10 Sept 2024

Meet the Supplier: Brigston & Co

Transcript

Two speakers: Euan McGregor and Claire Drysdale

Euan
National Trust for Scotland: Meet the Supplier -- take one!

Claire
Brigston & Co started in 2016, and that was from Euan and I realising that people weren't happy with bog-standard fast food anymore.
They wanted something with quality and provenance.
So, we decided to start our own high-quality hotdog food truck.
We started in our own kitchen with a domestic meat grinder and with various herbs and spices and different meat mixes.
We also tried different curing and smoking techniques, until we came up with a handmade craft-smoked hotdog that we were really happy with.

Euan
I think our business is unique because we're a Scottish artisan hotdog producer, and do you know what? I don't think there's many of us around!
We only use the best quality cuts of meat -- pork shoulder and beef flank from Scottish farm-assured meat.
We delicately grind the beef down; we don't emulsify it.
We add 10 different herbs and spices, and then we cook it and then smoke it over beechwood.
I think it's those different processes that really provides provenance, quality and a depth of flavour that you don't really get with other products on the market.

My favourite thing about the business is that, although Claire and I have a wealth of experience in the catering industry, we didn't realise how difficult it was to actually produce a quality hotdog.
I think, through a lot of research, trialling, lots of tastings, we've managed to produce an award-winning hotdog.
To watch people eat that and enjoy it, I think that's something that really makes us quite proud.

We're really invested in sustainability.
In our food truck, all the packaging that we use is compostable or recyclable.
We're imminently about to change all our packaging, which will result in 40% less plastic, which means the amount of waste going to landfill will be reduced by over 75%.

For us, our favourite National Trust for Scotland place to visit is Threave Garden near Castle Douglas.
A beautiful venue local to us, with great friendly staff.
We love Scotland and we are blessed to live in Dumfries & Galloway.
We are big outdoors lovers! We have a camper van and two crazy pointer dogs who love having adventures with us throughout Scotland.
From beaches to hills, lochs to forests, there's nowhere else quite like it.

At the Trust, we are always on the lookout for unique products that we know our customers will love – Brigston & Co are one of our star suppliers.

Brigston & Co is an independently owned business based in Dumfries & Galloway. It was founded and is run by Claire and Euan, a husband and wife team. They are a couple of ambitious foodies with over 30 years’ experience in the catering industry, who share a passion for delicious fresh food using top quality, locally sourced ingredients.

Brigston & Co started in 2016, when Claire and Euan realised that people weren’t happy with bog-standard fast food anymore, and that there was a desire for produce with quality and provenance. So, they decided to start their own high-quality hotdog food truck.

Two hotdogs are displayed on a wooden chopping board. Both are drizzled with a white sauce and have onions piled on them.

They started in their own kitchen with a domestic meat grinder, and experimented with various herbs and spices as well as different meat mixes. They also tried a number of curing and smoking techniques, until they came up with a handmade craft-smoked hotdog that they were really happy with.

They only use the best quality cuts of meat: pork shoulder and beef flank from Scottish farm-assured meat. They delicately grind the beef down (they don’t emulsify it) and then they add 10 different herbs and spices. After that, the meat is cooked and then smoked over beechwood.

Quote

“I think it’s those different processes that really provides provenance, quality and a depth of flavour that you don’t really get with other products on the market.
Through a lot of research and tastings, we’ve managed to produce an award-winning hotdog. To watch people eat that and enjoy it, that’s something that really makes us quite proud.”

Euan McGregor

Founder of Brigston & Co

All the packaging that Brigston & Co use is compostable or recyclable. They are about to change all their packaging, which will result in 40% less plastic and will mean the amount of waste going to landfill will be reduced by over 75%.

Claire and Euan’s favourite National Trust for Scotland place to visit is Threave Garden near Castle Douglas – this beautiful place is local to the couple and has great friendly staff. The Brigston & Co founders also love spending time outdoors in Scotland’s countryside. They have a camper van and two crazy pointer dogs who love having adventures with them throughout the country. From beaches and hills, to lochs and forests, there’s nowhere better to explore than Scotland!