15:27So if you're an out-of-the-jar piccolita or if somebody you know is, the Rodeo Disco is the best, you know, straight out-the-jar piccolita all day long.
15:37Also, the brine in that is great for a dirty martini.
15:40The Hello High Water, that's our spicy little mama, that's got quite a lot of chilli in it.
15:45That is great for, you can use that for, you know, even just your potato salad the next day when you've got loads of leftovers.
15:50You can put some of those on your cheese board.
15:52The brine in that is amazing for a Bloody Mary, which we'll all be needing on Boxing Day.
15:56And then the bad boy, that's the all-rounder, you know, it's great with Comte.
15:59I snack that one out of the fridge quite often with a bit of Comte, a bit of cheese.
16:02That goes on your cheese board. That's a straight out-the-jar, in a sandwich, anything.
16:06And that one's cocktails or you can stick it in your hot dogs or whatever you fancy, really.
16:11What are you going to be doing for Christmas? Are you working? Are you off?
16:14So, I'll be off for a couple of days and then my sister's getting married in India, so I'm flying out there on Boxing Day.
16:20That'll be exciting.
16:21Really exciting, yeah. Chaos, even more chaos.
16:24So, as well as the pickles, you've got a space mix here as well, so can you tell us a bit about them?
16:28Yeah, of course. Some of them are, I mean, these were born out of, like I say, I'm a chef.
16:33I specialise in fire cooking and game cooking and these are things that I use in the kitchen quite a lot.
16:38But also, when I get home, the last thing I want to do is cook, normally.
16:42So, I'm like, what? I don't want to eat crap.
16:44So, I think, well, I've made something that makes cooking really, really simple, really easy and super versatile.
16:48So, there's five different ones in the core line and then we've got, we always bring out like a few small batch additional ones.
16:54That's the mushroom salt at the end there.
16:56Spicy disco mix, barbecue rodeo rub, both can be used as a dry rub or mixed with olive oil, coat all your veggies or your fish or your meat.
17:02They're so versatile.
17:03The kimchi salt is probably one of our most unusual.
17:06We ferment the kimchi ourselves, takes about 14 days, dehydrate it or blitz it, blend it with a few other things.
17:11And that is, have a smell of that one.
17:15Oh, that smells amazing.
17:17Yeah, it's so great for just like pimping really simple things like scrambled eggs or I eat it in a cheese toastie.
17:22That in a cheese toastie is phenomenal or on your noodles.
17:26And then we've got the better than sex roast potato seasoning.
17:29My husband was not very happy I named it that.
17:31I said, it's nothing to do with you, dear.
17:33But it is honestly amazing.
17:36It's got semolina in it, which gives you like a really golden crunch to your potatoes, loads of different herbs.
17:40Grab that and have a smell of that one.
17:42But you can use that on chicken skin or pork skin as well.
17:44So in terms of Christmas, I mean, that's probably going to be the winner for Christmas Day.
17:48Everyone's going to be thanking you for that one.
17:51And then, yeah, the duck is more of like a finishing thing.
17:53So you can put that again, like on your cheese board.
17:55If you drizzle a bit of honey over your soft cheese, put a handful of that on.
17:58It's got loads of crushed walnuts and florals and greens and toasted seeds and nuts in there as well.
18:03So, yeah, again, just like once you've done your vegetables, you can put that on it and it just gives you a nice, nice little bite to it.
18:08And, yeah, it's all about enhancing.
18:10Yeah, I mean, this smells just like dried kimchi.
18:14And this smells, you can really smell the herbs and stuff.
18:17So it's really punchy. It's good.
18:19I keep saying punchy.
18:20I don't know why I say that all the time.
18:22Have you been coming to Boathouse a lot?
18:24So this is our second time here.
18:26So, yeah, last month was our first one.
18:28This is our second time.
18:29We absolutely love it here.
18:30It's one of the best markets that we do.
18:32It's such a cool crowd.
18:33Everyone's really, like, engaging and they want to know about things and buy all the new stuff.
18:37So, yeah, it's been really good for us.
18:39Where can people buy your stuff if they're not here?
18:41So we have an online shop.
18:43So it's www.fodderandfarm.com is our online shop.
18:47And then we've got a few stockists.
18:49We've got a bunch of kind of small gift shops, cheese shops, farm shops across Scotland.
18:53But, yeah, online would be the best place.
18:55Great. Well, thank you very much and Merry Christmas.
18:57Thank you. You too.
19:04Hello. Welcome back, Rosie.
19:06Thank you. Hello. Thanks for coming back down.
19:08Thanks for having us. I love it here.
19:10This is not your last market before Christmas.
19:12So can you tell us what people can expect from your Christmas market?
19:15Yes. We have a really full-on market weekend happening on the 13th, 14th and 15th of December.
19:21And we've decided to add a Friday afternoon sort of night market vibe to our Christmas market.
19:26Normally it's just a Saturday and Sunday.
19:28But we're going for a two till eight on the Friday.
19:30So that lots of other guests can come along on the Friday night, grab some street food, get jolly and Christmas vibes.
