VH

VALLEYFIELD HOUSE

THE CRAFT OF GOOD FOOD

Valleyfield House Partnership, off 17 High Street, Penicuik

Now in its twenty-fourth year.

Every week this organic and fair trade market is run by volunteers on Saturday mornings

Valleyfield House is tucked away in the heart of Penicuik through a High Street archway. Since 1990, every Saturday morning from ten till noon, organic and fair trade supplies are brought together and taken away by people at Valleyfield House.  People join in for the fun of it, there's no mark-up and everything changes hands at cost price, which makes a big difference to family food bills.  Our organic breads are brought in weekly, originally from Trusty Crust in East Saltoun and now from the Engine Shed in Edinburgh, stacks of fruit and vegetable boxes and other produce come in weekly from East Coast Organics at Pencaitland, organic milk & cream from Clyde Organics and glass-bottled unhomogenised pints, organic eggs from Giles Henry, organic cheese from Connage and Lye Cross, with Peeblesshire grapes and Penicuik honeys in season.  Pretty well everything else in the way of organic flours, pastas, tea, coffee, oats, chocolate, juices and general groceries, is there to supply a household’s needs, brought every week by wholesale co-operatives and local suppliers -look at the range available at the foot of this page.  It’s a great chance to meet people, drop in on the other shops and galleries nearby, and stop at the Town Hall Open House exhibition and café, the Gallery Café, Giovannis and Clippers and check out upcoming local events and exhibitions.

Unlike Edinburgh and similar recently-established farmers markets, everything here is at wholesale prices.

Valleyfield House is open from 10am till 12 on Saturdays.

-through the vennel and down the drive at

17 High Street, Penicuik, EH26 8HS

01968 677854

also at Valleyfield House:  Penicuik Pottery Friends’ Meeting launching the Jeanie Henderson

THE BANK MILL PROJECT LATEST

PENICUIK COMMUNITY FOOD: THE LOST GARDEN PROJECT

Quiet social enterprise

–a Penicuik tradition on Edinburgh’s doorstep

-Weekly supplies at Valleyfield House since 1990 revive a much older tradition. Marjory Cowan (1734-1819) had a no-nonsense approach to social enterprise as far back as the 1790s.  When living at Valleyfield, of which she was very fond, she paid great attention to her dairy, poultry and garden, selling with her own hands her spare milk to those who wanted it, and keeping cans set in order, each labelled for its own customer.   Every egg laid was marked with the date and the hen's name.   Marjorie had wry contempt for grand ways and would-be grand people.   One day she was in the garden with a large lapful of cabbages &c., which she had been cutting for the kail, when her husband Charles came in with a strange gentleman.   She walked past him, dropping a curtsey, and saying 'your servant, Mr Charles', thus sparing his blushes for a wife so employed.  She had a keen sense of humour and a high spirit of honour, and she detested deceit.   She knew Allan Ramsay's works almost by heart.  In her cellars in those days she kept barrels of American apples, a barrel or two of salted beef from Shetland and huge American cheeses as big as cartwheels. Read more about Marjory Fidler Cowan here on the Penicuik Trust website

The Valleyfield House local provisioning tradition was revived in 1990 at the prompting of Caroline McKerchar. It was encouraged and developed by local support and the interest of Elva Allen and Kay Oldfield of the Soil Association’s Lothians group. In 1996 we helped start Edinburgh’s first organic vegetable box scheme with grower Bruce Bennett of Pillars of Hercules. Our friends Fu and Mike at East Coast Organics in Pencaitland took over Penicuik boxes when Bruce gave up deliveries south of the Forth.  We established early links with Dan at Trusty Crust Organic Bakery, and the Crust’s new owner Peter Hamilton continued the connection and passed our custom on to the Engine Shed when he gave up. Dairy supplier Clyde Organics delivers each week[ we’re also served by Pete’s Doorstep Deli for rare unhomogenised glass-bottled pints and Loch Arthur cheeses. The delicious organic Ettrick Valley eggs from Giles Henry are so popular we now collect them ourselves, picking up Selkirk Honey, an occasional Selkirk Bannock and a glimpse of Peter Womersley’s architectural masterpiece on the way . We’re grateful to Lucy who brings her succulent Peeblesshire damsons and grapes every year, to Diana whose walled garden at Garvald once inspired us, and to Belle and other local gardeners who bring in their produce to share.

Valleyfield House volunteer Saturday market helpers 1990-2013:

current helpers:, Roger Kelly, Michael Cook, and helpex visitors (we sing too -join us!)

