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Food And Drink

Shetland has an abundance of local produce, with really fresh fish, excellent meat and seasonal vegetables, herbs and a little fruit, all of which are available in local shops. Most food shops are in Lerwick but the rural general stores are well-stocked and sometimes incorporate a butcher’s.

Here as elsewhere, people are more and more inclined to seek out local food. Lerwick has a range of bakers, butchers and fishmongers, health food and wholefood outlets and a number of corner shops and off-licences. Tesco and the Co-op operate the two supermarkets.

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.

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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