A Taste of Orkney: Local Specialities & Where to Buy

A taste of Orkney begins the moment you step off the ferry: salt air, the smell of freshly baked oatcakes drifting from a doorway, and a harbour crane swinging a crate of just-landed brown crab onto the pier. The islands have their own larder — two protected-status cheeses, a craft vinegar made entirely from Orcadian botanicals, a fudge recipe unchanged for four generations, and beef and lamb with the same legal protection as Champagne. This guide works through the essentials: what to taste, who makes it, and exactly where to find it, whether you are in Kirkwall for the afternoon or ordering a hamper from home.

Two Cheeses, Two Completely Different Characters

Orkney produces two very different cheeses and both are worth seeking out.

Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar is made by the Orkney Cheese Company in Kirkwall, a farmers’ co-operative that has been operating since 1946. Milk comes from 13 dairy farms across the Mainland and is matured into a sharp, full-flavoured cheddar using a distinctive dry-stir method. It holds Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status — the same legal protection as Champagne or Parmigiano-Reggiano. You will find it at The Brig Larder in Kirkwall, at Bayleaf Delicatessen in Stromness, at Jollys of Orkney and widely online.

Grimbister Farm Cheese is the other Orkney original. Made at Grimbister Farm near Kirkwall by Ann Seator using unpasteurised milk from Friesian cows, it is a soft, crumbly wheel aged for only around four days, with a mild lemony tang. It is nothing like the cheddar — fragile, fresh, almost spreadable when young. The Savoy Hotel in London once ordered a 27-kilogram block of the whisky-flavoured version for a Burns Night dinner. In Orkney today it appears on most restaurant starters menus, usually pan-fried in breadcrumbs until golden. Buy it from Jollys of Orkney in quarter, half or whole wheel.

Orkney Craft Vinegar: Seven Varieties from a Garage in Orphir

Sam Britten started Orkney Craft Vinegar in a garage in the village of Orphir in 2017. A brewer by training and a former chef, he ferments each variety from scratch: ingredients are first turned into a wine, mead, or beer, then fermented again to become vinegar, using only Orcadian, organic, or foraged botanicals. The Bere Malt Vinegar — his flagship — is made from bere barley, the ancient grain still grown in Orkney, and matured in spent Highland Park whisky casks for up to a year. Other varieties include honey vinegar, rhubarb, rosehip, seaweed and meadowsweet. No plastic touches the product: every bottle uses cork, paper and glass.

The range won Great Taste Awards in 2018 and has since attracted the attention of chefs including Nick Nairn, James Martin and Matt Tebbutt. A first television appearance sold out the entire stock in two days. The company now operates from a larger production facility on the islands and ships direct from orkneycraftvinegar.com. Some varieties are seasonal and go fast.

Oatcakes & Beremeal: The Ancient Grain at Barony Mill

Bere barley is one of the oldest cultivated grains in Scotland, grown on the islands for thousands of years and milled at Barony Mill near Birsay — the only mill in the world that still grinds bere into flour commercially. The resulting beremeal carries an earthy, slightly bitter note quite distinct from modern barley flour, and it anchors the baking traditions of Orkney.

Stockan’s Oatcakes, a fourth-generation family bakery in Stromness, is the headline name. Their standard range (thin, thick, cheese) is widely stocked across UK farm shops, delis, and by mail order from stockans.com. The Heritage range, which introduces beremeal and spelt alongside Scottish oats, has earned its own Great Taste recognition and is hardest to find outside the islands — good reason to pick it up in person. Argo’s Bakery in Stromness also bakes beremeal oatcakes using Barony Mill flour, and the Mill itself sells beremeal oatcakes direct.

Argo’s Bakery Fudge: Four Generations, the Same Recipe

Argo’s Bakery in Stromness has been making Orkney Fudge to the same recipe for more than 70 years across four generations of the same family. The bakery operates from 50 Victoria Street in Stromness — a two-minute walk from the ferry terminal — and from 44 Albert Street in Kirkwall. Classic vanilla fudge is the staple; the limited-edition runs have included Kirkjuvagr Gin and Highland Park Whisky flavours, both made with bottles from distilleries a few miles down the road.

Mail order is available, and Jollys of Orkney and Judith Glue both stock the fudge if you are ordering alongside other Orkney provisions. It is the most consistently chosen gift purchase at both ferry terminals, which tells you something about its reliability.

Brown Crab, Velvet Crab & Lobster from Orkney Waters

Orkney’s surrounding sea is among the most productive for shellfish in the UK. Brown crab and velvet crab are creel-caught from the waters around the Mainland and outlying islands, with Kirkwall, Stromness, Tingwall and Westray among the main landing ports. Orkney Crab in Stromness processes over 2,000 tonnes of brown crab a year — one of the largest shellfish processing operations in Scotland.

