In this issue of Food and Drink Matters, we are pleased to feature Eviedale Bakehouse as our Artisan Baking Company of the Month.
In the village of Evie, on Orkney’s West Mainland, bread is being given the time it deserves. At Eviedale Bakehouse, husband-and-wife team Philippa and Ian Porritt have built a business around the belief that good food is worth waiting for, and that some of Orkney’s most distinctive flavours are found in ingredients with centuries of history behind them.
The Porritts established Eviedale Bakehouse in 2017, after moving to Orkney from Perth. Their original venture was a small café, where they served hearty homemade food alongside their own sourdough bread. It was the response from customers, particularly those asking to take the bread home, that prompted the couple to expand their baking and develop the bakery into the artisan business it is today.
Based in the heart of Evie, the bakery remains firmly rooted in its island surroundings. Everything is made in Orkney, with traditional techniques, quality ingredients and plenty of patience at the heart of the process. Eviedale describes itself as a scratch bakery, with its sourdough bread and viennoiserie made and shaped by hand. Some of its doughs take days to prepare, while its bread is proved for up to 48 hours.
That commitment to slow fermentation is perhaps best expressed in one of the bakery’s most distinctive creations: its Sourdough Beremeal Crackers. Made with locally milled Beremeal from Orkney-grown Bere barley, the crackers bring together two important strands of the island’s food heritage – sourdough and an ancient grain. The result is a crisp, nutty product that transforms a historic ingredient into something distinctly contemporary.
The crackers have already attracted considerable recognition, winning Best New Product at the 2026 Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards, alongside Great Taste recognition. The bakery’s wider range includes Sourdough Beremeal Oatcakes, cultured-butter sourdough shortbread, breads, pastries and sourdough pizzas, while its onsite honesty shop offers fresh and frozen products.
We spoke to Philippa, who explained what makes the bakery’s approach distinctive, “For us, it is the combination of traditional sourdough fermentation with genuinely local heritage ingredients.
“Our Sourdough Beremeal Crackers use Orkney Beremeal, milled from ancient Bere barley at The Barony Mill. Bere barley is nutrient-rich and has a naturally low gluten content, which means it doesn’t lend itself particularly easily to bread production. However, that characteristic makes it particularly well suited to crackers, where it gives a wonderful nutty flavour and crisp texture.
“We also believe that the time and patience involved in sourdough fermentation makes a real difference to flavour. We use our mature sourdough starter and make our products in small batches, using simple ingredients without shortcuts.”
For Eviedale, the success of the crackers has opened an exciting new chapter. They have since received both one- and two-star Great Taste recognition and have been named finalists in the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards and the Great British Food & Drink Awards.
The development of longer-life products has also allowed the bakery to look beyond the logistical limitations of fresh bread and pastries, enabling it to take something genuinely made in Orkney to customers across the UK.
In September, Eviedale will take another step in that journey when it exhibits at the Natural & Organic Food Show at ExCeL London, introducing its products to new buyers and retailers. The bakery has also been expanding its range, with new flavours planned for the future.
At the heart of that growth is a philosophy that remains reassuringly simple: “We believe the best food takes time.” Traditional methods, natural fermentation and quality ingredients continue to shape everything Eviedale makes, alongside a commitment to celebrating Orkney’s food heritage.
That commitment is particularly evident in the bakery’s relationship with The Barony Mill, a 150 year old working watermill just eight miles from Eviedale and the only mill in the world still milling Orkney Bere barley.
For Philippa and Ian, however, growth is not about leaving their roots behind. The aim is to bring more of Orkney’s distinctive food culture to customers across the UK while continuing to support local ingredients and traditional producers.
What began as a small café has evolved into a business with ambitions beyond the island, but its foundations remain firmly in Evie: handmade baking, heritage ingredients and the patience to do things properly.
M 07977 066994
philippa@eviedalebakehouse.co.uk
www.facebook.com/eviedalebakehouse/?locale=en_GB
www.instagram.com/eviedale_bakehouse.orkney
www.eviedale-cottages.co.uk