19:36There'll be loads of market stalls in the main hall from crafters to food and drink traders.
19:41So there'll be something for everyone to pick up some Christmas gifts, last minute shopping,
19:46or if you're like me, just your shopping, and get some really amazing food goodies as well.
19:50So loads going on.
19:51Nice. And so we're here now.
19:53There's some cookery demonstrations and stuff going on.
19:56There's some cookery demonstrations and stuff going on.
19:58There's craft stalls which have been here the whole year round. Is that right?
20:02Yes. So this year actually is the first year that we've had crafts at every single market weekend.
20:06Because they bring a whole other collection of guests and followers to the markets,
20:11but also because they're curated so well and they're such great quality crafters,
20:15they just sort of elevate the quality of the whole market.
20:18So we decided to have them up throughout the whole year, which has worked really, really well.
20:22I mean, it makes the market hall incredibly busy, but it's a nice buzz and it works well.
20:25So we're quite chuffed with that.
20:27With your Christmas market, what kind of producers can people expect?
20:31We will have all your fresh produce.
20:33So we'll have fish traders here that do smoked salmon, so you can sort out your starter for Christmas.
20:39We've got our butchery on site here as well, so you can get your Christmas order in
20:43to make sure you've got a delicious meat for Christmas.
20:46The veggie guys will be here and they'll have some great Christmas veg,
20:50but also lots of amazing gifts as well for stocking fillers or big presents as well.
20:55But during the Christmas market, we also have some nice workshops.
20:58So we have wreath making happening.
21:00So that'll be a drop-in session so you can make a stunning wreath.
21:03And gingerbread decorating for children.
21:05They can come and decorate a nice little cute gingerbread, take it away with them or just gobble it there.
21:09And as well as that, we'll be roasting chestnuts, which is a really nice thing to do in our street food area.
21:14It smells amazing and people can grab some chestnuts.
21:16Roasting chestnuts is super festive, so loads happening and it'll come round really fast.
21:20Yeah, it really will.
21:22And what about this year at Bow House? Is there any sort of news or things that have happened?
21:26This year has been bonkers.
21:28I mean, the market has been incredibly busy, but as a site, it's been incredible.
21:32This is the first year that all of our business units have been occupied,
21:35which is a big achievement for us. We're really chuffed about that.
21:38So we've had some new businesses join in the mix.
21:40Stock Events have moved into one of the units. They're a catering company.
21:44We've also set up a retail shop.
21:46And in 2025, we've got some really exciting things that I can't tell you about just now, so stay tuned.
21:50Really exciting things happening in our courtyard space.
21:54We've managed to really develop Bow House as a site.
21:57So away from the market weekends, customers can come down here throughout the week
22:01and shop from the businesses that are based here and enjoy all the amazing produce out with the market.
22:06So yeah, as a site, as a foodie hub, we're really chuffed with how it's going.
22:09Take a break, don't they?
22:10We are hosting a market in February, and the plan is it'll be our first market in February.
22:14Normally, we let people chill out and sleep, but we're going for February
22:18and we're going to be doing a Food from Fife market featuring as many Food from Fife traders as possible,
22:23working with the regional food group here in Fife to develop a really nice kind of February vibe.
22:28So stay tuned for more information on that as well.
22:31Well, thank you very much, and I hope you have a nice Christmas.
22:33Thank you so much. Hope to see you soon. Cheers.
22:35The Eva Burrows First Stop project is a lifeline service for people experiencing homelessness.
22:43I was fortunate to visit recently and spend time with some of the staff and service users
22:47to learn more about what they do, and particularly what happens around this time of year.
22:52First up, I chatted to Karen Good, the service manager, followed by service users Stephen and Peter,
22:58and finally staff members Yvonne McKenzie, Paula Thompson and David Dean.
23:06Okay, I'm at the Eva Burrows First Stop project just outside Glasgow with manager Karen Good,
23:12and we're going to chat a little bit about what goes on here as well as Christmas.
23:15So hi, Karen, how are you?
23:16Yes, I'm good. Thank you. How are you?
23:17Good, yeah. Thanks for joining us.
23:19This is the Salvation Army project, so could you tell us a bit about the Salvation Army?
23:23So the Salvation Army delivers a wide range of support to vulnerable individuals,
23:29ranging from emergency homeless support, a number of services for people that need support.
23:36For the services that we have here in South Lanarkshire, we've got Eva Burrows First Stop project.
23:41It's an emergency-based accommodation for 32 people at any given time.
23:47We cater for single males, single females, couples and families with children.
23:52It's used as a service for somebody that might be dealing with homelessness through a range of reasons,
23:59so it could be a relationship breakdown, they could become homeless due to trauma, abuse, addiction, mental health, a range of needs.
24:09So people would refer to our project and we bring them in and get them settled, get them comfortable,
24:14give them a nice safe place to be, and then we offer a lot of support while they reside here,
24:20just to try and integrate them back into the community, providing support regarding mental health, addiction.