(past helpers- Roddy Johnston, Kirsty Robertson, Rose Scott, Johnny Barton, Tom Kelly, Katie Owen, Gus Fisher, Wouter Modderkolk, Mandy Manouvrier, Tom Sydes, Kate Hayworth)

Valleyfield helpexchange volunteers 2008-13:

2008 Mike Greer, Elizabeth Laudenslager, Christina Suter, Sheila Nichols, Bill Nichols, Lauren Williams, Dani Mazzotti, Simon Schiaratura, Katharina Rehberg, Hannah Schlegelmilch, Kalina Suter, Stephanie Poole,

2009 Hank Guterson, Maria Jesus Villanueva Millan, Sergio Piñeiro Hermida, Brad Beitscher, Aimee Mossa, Thomas Bru, James Romine, Christina Suter, Elizabeth Morgan, Janis Finn,

2010 Ciaran Patterson Taylor, Sebastian Pohl, Sandra Liebram, Maria Andres, Jai Larkman, Sindy Burk, Samuel Rodríguez Cardeñas, Eva Caballé Moreno, Charlotte Munoz, Abel Munoz, Thibaut Schaeffer, Steffi Kick, Luke Gibson,

2011 Esme Gaisford, Emily Heard, Jennifer Eger, Constantin Blaum, Luke O’Sullivan, Matt Wilson, Karen House, James Butcher, Shauna Kohn, Nathan Bunn, Trevor Kavanagh, Andrew Chornohus, Thomas Vautrin, Simon Moffat, Francesc Domenech Molins, Ciaran Patterson Taylor, Patrick Mykoda, Simon Bangert, Annie Olivier, Jannell Russell, Aviva Gaphni,

2012 Simone ‘Pepe’ Faita, Yonatan Lewin, Malte Gentz, Rike Adler, Victor Somveille, Tsz ho Kuok (Vito), Louis Rus, Pedro Nunez, Ronja Thum, Vito, Anna Du, Alex Biscarner, Cynthia Jonas, Daniel Gaupi De Lima,

2013 Alyssa Watson, Lorimar Albert, Diego Frey Miras, Arda Akkas, Ben Wood.

Valleyfield House Gardens:

  Jane Kelly and helpex volunteers

(past- David Robertson, Graham Louttit, David Kinnen, Reuben Crook, Matthew Watson, Jill Hayward, Katy Sydes)

Valleyfield House Honey:

(past: Margaret Nixon, Maurice Checker)

VH Magazine Exchange:

Rose Scott

Valleyfield House the Penicuik Food Source every Saturday from 10am till noon

-a sensible range of what's local, organic, fair trade or traditional, run weekly by unpaid volunteers for more than 21 years

-follows the down-to-earth Penicuik food supply tradition set by Marjorie Cowan at Valleyfield over 200 years ago .

-without margin, markup or fuss, cuts household expense on the very items that supermarkets and country boutiques aim to sell high

