How to have an Ethical Carnivore Thanksgiving

Beginning an ‘eco’ build… by felling a tree

May 4, 2021 Architecture, Ben Damph, Ben Damph Estate, Ben Damph House, Climate Change, Construction, Douglas fir, eco build, environment, Forestry, highlands, highlands, Larch, nature, new build, scotland, SIPs, timber, Torridon, trees, Uncategorized, wester ross, wildlife, wood 2 comments

It seems a strange way to begin the story of a new ‘eco house’, with the tale of felling a tree. But in terms of construction, building out of wood is one of the best things you can do for storing and absorbing carbon, and I did hug this tree first… Read more

A year of fruit and veg in Scottish Field

February 4, 2019 Angus Soft Fruits, apples, Bartlett, blackberries, Blochairn, Blochairn Fruit Market, brussel sprouts, carrots, Climate Change, cookery, countryside, eating, environment, ethics, Farming, Food, Food education, food photography, food technology, food waste, Food writing, foraging, Fruit, fruit&veg, future of food, Glasgow, Intelligent Growth Solutions, James Hutton Institute, organic, peas, potatoes, scotland, scottish field, Uncategorized, Veg, vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian, wildlife Comments Off

Workers at Angus Soft Fruits, mostly from Eastern Europe, gather strawberries from dawn on a farm by the sea. © Angus Blackburn, Scottish Field

Over the past year, in a series of columns published in Scottish Field, I have explored an ethical issue about a fruit or vegetable grown in Scotland every month. It has been a privilege to meet the farmers growing our food and I hope to go into more detail about some of the challenges of feeding the world without destroying the environment in my next book. If there is a subject you would like me to explore please post comments below. Read more

My year planting trees

January 28, 2019 Ben Damph, Ben Damph Estate, environment, highlands, nature, nature writing, Rewilding, rhododendrons, scotland, Torridon, trees, Trees for Life, Uncategorized, wester ross, wildlife Comments Off

Aspen planted in 1.8m tubes by Loch Torridon.

Over the past year I have been involved in a project to plant 3,500 native trees on Ben Damph Estate in the Highlands of Scotland. It was a part of a Forestry Commission Scotland grant to improve woodland in an area previously infested with rhododendron ponticum. This blog is an attempt to exchange knowledge on the challenges of planting in a landscape shared with red deer and rhoddies, and a little bit of philosophy about the joys of planting trees…
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Fruit and veg: Do you remember the local greengrocers?

March 26, 2018 edinburgh, environment, family history, Food, Fruit, greengrocers, history, Rankins', scotland, Uncategorized, Vegetables 16 comments

Rankins’ in Tollcross in 1978. The year I was born! Can you remember any Rankins’ greengrocer shops in Edinburgh? © The Scotsman Publications Ltd.

The first step in my new project is to consider the history of the fruit and vegetable trade. I am particularly interested in my Great Grandfather’s chain of shops Rankins’ greengrocers in Edinburgh and would like to hear from anyone who can remember the shops. Read more

Introducing the next project: Ethical fruit and vegetables

March 21, 2018 avocado, Blochairn, Blochairn Fruit Market, eating, environment, ethical herbivore, ethics, Food, Food education, Food writing, Fruit, Glasgow, scotland, scottish field, Uncategorized, Veg, vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian One comment

Louise Gray at Blochairn Fruit Market, Glasgow © Angus Blackburn, Scottish Field

Louise Gray investigating fruit and veg at Blochairn Fruit Market in Glasgow © Angus Blackburn, Scottish Field

I have officially started a new project, and it’s all about where our fruit and vegetables come from…. Read more

Transforming the table: How to tell the story of your lunch

July 30, 2017 animals, Books, bushcraft, butchers, Education, Food, Food Beyond the Plate, Food education, Food writing, Gastronomy, Meat, rabbit 2 comments

The dining table at Newton Walled Garden

A white linen table cloth can be as terrifying as the blank page. Both are beautiful and full of potential, but where the hell do you start to tell the story? Read more

The pine martens make a meal of it, until the badger comes along

May 1, 2017 aigas, animals, badger, beaver, countryside, environment, highlands, nature, nature writing, photography, pine marten, Rewilding, scotland, Uncategorized, wildlife Comments Off

A pine marten looking for danger – and peanuts.

A few weeks ago I spent a very enjoyable evening in the hide at Aigas Field Centre, where BBC Springwatch is filmed, watching a pine marten happily munching peanuts – until a badger came along… Read more

Photo story: Plucking a goose for Christmas

December 9, 2016 animal ethics, animal rights, animals, birds, Books, butchers, chefs, Christmas, christmas dinner, countryside, eating, environment, ethical carnivore, ethics, Farming, Food, geese, goose, Meat, photography, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian 2 comments

I have recently written a piece for Spectator Life on why goose are back in fashion this Christmas – following the news Theresa May favours goose over turkey. Here is a photo story about how I plucked and gutted my own goose for Christmas, making sure to save the fat for the roast potatoes – just like our Prime Minister likes them. Read more

How writing The Ethical Carnivore taught me the true meaning of Thanksgiving

November 24, 2016 animal ethics, animals, birds, Bloomsbury, Books, Burns, cookery, eating, environment, ethics, Food, Meat, publishing, Thanksgiving, turkey, Uncategorized, vegetarian 3 comments

Free-range turkeys raised with care by farmer Lucy Beattie

Writing The Ethical Carnivore taught me how to shoot, fish and butcher animals. Most importantly, it taught me to be grateful for the meat we eat. Read more