24:25It's really what that person needs, so it's very person-centred, so it's really what that person desires at that moment in time.
24:32Because I think we really realise it's not just a home that somebody needs, they need the support network run about.
24:38And you're the contact manager here, so how did you get involved in all this?
24:42I have been working with the Salvation Army for 17 years, and it's been across a range of services.
24:49So I've worked with Housing First, I've worked with Emergency Accommodation, both here, Edinburgh, Glasgow.
24:56I've got a good backup of knowledge of the services that we provide and the difference between the services.
25:02It wasn't really my background to start off with, it was something that I always wanted to do.
25:06I wanted to support people, I wanted to be, I could help somebody grow.
25:10So when I seen the vacancy as a support worker for the Salvation Army, I thought I would really like to do that.
25:16I want to see people grow and I want to be part of watching them grow.
25:19And yeah, it all just kind of spanned from there.
25:21And so how do people get in touch with the project here? Are they referred? Can they come in? How do they go about accessing it?
25:28So all the referrals come from South Lanarkshire Council, and we also offer an out-of-hours service as well.
25:33So if there's anybody in need during the period of out-of-hours, then they'll contact our service, which is actually quite good
25:39because it gives a flow to bringing somebody in and supporting them from the start to the middle to the end.
25:44We also have a hub that is based here, a community-based harm reduction hub that's downstairs.
25:48So again, if there was somebody that was struggling with homelessness or not really know how to go about getting support or where to go,
25:55then there's avenues all over for us to bring people in.
25:59And what does Christmas look like here?
26:01Christmas is, for me, Christmas is really magical and it's a really family-orientated time.
26:07So we want to make that, let that in here.
26:09It should be no different because somebody's homeless and just because their class has been in homeless accommodation.
26:15We try really hard to make sure that that's not the case.
26:19We want people to feel as though they're roundabout family and friends and still being supported.
26:24But on the normal kind of Christmas day here, we can have families in, we can have children in.
26:30So again, you're trying to make it really magical for them.
26:33But it's a really hard time as well because you have quite a lot of people that might have lost contact with their family
26:38We've got quite a lot of people that might have had to relocate as well.
26:43So their family and friends are far away.
26:45So it's been there for them and really trying to make sure that they feel part of it and make sure that they feel part of Eva Burrows.
26:53So the set up of the day for Christmas Day is like you would probably do at home for anybody.
26:58We have everybody pulling together.
26:59We've got the food going.
27:00We've got the service users that help and the staff.
27:03Again, keeping it cheerful, keeping it merry.
27:05Obviously, it can be really hard, as I've mentioned.
27:07So you're still trying to be mindful of people's feelings and things like that as well.
27:11But you generally feel that everybody wants to take part.
27:15So you're always somebody that wants to cook the sprouts and somebody will cook the carrots.
27:18Somebody will cook the turkey.
27:19It's good.
27:20It's a good, happy feeling.
27:21And that's what makes it different because I've got staff that obviously it's a 24-hour service.
27:26But I've got staff that actually jump at the chance to try and work for Christmas at Christmas time because they want to be here for the people that they support.
27:34And I'm sure Santa visits as well.
27:35Yeah, definitely.
27:36Christmas time, if there's kids in the centre, you want to provide absolutely everything.
27:40To make it an enjoyable time that they're going to remember, but remember positively.
27:44Because, yeah, it might not feel like the right time to be in homeless accommodation, especially for a family.
27:52But also for single males, single females.
27:54But, yeah, if we can make it that one wee bit more special, then that's what we're going to do.
27:59And everybody gets gifts.
28:00Everybody gets presents and things like that as well.
28:02We receive quite a lot of donations, which is really good.
28:05Everybody does have a good time.
28:06That's what I was going to say.
28:07So how can people listen to this, get involved?
28:09Is it donations, whether it's presents or cash or what?
28:12A mixture.
28:13Everything.
28:14We would welcome absolutely anything, like smelly sets, chocolates.
28:18People donate food and things like that as well, which is great because it's things that people can bulk up on.
28:22Nobody in here asks for anything.
28:24They never, ever do.
28:25Never ask and never expect anything either.
28:28That's what really touches your heart, the fact that people are just happy at the fact that they're sitting down and they've been able to enjoy a good family-type meal.
28:37But the wee added extra gifts and things like that, it goes a long way and everybody's so appreciative of it.
28:43So, I mean, we all get the envelope through the door from the Salvation Army.
28:46How would someone donate more locally?
28:48They can donate through contact and head office and things like that, via email, via telephone.
28:53They can come directly to the centres, depending on how they would like to donate or what they would like to donate,
28:58and just specify what they would like the donation to be for and to be used for.
29:03The donation suite that comes through the door, that's to help get a bed and get somebody that's potentially rough sleeping
29:09and give them space and give them somewhere warm to stay, which is a really, really good cause as well.
29:14Do you know what I mean?
29:15Because it's very much in need, especially with the rise in homelessness and accommodation that we lack in.
29:20So, the logistics of Christmas Day, everyone's obviously, whether you're here or at home, thinking,
29:25how many people have I got, what am I cooking?