For visitors, the best public-facing stop is Loki Seafood Shack at Garson Food Park in Stromness, which sells fresh and cooked crab, lobster, langoustines, scallops and wet fish depending on what has been landed that day. Jollys of Orkney at Hatston, Kirkwall, also handles shellfish. If you would rather let a kitchen do the work, the guide to Orkney’s best seafood restaurants covers the standout kitchens for fresh local catch.

Orkney Beef & Lamb: Protected-Status Meat

Both Orkney Beef and Orkney Lamb carry Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status — the highest tier of UK geographical food protection, confirmed by official government product specifications. No producer outside Orkney can legally use either name.

Orkney Beef cattle must be born, reared, slaughtered and dressed on the islands. The breed base is predominantly Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn crosses, raised without artificial supplements or growth promoters. The PDO is administered by Orkney Meat Ltd. Orkney Lamb includes the North Ronaldsay breed — an ancient native sheep (the breed is thought to be around 8,000 years old) enclosed behind a 13.5-mile dry-stone dyke on North Ronaldsay, where it grazes on seaweed for most of the year, giving the meat a distinctive mineral flavour. You will find local beef at Kirkwall butchers including Williamsons and at the supermarkets in Kirkwall, and at E. Flett Butcher in Stromness (in its fifth generation, established 1876). For the meat on a menu, the best restaurants in Orkney are the surest places to taste it in season.

Orkney Food Hampers: The Easiest Way to Post the Islands

Jollys of Orkney is the island’s principal hamper supplier, with free UK delivery on the full range. The Traditional Orkney Hamper (£74.95) typically contains a smoked kipper, smoked mackerel, smoked salmon, smoked Orkney Cheddar, a quarter of Grimbister Farm Cheese, shortbread, thick oatcakes, beremeal oatcakes, and Orkney Fudge. From there the range scales from the compact Peedie Taste of Orkney Hamper (from £54.95) up through the Luxury Taste of Orkney Hamper (£104.95) to the Deluxe (£234.95). A “make your own” option lets you build a bespoke selection. The complete guide to Orkney’s farm shops and producers covers where to visit in person if you are on the islands.

The Orkney Larder: Key Products & Where to Find Them

Frequently Asked Questions

What food is Orkney most famous for?

Orkney is best known for its PDO-protected beef and lamb, Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar (PGI, made since 1946), Grimbister Farm Cheese, creel-caught brown crab and lobster, and Argo’s Bakery fudge. The islands also produce Orkney Craft Vinegar and Stockan’s Oatcakes, both with profiles well beyond the islands.

What is Grimbister cheese and how does it taste?

Grimbister Farm Cheese is a soft, crumbly farmhouse cheese made near Kirkwall from unpasteurised Friesian milk. It is aged for only around four days, which gives it a mild, fresh character with a lemony tang — nothing like a cheddar. Most Orkney restaurants serve it pan-fried in breadcrumbs as a starter.

What is bere barley and why does Orkney still grow it?

Bere is a six-row barley strain brought to Orkney by Norse settlers and grown there for thousands of years. It is stone-ground at the 18th-century Barony Mill near Birsay — the only mill in the world still grinding it commercially. The earthy, slightly bitter beremeal it produces goes into oatcakes, bannocks and Orkney Craft Vinegar’s Bere Malt Vinegar, which is also matured in Highland Park whisky casks.

Can I buy Orkney food online?

Yes. Jollys of Orkney (jollysoforkney.co.uk) offers free UK delivery on hampers and individual products including cheese, smoked fish, oatcakes, and fudge. Stockan’s Oatcakes ship from stockans.com, and Orkney Craft Vinegar ships direct from orkneycraftvinegar.com. Judith Glue in Kirkwall has been posting Orkney food hampers for over 30 years.

Where can I buy fresh crab in Orkney?

Loki Seafood Shack at Garson Food Park in Stromness is the main public-facing stop for fresh and cooked crab, lobster and shellfish — what is available changes daily based on the catch. Jollys of Orkney at Hatston, Kirkwall, also handles fresh shellfish and smoked fish products.

What makes a good Orkney food gift or souvenir?

Orkney Craft Vinegar travels well and is unusual enough to be a genuine conversation starter — the Bere Malt Vinegar is the one to go for. Argo’s Fudge is compact and universally liked; a tin of Stockan’s Heritage beremeal oatcakes is almost impossible to find outside Orkney. For a complete gift, Jollys of Orkney’s Traditional Hamper (£74.95) bundles cheese, fudge, smoked fish, oatcakes, and beremeal biscuits in one box with free UK delivery.