The Niven farming family who founded Loch Leven's Larder

All About Us

Loch Leven’s Larder sits at the heart of our family farm, Channel of Pittendreich.

A Family Story

We took over the running of the farm in 2002 and we’re proud to be the 3rd generation of the family to farm this land, since Arthur and Agnes Braid were given tenancy when they married in 1934. Soon we were supplying supermarkets and wholesale markets in Glasgow, Preston and Newcastle with our vegetables.

Every time we brought in a harvest, we’d watch lorries full of our vegetables start their journeys across the UK. We were delighted with this, but we also wanted our vegetables to be enjoyed locally too. The more we got to know other local producers, the more important we felt drawn to champion and to celebrate the fantastic produce we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep.

Metal Loch Leven's Larder sign on the outside wall as you enter the store.

An Idea Is Born
At the time, we were also raising our young family and felt the lack of family-friendly venues in the area – we wanted places with a relaxed atmosphere, serving healthy, quality food. It wasn’t long before we started scratching out ideas and before long, those quick sketches became long conversations which in turn, became firm plans.

The Larder Opens
We opened Loch Leven’s Larder in 2005, and we haven’t looked back – we love giving people the chance to enjoy the beautiful location and to taste our vegetables, brought straight from our field, into our kitchen and served in our café and restaurant.

And grows
Since then, we have expanded to become one of the area’s biggest employers, with over 85 staff on our payroll. Some of our teams have been with us since day one and we are particularly proud to see how our younger members of staff develop their skills and confidence during their time with us.

These Days
Turning 20 this year (2025), the field-to-fork concept remains central to everything we do. The Larder has grown in ways which we could never have imagined – we now have a large shop with foodhall & gift selection, a new lifestyle store (1848) which combines Scottish & Scandi homewares, The Larder Café & the Greenhouse Café serving delicious food.

Rob and Emma Niven standing in a polytunnel

Farming & The Environment

Fields ready for harvest — Sustainability & The Environment

Visit Us

Our beautiful setting right on the Loch Leven Heritage Trail and close to the historic town of Kinross makes for a wonderful day out. So come and visit us – explore our well-stocked shop and enjoy the great outdoors.

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