29:27So, can you take us through how that works?
29:29How many people you might have and how you go about just sort of getting it all organised?
29:33So, this service is a very fast-paced service and it is always full.
29:36Occupancy is always high.
29:38Someone comes in and if someone moves out, there's somebody back into that room an hour later.
29:44So, it's a needed service.
29:46So, come Christmas time, we're always sitting full.
29:48But what we do is we talk to the services and find out what's your plans over Christmas period.
29:53Are you going to stay for Christmas dinner?
29:55Are you going to spend time with family?
29:56How are you going to get back as well?
29:58Because that's another thing, you want to make sure that people are safe.
30:01There's no public transport.
30:02Public transport can be double or triple priced and things like that as well.
30:06For me, I cater for 32 people.
30:09But come Christmas Day, a family member might reach out or a friend might reach out,
30:14which we're so happy for, and then they can go to that.
30:17But they can also come back, join and get two Christmas dinners if they wanted to.
30:21I would do that.
30:23So, do you know who will be doing the cooking on Christmas Day?
30:25Yes, I do. And I've actually not told them yet.
30:28Will you be working on Christmas Day?
30:30So, at Christmas time, I come in just to pop in.
30:32I bring my kids down as well.
30:34It's just nice to show the support, but it's also nice to see people.
30:37Christmas Day isn't any other day.
30:40It's just that we want to make it as special as possible.
30:43Well, thank you very much for your time and Merry Christmas.
30:45Thank you very much.
30:47Merry Christmas.
30:52I'm now joined by service users Peter and Stephen.
30:55Hello, how are you?
30:56Hi, I'm not too bad, yourself?
30:58I'm good.
30:59Good, yeah.
31:00So, you guys might be here at Christmas.
31:02I'm not quite sure.
31:03But if you are, can you tell me what you're looking forward to?
31:07Do you want to go first?
31:08I'm looking forward to getting my own place.
31:10Aye.
31:11I'm looking forward to having somewhere to sit with people that are in the same boat as myself
31:15and feel a bit more a part of something because I've not really got family and that to go to.
31:20So, it's like a community sort of thing.
31:22And I'm kind of looking forward to maybe getting involved in the kitchen and that as well.
31:25That would be quite good because I like cooking.
31:27So, do you want to tell us a bit more about that?
31:29So, what are you looking forward to?
31:30The cooking?
31:31Oh, everything about it, man.
31:32I get right into it when I'm cooking, man.
31:35I don't know.
31:36I never used to be good at cooking.
31:37And then, through my experiences, I ended up just learning how to cook
31:41because it was like frozen meals and all that.
31:42I got sick of it.
31:43Yep.
31:44So, I started learning off my friends and that because they were chefs, how to cook properly.
31:49And I ended up just getting really passionate about it.
31:51So, I'll be right stuck in about it when I'm getting volunteering in here.
31:55For me, it's something for me to take part in.
32:01And my cooking skills are not good yesterday.
32:03I burnt a pizza and had to throw it in the bin today.
32:06Oh dear.
32:07We've all been there.
32:09So, I think from what we've spoken about to the staff,
32:11they're also really keen for people to get involved.
32:13So, it sounds like a nice sort of community.
32:15Aye, definitely. Definitely, aye.
32:17And Stephen, do you fancy maybe becoming a chef one day?
32:20I would love to be a chef, aye, but I'm currently disabled.
32:24So, I don't think I'd be very good at being in a kitchen
32:27because it's all fast-paced and stuff like that.
32:29So, we'll see what happens.
32:31Maybe one day I could be a chef.
32:32I think that'd be quite good. Aye.
32:34Yeah, never say never.
32:36So, on Christmas Day, sometimes people might forget that there's people working,
32:39like healthcare staff, support staff.
32:41So, can you tell us a little bit how much of a difference that makes to you guys?
32:44It makes quite a bit of difference, you know.
32:47It helps.
32:49Yeah, definitely, man.
32:51Obviously, people are putting their time and effort into helping people like us
32:55in our situation.
32:57It's much appreciated.
32:59I've never been involved with anything like this in my life.
33:01And since I've came here, the support and that that I've been shown already
33:04is fantastic.
33:06That's good.
33:07Well, thank you very much for your time.
33:08And if you are here at Christmas, Merry Christmas.
33:10And otherwise, Merry Christmas.
33:12Well, Merry Christmas to you too.
33:13Okay, Merry Christmas.
33:20I'm now joined by Yvonne, Paula and David who work here at Eva Burrows Project.
33:24Hello, how are you all?
33:25Fine, thank you.
33:26All good.
33:27Good.
33:28So, you guys are working Christmas?
33:29Yes.
33:30Yes.
33:31And did you know you were working Christmas?
33:33Yes.
33:34Yes.
33:35No.
33:37Obviously, you guys have done this before and you're doing it again this year.
33:40Can you tell us what Christmas is like when you're working Christmas Day?
