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Food And Drink

In Shetland, as elsewhere, people are more and more inclined to seek out local food.  There’s an abundance of it, with really fresh fish and shellfish, excellent lamb and beef, seasonal vegetables, herbs and a little fruit.  The islands’ farms also produce milk and there is locally-made butter and cheese.  Local eggs can also be found in the shops, or you may find them on sale by the roadside, leaving the payment in an ‘honesty box’.  

Most food shops are in Lerwick, with a number of bakers, butchers and fishmongers as well as a wholefood outlet, a deli and an oriental grocer’s.  However, rural general stores are well-stocked and sometimes incorporate a butcher’s.  There are also several rural bakeries.  The two supermarkets in Lerwick are operated by Tesco and the Co-op.

There are some good options for eating out throughout Shetland and, again, there is a much sharper focus these days on local, fresh and seasonal produce.  Some restaurants offer Indian, Chinese, Thai and Italian food, either eat-in or takeaway. 

There’s a wide variety of pubs and bars around Shetland. Unsurprisingly, the greatest concentration is in Lerwick, but almost every community of any size has at least one. The kind of provision varies: sometimes, it may be a lounge or public bar in a country hotel but elsewhere the venue may be a local sailing club.  Informal musical sessions are quite common.  Britain’s most northerly brewery, on the island of Unst, offers a range of beers, widely available in bottles and, in some bars, on draught.

In summer, one of the treats we have in store is the tradition of Sunday teas at village halls throughout the islands, celebrated during 2009 by an edition of The Food Programme ('Shetland's Sunday Teas') on BBC Radio 4. Local families and visitors to the islands feast on sandwiches and homebaked scones and cakes, washed down with bottomless cups of tea and coffee. These events are highly enjoyable and serve as another example of the strength of community life.

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