Gathering 2025

15th November

Crofting: Local Food

Lochardil House, Inverness

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From Croft to Kitchen

Join us in Inverness for a day dedicated to the future of local food as we enjoy full day of knowledge-sharing, celebration, and practical discussion. With local food production back in the spotlight, this year’s theme couldn’t be more timely.

How can crofters play a central role in feeding their communities sustainably? What support do they need? And what policy changes are required to make smallscale production viable?

As SCF marks 40 years since the founding of the Scottish Crofters Union, the Gathering also offers a moment to reflect on progress made and the challenges ahead. Over four decades, crofters have campaigned and collaborated to protect a way of life rooted in land and community. This event celebrates that legacy while focusing on the future.

The Gathering will open with an address from Jim Fairlie, MSP and Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, followed by workshops and discussions with some of the most inspiring voices in crofting today.

In parallel with the workshops, attendees can explore our market and exhibition space, with stalls from crofters and partner organisations working across food, land, and climate.

Speakers in our packed and stimulating programme include:-

Pam Brunton, chef and co-owner of the award-winning Inver Restaurant. Drawing on her experience building a destination restaurant in rural Argyll, Pam well knows sustainable, place-led cooking, working with local producers, and the practicalities of running a high-standards kitchen outside the city. She has great insights on seasonality, supply chains, staff culture, and how hospitality can champion Scotland’s food landscape while supporting communities.

Sandy Granville, a crofter near Carloway in Lewis and founder of Hebridean Mutton and Highland Beef. Known for producing high-quality meat in collaboration with fellow island crofters, Sandy is also a familiar face from This Farming Life.
“I am very much looking forward to this gathering. I believe that producing and marketing top quality meat and other produce can make a worthwhile future for crofters and crofting”.

Sally Crowe, a Caithness crofter and current star of This Farming Life. After contracting Q-Fever, Sally shifted to a regenerative model and now runs a direct-to-consumer lamb and Irish Moiled beef box business. Her mix of humour, honesty, and hard-won insight makes her a valued voice in the crofting world.
“I’m delighted to be involved in the Gathering…I think that us crofters have a unique place in local food supply, we are in an ideal place to specialise in top quality, sustainable local food, for local customers.”

Helen O’Keefe, a crofter from Elphin and founder of The Green Bowl, combines traditional crofting with modern innovation. At Middleton Croft she raises Shetland sheep, grows vegetables, and champions community resilience. During COVID she launched The Green Bowl, an online hub linking local growers with customers, and has since been recognised as Young Crofter of the Year for her work supporting quality food and rural livelihoods.

Jo Hunt, who runs Knockfarrel Produce and helped establish Black Isle Larder brings expertise in both growing and selling. He’ll lead a workshop on whether small-scale food production can truly add up.
“How we produce more Local Food is a hot topic right now:- the best food comes from natural and well managed land, combined with skilled producers within a supportive community – something crofters were doing for a long time before the supermarkets took over and gave us imported food wrapped in plastic! The Gathering is a well-timed opportunity for small producers to learn from each other and write a new set of policy asks we need to deliver local food again”

Beth Rose, from Birchwood Croft in Strathnairn, passionately believes in the value of crofting as a system that provides food for individuals and families.
“Food is a basic need for life, and crofting allows the opportunity to be stewards of land to generate food. But food, and thus our society, is affected by government bodies, policy makers, media, and education to name a few. This conference is a great place for sharing knowledge, questioning, and raising the voice of small scale food producers”.

Alongside Haley & Finlay from Seeds of Scotland, Col Gordon, Glenys Maclean, and more!

TICKET PRICES

Day Ticket (Price per attendee. Includes entry, refreshments and lunch)

SCF Members: £20
Non-members & NGOs/Charities: £40
Other Organisation (Public & Private Sector) £60

Evening Ticket (Price per attendee. Includes dinner, pre and post dinner drinks, glass of wine at table, and entertainment)

SCF Members: £20
Non-members: £40

The SCF has made every effort to keep this year’s ticket prices as affordable as possible and allow us to cover the costs of the event. We hope the offering provides great value to all but please see the Bursary section below if prices are prohibitive for you.

NB If you are interested in booking a table or space for a stall to sell your produce or promote your organisation, please contact hq@crofting.org

Evening Entertainment From 7.00pm

The Gathering closes with a drinks reception, sponsored by Glen Wyvis, followed by the Croft Gathering Dinner and live music!

This special celebratory croft-sourced dinner showcases produce grown and raised by SCF members and offers a moment to relax, connect, reflect, and enjoy the very food systems being discussed.

The dinner also marks SCF’s 40th anniversary with speeches, thanks, and memories. Historian Jim Hunter, author of The Making of the Crofting Community and first director of the Scottish Crofters Union, will join us to look back on the past four decades and what they’ve meant for land and people in the Highlands and Islands.

Bursary

Thanks to sponsorship from Polycrub, we have some funds available for bursary for those who are finding cost to be a significant barrier to attendance. Please contact Donna, our Chief Executive, on donna@crofting.org.

Please be assured that future gatherings will take place in different locations throughout the crofting counties to widen the opportunity for attendance.

Sponsorship and Funding

We would like to thank the following organisations and companies for their generous funding and sponsorship, without which this Gathering would not be possible…

Grant funders:-