33:43Well, I worked last year on Christmas Day and it was my other colleague
33:47who's not here at the moment.
33:48She's very good at the cooking.
33:49She loves to cook.
33:50So, I was more of a helper.
33:53So, I would get her all the food in.
33:54She was doing most of the cooking.
33:56And the service users helped us lay all the tables out.
33:59They also participated a wee bit in the kitchen.
34:01So, they felt part of the activity, the Christmas feeling.
34:06And do you guys now have to organise yourself for that this year?
34:08Or someone's going to be like the main cook?
34:10We're a wee bit more apprehensive this year because Karen normally does it
34:14and she's brilliant at it.
34:15And she's dead organised.
34:17Well, this is the first year we've not had really her here.
34:20So, we're all scared to cook for 32 people if it's possibly 32 people in the building.
34:25But we'll get there.
34:26And do you know who's going to be here at Christmas?
34:28Can you sort of work that out?
34:30We usually ask them.
34:32Some of them don't have a family to go to.
34:34So, they'll spend the whole day here with us.
34:36Some of them will go and visit their family and then come back.
34:39We also have an open door policy because the other service users that don't have family
34:43to drop in, have a meal and spend Christmas with us.
34:46Yeah, there's people that's left here already that we've already said to them
34:50you can come back Christmas Day if you know where to go.
34:52I think there were about five last year that came back.
34:54Just to sit in so that they could be round about people
34:56because they were going to be sitting on their own.
34:58And that was the fear that they had when they were getting moved out.
35:01That they were going to be sitting in a house with no Christmas dinner
35:04and no family or nothing round about them.
35:06So, it was a good day. It was a good day.
35:08A lot of happy faces.
35:09And do you find that a lot that the people come back year after year?
35:12Yeah, because it turns into a little bit of family.
35:14They come back for support as well.
35:16But they build up a rapport with the staff and vice versa.
35:19And they give us a wee update on how they're coping
35:22and how they're progressing, which is really good to see.
35:24And then, so they'll obviously know how it works.
35:26So, say you've got somebody who comes back every year,
35:28really loves it, needs it and is good at cooking sprouts?
35:32Yeah.
35:34They're more than welcome in the kitchen.
35:36So, if you do have...
35:37I know you cater for single male, female and families.
35:40If you do have families here, how does that look for them?
35:42If we have got children, the ones that come,
35:45they get a present at the Christmas,
35:48which everyone does anyway, but they get it at the actual Christmas dinner.
35:52And if they've got any children, which we take a note of,
35:55then we give them presents for their kids.
35:58So, how does your day look from...
35:59How does your shift look from the start to the end?
36:01Very tiring.
36:02Busy?
36:03Very busy.
36:04Yes, because you're stressed out.
36:05There's an awful lot preparing for the night before.
36:08So, as soon as you come in, you're preparing,
36:10you're continuing it on and getting everything all ready
36:13because it's all these plates that stick out,
36:15all the tables I've got to get them brung down in the morning.
36:18Last year, we put all the tables out at the reception area
36:21and myself and a couple of service users
36:24put all the plates and cutlery out and lay it away
36:27and then we get the hot plates for when the food is ready
36:29so that it gets kept hot at the right temperature
36:31and that gets it ready by the lift start.
36:33It's just a lot of on-going,
36:34and amongst the phone calls and different things that we're doing.
36:36David, did you work last Christmas and what was it like?
36:38I didn't work last Christmas,
36:39but I think out of my 15 years with Salvation Army,
36:42this will be about my 10th working Christmas.
36:44I've had various experiences.
36:46Sometimes we've had Christmas dinner,
36:48sometimes we've had it before for everybody,
36:50and then Christmas Day came, we've had a big breakfast
36:53and got a Chinese later on.
36:55That's went down well,
36:56but this year we've decided to do it this way,
36:58have a big Christmas dinner on Christmas Day.
37:01I think that's because that was the popular thing last year.
37:03Yeah.
37:04A takeaway is a lot easier,
37:05but because they don't have the family,
37:07say when they're here, they feel very low
37:09because they're away from their families
37:11and the thing that they're wanting is a cooked meal,
37:14a Christmas cooked meal.
37:16So that's why we've decided just to run with the actual cooked turkey
37:21and it was a joint last year.
37:23Yeah, it was a turkey crown this year, I think.
37:26It just shows you the connection between food and family
37:28and that time of year,
37:30that people, that's what they kind of want to comfort them.
37:32Yeah, it was like a big family out there,
37:34it was like all the smiles.
37:35So do you have people come in from the local community
37:38to drop off donations for Christmas?
37:40Yeah, community churches, other organisations,
37:43usually all those donations each year.
37:46Sometimes just gloves, hats, socks, toiletries.
37:50And is there anything you're particularly needing this Christmas
37:52or in general that you would be looking out for?
37:55The essentials, just to keep them warm
37:57because they've not always got the funds to get that themselves
38:00and if they do, it's always the last thing they think about.
