Nominee Summary
Glenkilrie Larder is a family run business, based in Highland Perthshire, started in 2019 by Andrew and Lauren Houstoun. With a deep passion to produce high quality red meat, the husband and wife team are on a mission to bridge the gap between the consumer and the producer. Highlighting the positive impact, the farm animals they rear have on nutrition, the resident wildlife and the environment. Andrew is the third generation of his family to farm at Glenkilrie on which he and Dad, David rear cattle, sheep and deer while Lauren operates the Larder shop and a Cook school.
What makes your nominee stand out?
Glenkilrie is a 2,500 acre estate situated south of Glenshee, on which it proudly rears and produces venison, beef, and lamb across their own land. In 2018 the Houstouns began deer farming with the main focus behind this addition to produce venison for their diversification into the Glenkilrie Larder, whilst effectively utilising the poorer quality in-bye grassland. The Larder was set up to allow the business to directly market all three meats produced at Glenkilrie and armed only with social media the couple flourished through the pandemic in 2020 as more people turned to local producers for their food. Since they began wild deer numbers have risen dramatically on the farm and the couple are now marketing wild red deer venison with the farmed deer heading to Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. Andrew explains, “We have a lot of people buying venison from us regularly, but initially some people had maybe tried it in a restaurant or at someone else’s house and it wasn’t something that they felt comfortable cooking themselves. Now people are starting to realise that most things you can do with beef you can also do with venison – the list is endless. And that’s sort of where the social media aspect has a huge influence as Lauren’s always putting recipes up and ideas and showing people what can be created, which we’ve found is a much easier way of putting it across to people.”
Supporting the local community
Glenkilrie is one of two farms that has partnered with Cairngorms National Park in an innovative community deer larder project that will benefit food banks and schools through regular donations of prepared protein-rich wild venison. It will also foster a local, low food miles market for venison and create training opportunities and rural jobs. Sandy Bremner, convener at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “This is an exciting project that will help farmers tackle a long-running problem with wild deer, support the wider community, and preserve fragile habitats.” A grant enabled the purchase of the deer larders, and help Glenkilrie maintain these from which deer culled in and around the National Park will be butchered and a significant proportion of the venison processed will be donated to food banks, local schools, and community kitchens. Lauren supports the program alongside the farm’s Land to Larder ethos through a program of educational visits to local schools which she has undertaken. A message Lauren further promotes through her Cook School. To ensure the project becomes financially self-sustaining, venison from the larders will be sold to local retail outlets, hotels, and restaurants through already established routes to market forged by the farming business. “With the venison in particular, we really noticed a disconnect between people understanding the difference between the raw product we supply and what they might find in the supermarket,” said Andrew.
Maintaining high ethical/environmental standards
As a farm business, Glenkilrie are members of Quality Meat Scotland’s Scotch Beef Club, which the couple say helps build trust between consumers and farmers. Andrew states “We have some of the highest standards in the world here in Scotland and I think it’s really important that we help to maintain them.” Commenting on the Community Larder, Lauren praises the “fantastic initiative” allowing local businesses to utilise the wild red deer and adding value for everyone involved. She adds, “The population of deer herds are rising, agricultural damage is increasing and in turn, these fantastic animals are starting to be viewed as pests. We are thrilled to be able to put a positive spin on the situation and show what a valuable commodity the deer really are. “We are focused on creating a strong network to allow schools across Scotland access to this delicious, high protein, low fat meat. We’re currently donating the venison for use in home economics classes and ultimately hope it can be used on school menus in future. We are passionate in our efforts to make sure children know where their food comes from.” An aim also central to Lauren’s cook school which highlights the provenance of the meat which has been lovingly reared on their farm for over 60 years embracing the rich history of the Houstoun family and their commitment to sustainable farming practices. “From land to larder immerse yourself in the true essence of Glenkilrie where every bite tells a story.”