Expect to find

East Coast Organics Vegetables; East Coast Organics Fruit, East Coast Organics weekly boxes, large and small Engine Shed organic loaves, cheese whirls and spiced fruit buns; Connage Culloden Organic Bries and Crowdies, Loch Arthur Organic Farmhouse Cheeses, Lye Cross Organic Double Gloucesters, Caerphillys and Cheddars, Rachels Organic Greekstyle yogurt, Calon Wen Organic Welsh butter salted and unsalted, Traditional glass pint bottles of unhomogenised whole milk and of skimmed milk, Clyde Organics litres of full cream and semi-skimmed milk, single and double cream, Daoni milk, Giles Henry's Organic Ettrick Valley free range Eggs from Oakwood Mill, Forfarshire Organic free-range eggs, Bonnington Farm Peeblesshire Organic free-range eggs, Amaizin organic sesame snacks, Trafo Organic Provancale Crisps, Atlantic Organic Sea Salt, Marigold traditional, low-salt and organic bouillons, Vecon, Marigold Braised Tofu, Oatley Oat Milk, Tice Fream Rice Milk, Provamel Soya Milk, Clearspring Silken Tofu, Kallo Organic Rice Cakes: unsalted and savoury, Nairn's Organic Edinburgh Oatcakes, Suma Organic Soups in many varieties, Organic breadmaking and baking flours by Marriages, Doves Farm and Shipton Mill; Fermipan, Doves Farm and Allinsons Yeasts, Pertwood Organic Granolas, Mueslis and Barley Flakes, Doves Farm Corn Flakes and Bio-Biz Bisks, Gluten-Free Cereals, Traditional Fru Grains, Grape Nuts and Pinhead oatmeal, Green City Organic Porage Oats, Gospie Mill Organic Oatmeals, Organic brown and white log grain rice and basmatti, Green City lentils, split and green peas, sesame and sunflower seeds, Crazy Jack organic raisins, prunes, apricots, cranberries and figs, Organic dates and sultanas, almonds, hazels and cashews, Organic canned sweetcorn, mixed beas, butter beans, baked beans, plum and chopped tomatoes. Hellenic olive oil litres, Mr Organic Olive Oil litres, Organic sunflower oil and flax oil, Ridgeways Organic Teabags, Clipper Organic Teabags: Assam, English Breakfast & Earl Grey, Dragonfly Organic Honeybush Tea and Indian Chai, Clipper Organic Green Tea, White Tea, Peppermint, Fennel, Dandelion, Peppermint & Nettle teabags, Yogi Organic Black Chai,  and Licquorice Tea, Heath and Heather Organic teabags in Ecinacea and Nettle, Percol Organic and FT Latin American, Ethiopian and Americano Ground Coffees, Equal Exchange Organic decaffeinated ground coffee, Percol Organic Instant Rainforest Coffee, Clipper Organic freeze-dried and decaffeinated coffees, Symyngtons traditional Dandelion Coffee granules, ElevenO'Clock traditional organic Rooibosch Teabags, Dr Stuarts Tranquillity Tea; Omacatepl Organic Drinking Chocolate, Organic Cocoa, Organic Golden Caster and Granulated Sugar, Organic Icing, Demerara, and Soft Brown Sugar, Shady Maple Organic Maple Syrup, Just Wholefoods Organic Jellies, Organico Levant and Moorish Olives, Organic stuffed olives, roasted artichokes and roasted aubergines, Organic White Spaghetti, Penne, Fusilli, Bows, Wholemeal Spaghetti, Pollen Organic Mayonnaise and horseradish sauce, Meridian and Pollen pasta sauces, Organic Shoyu, Tamari, Worcester Sauce, Wholegrain and Dijon Mustards; Red and White Wine Organic Vinegars, Balsamic and Cider Vinegars, Island Bakery Organic Lemon Melts and Tobermory Shortbreads, De Rit Organic Honey Waffles, Duchy Honey Oaten biscuits, Essential Organic crunchy salted peanut butter, Organic cashew butter, Thursday Cottage Organic Seville Marmalade, Rasperry, Strawberry and Damson Jams, Duchy Organic Marmalade, Raspberry and Damson Jams and Lemon Curd, Manuka Honey, Organic Honeys liquid, set and squeezy, Selkirk Honey, Organic Syrup, Treacle, Blackstrap Molasses and Malt. Fentimans traditionally brewed Tonicwater, Dandelion & Burdock, Victorian Lemonade, Rose Lemonade, Cola, Shandy, Ginger Beer, Seville Orange Jigger, James Whites Famous Organic Pear Juice; James White's Famous Beet-it Organic Beetroot Juice; Russet, Cox and Bramley single-variety apple juices, Rock's Organic Fruit Squashes, Rock's and Belvoir Organic Cordials, Belvoir Organic Lemonade, Traditional Spiced Berry Cordial, Green and Blacks and Vivani and Montezuma chocolate bar varieties, Ricola traditional Swiss lozenges, Weleda toothpastes Salt, Herb gel, Ratanhia, Calendula, Sarakan toothpaste, Phytosan Toothpastes, Bicarbonate Toothpaste; Faith and Urtekram Shampoos and Conditioners, Pitrok and Toms deodorants, Mysore Sandal Soap, Chandrika Ayurvedic Soap, Caurnies Kirkintilloch Lavender and Rose soaps, Ecover Washing-up Liquids Marigold, Aloe Vera, Lemon; Ecover Laundry and Delicates Liquids, Cleaners, Toilet and Drain Cleaners and Floor Soap, Disinfectant, Washing Powder, Diswasher Tablets, Handwash Liquid and refills, Pro Handwash, Marselles Kitchen Soap, Bio-D Washing Powder, Faith Dishwasher Gel; Traditional greaseproof bags and paper, foils and cupcases, and brown.Swedish firelighters, Biodegradeable bags, Ecoleaf Jumbo and double Kitchen Rolls and Toilet Tissues, Essential Toilet Tissues, Traidcraft hand tissues, Baby Cream, Cambridge Traditional Wax Polish, Traditional Beeswax Candles, Penicuik Postcards.

-After your visit call at Penicuik Pottery, Penicuik Open House in the Town Hall , Penicuik Arts Centre and Craft Shop, Gallery Cafe, Penicuik Wines, Giovanni’s Restaurant, and Pen-y-Coe Press Community Shop nearby as part of Penicuik Town Centre's Saturday experience. Public transport is plentiful from far and wide, or cycle or park-and-walk the streets.

Penicuik Pottery at Valleyfield House 2009 Arts Festival Gallery at VH

Friends’ Meeting at Valleyfield House

Launching the Ness Yawl Jeanie Henderson at Valleyfield House

COMMUNITY PRINT & STATIONERY SHOP

THE LOST GARDEN OF PENICUIK

BANK MILL PROJECT UPDATE

FAILED BID TO SAVE JACKSON STREET SCHOOL

PENICUIK HOME KOSMOID HOME

PENICUIK CO-OP

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