38:04Last year there was a gentleman
38:07that hadn't had a Christmas present for that many years
38:10and what they were given, what they voted for was basically,
38:14we're finding that if you're buying presents for individuals
38:16because it's quite fast turning here,
38:19that person might have left.
38:21So rather than giving a present they wouldn't need or want,
38:24I decided to get them a voucher, a gift voucher,
38:27so about £20 a card,
38:29so they could get it themselves and pick whatever they wanted
38:31in a selection box.
38:33So he got the selection box, this one gentleman,
38:36and he burst into tears.
38:38He didn't even know it was a card, a gift card.
38:41So when he realised it was a gift card,
38:43his face, it brung the staff to tears.
38:46It was such a small thing,
38:47you don't realise how well off you are
38:49until you see that kind of reaction off of someone.
38:52So once you've finished your shift,
38:54will you be celebrating Christmas
38:55and what will you be doing?
38:56So I'll just ask all of you that.
38:58All my children, which is five of them,
39:00their partners, my grandchildren,
39:02which there's eight,
39:04are all congregating with their dogs in my house
39:07and they're all bringing food,
39:09they've each decided to,
39:11because I want to cook definitely this year when I go home,
39:14they're all going to cook individual meals
39:16whether it be a starters, main courses,
39:19because my kids are quite fussy.
39:21So it's going to be fun, very busy.
39:24And it's my house,
39:25they've all agreed to help clean up afterwards.
39:27Okay, well hopefully do.
39:29Sort of.
39:30Paula?
39:31I'll be a day shift and then go home
39:33and spend it with my two kids and my mum.
39:35This will be the first time in three years
39:37I've had Christmas dinner with them
39:38because I've usually worked a back shift.
39:40I'll not get waking up to them on Christmas morning
39:42but I'll get to spend the afternoon with them.
39:45I'm a double shift,
39:46so I'll be going in and watching Christmas,
39:48day TV probably.
39:50Does that mean you come back at night?
39:52No, I'm here seven till half nine.
39:54Right.
39:55So I'm right through.
39:56It sounds, I mean,
39:57most people when they think working Christmas
39:58they must think,
39:59oh, I don't want to have to do this,
40:00but it sounds like a really nice atmosphere,
40:02like something that's going to be nice for you guys as well.
40:04Oh, I see the actual atmosphere
40:06and the feeling after the fact.
40:09It's really good,
40:10but I must admit it's quite stressful.
40:12Yeah.
40:14Because you know you can cook,
40:16but these are all people,
40:17different people's tastes.
40:18And every year you're the same.
40:19At Disney, my Karen's the same.
40:20She's a brilliant cook,
40:21but every year you're always stressed
40:23out that it goes right
40:24and it goes smoothly.
40:26And then,
40:27but I've not seen the one that's not went smooth,
40:30but it's just you cannae help being
40:31over purpose to that amount of people.
40:33Yeah, I was going to say,
40:34no one's cooking for that many people
40:35unless they're in a restaurant.
40:36Yes.
40:37But we'll be doing it again.
40:39Well, I'm sure it'll be a wonderful day
40:40and thank you very much for your time today
40:42and Merry Christmas.
40:43Thanks, Christia.
40:44Thank you very much.
40:53I'm now joined by Fiona
40:55from Glenline Coffee.
40:56Hi, Fiona.
40:57How are you?
40:58Hi, I'm really well.
40:59How are you?
41:00Good, thank you.
41:01So just slowly trying to get
41:02into the Christmas spirit
41:03and I have your Christmas coffee.
41:05So I've got a bag of Christmas coffee
41:06and I've got a cup of Christmas coffee.
41:08For anyone watching this,
41:09this is the Christmassy mug I could
41:12you know, it's not that Christmassy.
41:13I'm not fully ready to get into the spirit yet.
41:15But before we talk about Christmas coffee
41:17and just general festivities,
41:19could you just tell me a little bit
41:20about your business?
41:22Yes, we're Coffee Roasters.
41:23We're based up here in Aberfeldy
41:25in Highland, Perthshire.
41:27And I set up about 14 years ago now
41:30at the very start of 2011
41:32just at the top of Glenline.
41:34I bought a coffee roaster off eBay
41:36and it was a bit of a learning curve.
41:39But we're now a team of 12
41:41based here in Aberfeldy
41:43and we roast coffee for cafes
41:45and restaurants and delis across Scotland
41:47as well as sell coffee direct
41:49to people online
41:51and have a lovely cafe roastery
41:53here that people can visit
41:55in Aberfeldy and try our coffee
41:57and buy bags of beans.
41:58Were you always kind of in that sphere
42:00or was it quite a new move for you
42:01when you set up the company?
42:03Well no, I have to say
42:04I've always been incredibly obsessed
42:06with coffee from a young age
42:08and I was a travel writer before
42:11and then I thought
42:13I'll just carry on travel writing
42:15after I had my son.
42:16He's now 18, so a long time ago.
42:19I thought I'll put him in a papoose
42:20and carry on travelling around the world
42:22and writing, which just obviously
42:24wasn't the case.
42:25Not so easy to do.
