Crofting Matters – Shetland Black Aets: Preserving an Ancient Land Race, and Heritage Straw Crafts
Posted: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Hello and welcome to Crofting Matters, hosted by Osla Jamwal Fraser where we discuss topics that matter in crofting.
Over the next few episodes, we will be bringing you Crofting Matters from Shetland. Today we are joined by two fascinating guests! Eve Eunson who was born and raised on her family’s Croft in Fair Isle and who is now a designer and maker of Fair Isle Straw-backed chairs. We’re also joined by Ewen Balfour who is a crofter, quantity surveyor and also a master craftsman in Shetland basket making. We’re going to hear from them about work that they are part of to preserve Shetland’s endangered straw crafts and one of our ancient landraces – Shetland black oats – referred to locally as ‘aets’.
If you enjoyed this episode of Crofting Matters please do subscribe to hear the next episode when we’ll be joined by crofters who work in aquaculture in Shetland to discuss the connections between crofting, fisheries and aquaculture in our Island communities. If you would like to find out more about anything we discussed today, you’ll find links in the show notes. This episode was produced by Kerry Hammond, and Edited by Keiron Sim, in association with the Scottish Government.
Resources:
Ewen Balfour – The Kishie Maker’s Year | Woven Communities
SASA (Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture) | Small Oat/Shetland Oat & Common Oat
The Red List – Heritage Crafts |
Shop — Lois Walpole – Kishie’s and Cuddies Book
Contact the Shetland Straw Society : shetlandstrawsociety@gmail.com
For more information, visit www.FAS.scot
Twitter: @FASScot
Facebook: @FASScot
National Advice Hub
Phone: 0300 323 0161
Email: advice@fas.scot
