Our Team

Mary Andreas

Mary worked within the Downstream Oil Industry in London for 25 years in various accounting roles before returning to her native Shetland in 2006.

A mother of two children, two step children and grandmother to four, she has run her 4* Bed and Breakfast in Bigton whilst working from home as an Operations Manager for a Lancashire based company providing Merchant Services to Petrol Stations across the UK. She has also been Chair of the Bigton Hall Committee since 2008

Joy Duncan

Joy was born into a large, fishing and crofting family in Scalloway in the 60s. She discovered the joy of cooking when she taught herself to prepare the Sunday dinner while everyone else was at da kirk and that passion for furnishing the dining table with delicious dishes has continued throughout her life, not only feeding her family and freends but also employed as the cook at Yoga retreats in the UK, Crete and Tobago.

As a teenager she stepped off isle and discovered the joy of drumming and whilst based in London, travelled to West Africa and the Caribbean to explore this artform and culture.

In 2004 Joy returned home with her 3 year old daughter and a van full of drums and has been travelling all over these islands sharing the joy of traditional African and Latin drum, song and dance, organising many events, projects and performances along the way.

In 2020 Joy spearheaded the Shetland Staands wi Black Lives Matter campaign. Joy has one daughter and 27 nieces and nephews, all of whom she loves dearly.

Becky Robertson

Becky was born in Shetland in the early 80s, and after sometime spent living in Edinburgh and Turkey, returned to Shetland in 2006. She has a varied career with experience in a number of different industries, but most recently spent 13 years in youth and family support work. She joined the Taste of Shetland Team in August 2023.

Becky is also a mother of 3 children and has been a member of the Shetland Pride Committee since January 2022.

Marian Armitage

Marian Armitage is a native Shetlander who was educated at the Anderson High School then trained as a teacher of Domestic Science in Edinburgh in the early 70s. She taught Food and Nutrition in state secondary schools initially in Norwich then in Inner London, for almost 35 years.

In 2014 she wrote Shetland Food and Cooking published by The Shetland Times. Her book won the top prize in the Food Promotion category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards held in Yantai, China in 2016. Her second book : ‘Food Made in Shetland’ was published by 60North publishing in 2022.

Marian became Chair of Shetland Food and Drink - the organisation she set up with Jill Franklin in 2017. Initial funding from Shetland LEADER, Shetland Islands Council and Highland and Islands Enterprise facilitated the launch of Shetland Food and Drink and Taste of Shetland in November 2017

Bo Simmons

Bo Simmons has been involved with the food industry since her arrival in Shetland in 1987.

A passionate advocate of high quality, sustainable food, she is the former owner of both Burrastow House and Olive Tree Cafe. A former teacher, she has also turned her hand to writing and published her own cookbook in 2003. She has also worked for Scoop and at Bonhoga Gallery for Shetland Arts and is a proud mother of two.

Bo is also an avid gardener and features in our Taste of Shetland short film Celebrating Shetland Fruit & Vegetables.

Celia Smith

Celia’s love of hospitality started when she was still at school and got a part-time waitressing job at Kveldsro House Hotel in Lerwick. After university, she completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Catering and Accommodation Management and then spent the next 10 years working her way down from Aviemore to the New Forest before settling in Yorkshire for a few years.

She returned to Shetland in 1994 and after a 20year teaching career, latterly as Senior Lecturer for Hospitality and Business at Shetland UHI, she set up her own hospitality training company, ‘Blyde Welcome’. Celia is keen to work with young people to promote the professionalism and career progression that is available in the local food and drink sector. She also wants to encourage and support consistent customer experiences for everyone.

Steve Mathieson

Son of an Unstman who was working on the Thames for the Port of London Authority, Steve was born in London and attended Colfe’s Grammar School and Bulmershe College in Reading.

He worked in Algeria for several years, getting a taste for North African cuisine, before joining Tate and Lyle Sugars and training in marketing. He worked in the food industry for T&L for a number of years and carried on representing them when he moved to an advertising agency, gaining extensive experience of food media including the production of a series of TV ads starring chef Gary Rhodes.

He is now Shetland Development Manager for VisitScotland and was the 2023 Great Shetland Bake Off winner. He is passionate about food tourism and is keen to grow this market within Shetland.