Where we are, What we do
An Gàrradh Mòr is the historic high-walled kitchen garden at Cille Bhrìghde [Kilbride] on the island of South Uist, in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. It is the only such walled garden in these islands with its walls intact, and the only such garden used for its original purpose - to supply the needs of the household.
Just a few paces from the shore, the garden looks out over the Sound of Barra and the many islands scattered across an ever-changing canvas of sea and sky. This is where we live and work.
Here at the walled garden and our croft on the nearby island of Eriskay, we grow a wide variety of vegetables, herbs and soft fruit, and also keep chickens, geese, sheep and bees. These together provide almost all the food we need and - certainly from late spring through to autumn - a modest surplus besides.
Eat fresh, Buy local
According to the time of year, and as available, we sell -
- Free-Range Eggs - hen (year-round) and goose (spring-time only)
- Jams, Chutneys and other preserves (also available by post)
- Lemon Curd - freshly made, April to September only
- Uist Machair Wildflower Honey - a honey like no other,
from the only beekeeper and honey producer in Uist & Barra
- Hogget Lamb (18m-2yrs old) from our own flock of Hebridean sheep - Roasting joints, chops and more
- Soft fruit - gooseberries, rhubarb, blackcurrants ...
- Vegetables - tomatoes, new potatoes, courgettes, carrots, onions,
spring greens, cabbage, cauliflower, ...
- Herbs and Salads - fresh cut on request only - for flavour and health
Notice boards by the south gate show what is currently available, but it does vary day by day, and even in the course of a single day - especially during the busy summer school holidays.
An Gàrradh Mòr is first and foremost our private home and garden, but if you’d like to look round the garden, just ask when you pay for your purchases.
There’s generally somebody at home, but if you’re travelling some distance you might want to phone first to avoid disappointment. Call 01878 700828 or email mail@biggarden.co.uk
The Garden
The half-acre walled garden is worked according to organic principles. We see a three-fold justification in this: environment, health, and quality. There can be no doubt whatsoever that our organically-grown potatoes, cabbages or whatever, fresh from the garden, are far tastier and more nutritious than anything that can be bought in a supermarket, anywhere, at any price. And how can working only with natural materials entirely of this place be anything other than good for the health of ourselves and the environment?
Crops are inter-planted and rotated so that the soil does not become exhausted, and to resist pests and diseases. In early Spring the soil is fed with a compost comprised of seaweed from the shore outside, garden and kitchen waste and soiled straw animal bedding. We sow more than we need, so that if a few seedlings are lost to pests, disease or extreme weather, we have replacements. When propagating, too - whether fruit bushes or trees and shrubs for shelter and ornament, we have to allow for a high proportion of losses to the harsh weather. Thus we often end up with more than we can use, and so there'll often be shrubs and plants for sale at the garden 'shop’.
Certainly, there isn't a single day of the year when the majority of the food on our plates isn't from the garden, and the very best the season has to offer: whether that be mouth-watering tomatoes or strawberries, fresh-picked rocket or lettuce, tasty parsnip or artichoke, irresistible jams with gooseberry or rhubarb, or a glass or two of blackberry wine. We’re happy to offer you a taste of our own plentiful harvest!
The Croft
Our croft on the nearby island of Eriskay is also worked organically. The croft is a long narrow strip, totalling about 15 acres, running from the rocky north shore of the island for about half a mile to the rocky buttresses of Beinn Sciathan, Eriskay’s highest point. The fully fenced ‘lower croft’; between the road and the shore - with its plentiful supply of seaweed - is certainly the most productive ground and here are found the croft house (which we let out as holiday accommodation) and outbuildings. The higher ground is little more than rock, coarse grasses and heather. At the beginning of May the island’s sheep, cattle and Eriskay ponies are turned out on to the hills - the island’s common grazings, and are brought down again in late Autumn
Our hens and geese have free-range over the lower croft - including the shore with its many tasty morsels amongst the seaweed. The hens are mostly Welsumer and Light Sussex, but also include a smaller number of less common breeds. This is where most of our eggs come from, but we do also keep up to a dozen Buff Orpington hens at An Gàrradh Mòr. Our white Wessex geese are left pretty much to their own devices, but in spring they provide a limited supply of very big and tasty eggs.
Our pedigree Hebridean sheep are kept both for their black wool and their meat. (And besides, they’re cute!) Being native to the islands and very hardy, they are ideally suited to the extreme conditions here. The slower maturing of this ancient breed, combined with the completely natural grazing, gives incomparable flavour and texture to the meat; whilst the lack of need for routine treatment with medicines, makes it naturally organic and healthy, For much the same reasons, we hope soon to be also keeping Highland cattle.
Not so long ago, almost every crofter here would have kept one of the hardy native ponies to help with work around the croft, but not least with carrying loads, including seaweed from the shore and peat from the hill. The Eriskay Pony is nowadays exceptionally rare, but are still numerous here in Eriskay and South Uist, but none are used to help with croft work. At least, not yet ...
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Lemon Curd season has arrived!
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In the 5th century, St Birgid - daughter of an Irish Prince and a contemporary of St Patrick - landed on the beach right here - with an oyster-catcher perched on each wrist. A chapel - now long since vanished - was dedicated to her, and from this comes Cille Bhrìghde in Gaelic, or Kilbride in English - both meaning Chapel of Bride. It is thought that the word Hebrides is from old Norse, meaning ‘Isles of Bride’.
