THIS LOVE Lamb Week, make sure to buy local as you chose the perfect herb accompaniment to your Scottish lamb dishes.

Lamb lovers have been urged not only to support Scotch lamb PGI this Love Lamb Week between September 1 and 7, but to also buy Scottish when choosing the perfect herbs to complement their creations.

Whether that means looking for traditional mint sauce on the side of a lamb chop, sprigs of thyme for the lamb roast dinner or even some chillies to give a kick to a lamb curry, consumers might be surprised at how many ingredients can be sourced on Scottish farms.

Sheena Horner, who farms and owns Galloway Chillies in the south west of Scotland, produces award-winning chillies and has moire recently developed her range of herbs, including 25 different varieties of mint.

Speaking on the development of her business and growing unique produce for a Scottish farm, Ms Horner said: “When I started growing, it was from my love of chillies and spicy food, but over the last 18 months it has really progressed into growing herbs. But not just herbs, hardy herbs. Herbs that are able to last.

“At the moment I’m just concentrating on building up the range," she continued. "We’ve got 25 different varieties of mint, from all different flavours, and they don’t just to go with lamb. We’ve got flavours to go in desserts, savoury flavours, we’ve even got a lemon and lime flavoured mints, which go great in gin.

“I am a great lover of meat though and will have mint sauce with my lamb. I totally agree with eating seasonal and local meat.”

Supporting local and seasonal businesses is an important aspect of her approach but has become even more important to the business since the Covid-19 pandemic hit earlier this year.

“We were all set to put our herbs into restaurants and other sections of the hospitality industry, after a very successful trade show appearance earlier in the year," Ms Horner continued. "Unfortunately, a little thing call Covid hit and scuppered our plans for 2020.

“So, for now the herb side is relying on a few bits of business we had from before the pandemic happened as well as a shop window in one of the local shops in Wigtown. I’ve got a stand in there which has plants and herbs on it. But at the moment I’m just concentrating on building up the range,” she concluded.

Despite setbacks this year, Galloway Chillies is still growing and seasoning the dinners of folk in Dumfries and Galloway, and beyond, and hopefully will have all 25 varieties of mint in wider circulation soon.