42:27Me and my husband and my son
42:28when he was really young
42:29travelled down the west coast of the States
42:31and we saw lots of little specialty
42:34coffee roasters in lots of the towns
42:36that we passed through
42:37and I thought, you know, gosh
42:39this is something we could do
42:40in Glenlion.
42:41So I bought a roaster off eBay
42:44and started roasting coffee.
42:46A lot of trial and error
42:47in the early days.
42:48And over those years
42:50have you sort of noticed
42:51different trends sort of come?
42:54I also mean like coffee in Scotland
42:56wasn't amazing
42:57and then all of a sudden
42:58it's now you can go places
42:59and get really good coffee
43:00all the time.
43:01So did you sort of see that come in
43:03or was it already sort of established
43:04that people wanted really good coffee?
43:06No.
43:07The specialty coffee scene in Scotland
43:09is amazing
43:10and it's such a privilege
43:11to be part of it.
43:12But when I set up in 2011
43:15there was really not many people
43:17doing specialty coffee here
43:19and I think I would have found it
43:21a lot easier if I just bought
43:22kind of commercial grade coffee
43:23and roasted it dark.
43:24I'd have found a bigger audience for that.
43:27But I love specialty coffee
43:30and I love the slightly lighter roast styles
43:32that specialty coffee involves.
43:34So I sort of stuck to my guns
43:36and it's been lovely seeing
43:40all the cafes and other roasters
43:43starting in Scotland as well
43:45getting behind it.
43:47So one of the things
43:48that obviously has become
43:50really popular is Christmas coffee
43:52whether that's for gifting
43:53or to have on Christmas
43:54and you've got your festive blend here
43:56which again if anyone is watching this
43:58they can see it's called Figgy Pudding
44:00and I have a cup of it.
44:01So can you just tell me
44:02a little bit about that coffee
44:04specifically the tasting notes
44:06and who comes up with that
44:07or how do you pick the beans
44:08to get those specific Christmassy flavours?
44:10This is our fifth year
44:11of producing Christmas coffee.
44:13We really look for the lovely
44:15stewed plum, kind of candied orange
44:18kind of sticky date notes
44:19that makes us think of a slightly
44:21boozy Christmas pudding.
44:23So actually we look for the coffees
44:24that are going to bring those flavour notes.
44:26We buy all our coffee seasonally
44:29so we have to see what will be in season
44:31around this time as well
44:33and come up with something
44:34that's going to deliver those lovely
44:36fruity flavours in the cup.
44:38So we started cupping trial samples
44:41of different coffees back in August
44:43and came up with this blend
44:45quite a few weeks ago
44:47with a Guatemala and a Ugandan blend.
44:50Both natural coffees
44:51so really lovely fruity coffees
44:53bit of ferment there
44:54to create a bit of booziness
44:56and also a little bit of orange acidity
44:58that brings in a sort of
44:59candied orange note.
45:01It is lovely.
45:03Before we started
45:04I was trying to think
45:05how the taste of notes for this
45:07and I'm okay doing it for whiskey
45:08but I'm not so good at coffee
45:10but it's just there's like a richness
45:11it's smooth like you say
45:12like a cakiness.
45:13I was getting a little bit of chocolate
45:15but it's lovely.
45:16It's really nice.
45:17Yeah, it's definitely got chocolatey
45:19notes to it as well
45:20but very creamy.
45:22Yeah, no, it's lovely.
45:23So it's not like every single year
45:24you're using the same recipe
45:26you've got to like develop it
45:27given the seasonality
45:28or what coffee is available to you.
45:30Absolutely.
45:31So it's back to the drawing board
45:33every year to come up with a new coffee
45:35but that's the fun of it as well.
45:37We often had a Brazilian base in it
45:39in years past
45:41but this year we knew
45:42we wouldn't be able to get
45:43a new season Brazil in time for it.
45:45So we looked elsewhere
45:47that's why we looked at our Uganda
45:49which is the base note
45:51which brings in the kind of
45:52almost strawberry chocolatey notes
45:54and then the Guatemala
45:56which brings in this lovely sort of
45:59slightly lighter fruitier notes
46:01and the lovely acidity.
46:03Well it is lovely.
46:04Obviously this is a pull a daft question
46:06but is coffee a big part
46:07of your Christmas ritual?
46:08It's a huge part.
46:09It's a huge part
46:10of my actual everyday rituals
46:12what gets me up in the morning
46:14but most certainly
46:15definitely required on Christmas morning
46:17and nothing more than making
46:19a lovely pot of coffee
46:20and sitting down by our fire
46:22and opening presents with the family.
46:23Yeah, definitely a big part
46:24of my Christmas ritual.
46:26And are you finding
46:27that people are buying this for gifts
46:29or are they buying it for themselves?
46:31I take it you sell
46:32or are you quite busy
46:33at this time of year?
46:34Yes, we've only just launched it
46:36and there's been lots of orders already.
46:38You can see people buying it
46:39and having it delivered
46:40obviously to friends and family
46:42which is amazing
46:43and also people buy it for themselves.
46:45I mean coffee's a great gift.
46:47It's sweet.
46:48Everyone loves it.
46:49Everyone's going to drink it.
46:50It's not just a present
46:51that's just going to sit on your shelf
46:53and gather dust.
46:54So it definitely makes
46:55a fantastic Christmas gift.
46:57And this Christmas
46:58are you going to be working?
46:59Are you going to be off?
47:00What are you up to?
47:02Definitely off from Christmas Eve
47:04and through Boxing Day
47:05and then we'll have the roastery back open
47:07for those few days
47:08between Christmas and New Year.
47:10Just Aberfeldy is buzzing with people
47:12and lots of friends and family
47:14visiting people that live here.
47:16So yeah, we'll have a nice few days
47:18off over Christmas.
47:20Going forward into 2025
47:21I know you've got
47:22a coffee academy.
47:23Is that right?
47:24Is that something
47:25that you're going to be doing again next year?
47:26You want to kind of talk about?
47:28Oh yes, very much so.
47:29We're so proud of our coffee academy.
47:31We've been running it now for three years
47:33and it's a mentoring programme
47:35that we support young people
47:37in our community
47:38to just get skills
47:40and confidence
47:41to take that first step into work.
47:43So we ran the academy
47:45at our roastery in October this year
47:47and it was a huge success
47:48and actually we've already seen
47:49a lot of the students that attended
47:51have gone on
47:52and got part-time jobs
47:54in local cafes
47:55that they hadn't felt the confidence
47:57to do so before
47:58which is great
47:59and so we'll definitely be doing
48:00the academy next year
48:02and going forward.
48:03Yeah, it's a big part of what we do
48:04here at Glen Lyons.
48:05And it's always good to know
48:06that people are properly trained
48:07on how to make really good coffee.
48:09Yeah, it's very intensive
48:10week-long training.
48:12We give everyone
48:13all from roasting as well
48:15and how to cup
48:16and learn the flavours of coffee
48:18as well as making a lovely cup of coffee
48:20and a good flat white as well.
48:22And would you ever offer that
48:23just to people who really like coffee?
48:25Like, I love coffee
48:26and I would love to know,
48:27you know, you go to the
48:28specialist coffee shops
48:29and you watch them kind of weigh it out
48:30and it always tastes better
48:31from them than it does at home.
48:32Is it something you would offer
48:33to just random people?
48:35Yeah, it's definitely something
48:36we're considering maybe
48:37to expanding and offering courses
48:39to people that would like
48:41to learn more about coffee
48:42and come and do workshops with us.
48:44That's definitely something
48:45to watch out for in 2025.
48:47And if anyone is starting
48:49to think about the coffee lover
48:50in their life and what to buy
48:51them for Christmas,
48:52do you have any suggestions?
48:54Well, yes, of course.
48:55I mean, a bag of figgy pudding
48:56is going to always go down well,
48:58but we also sell some really great
49:00merchandise here at Glenlion.
49:02We've got very cool camp mugs
49:04and t-shirts and wool beanies
49:06made here in Scotland.
49:08So a good range of gifts as well
49:10that will go down well as presents.
49:13I just would encourage everyone
49:15to drink coffee,
49:16find your local coffee roaster
49:18and buy from them because
49:19that's going to be the freshest,
49:20probably most delicious beans.
49:22If you can at all,
49:24have a grinder so you can
49:25grind your beans fresh.
49:26That would be the single most thing
49:28to improve your cup of coffee.
49:29They're not expensive either.
49:30I've got one in the kitchen
49:31and I just did that this morning
49:32and it wasn't an expensive purchase
49:34and it is worth it.
49:35Yes.
49:36Thanks. Well, thank you very much
49:37and Merry Christmas when it comes
49:38and I hope you enjoy it
49:39with a nice cup of figgy pudding coffee.
49:41Thanks, Ros.
49:42It's been so fun talking to you.
49:45To support the work of
49:46The Salvation Army in Scotland
49:47and the wonderful team
49:48at Eva Burra's Lifehouse,
49:49visit SalvationArmy.org.uk
49:51forward slash Scotland slash office.
49:56We'll be back sooner than usual
49:57with our second Christmas episode
49:58dropping next week.
50:00We'll have the wonderful
50:01Peter Gilchrist of Tenement Kitchen
50:03talking to me about all things
50:04Christmas in Scotland,
50:05as well as Barry Bryson,
50:07chef and caterer,
50:08who lets us in on some festive tips
50:10for cracking the Christmas dinner.
50:12We'll also hear from
50:13a couple more of
50:14the Bow House producers.
50:16In the meantime,
50:17enjoy the build-up to Christmas
50:18and everything that goes with it.
50:22Thanks to my guests
50:23for being on this episode
50:24and thanks to you too for listening.
50:26Please remember to rate, review
50:27and subscribe
50:28so you never miss an episode of Scran.
50:30Scran is co-produced and hosted
50:32by me, Ros Anderson,
50:33and co-produced, edited and mixed
50:34by Kelly Crichton.