Mustheb

04/11/2026

A bit late this year but better late than never: The limited Christmas mustard is back. Spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, aniseed, mace, ginger, clove and coriander it adds a special flavour to ham, turkey sandwiches and pies. It is an adequate partner for the cheeseboard, vegetables and cold meats - not to forget some fancy cocktails.

03/11/2026

You couldn’t have asked for better weather, no wind, sunshine: the best experience for the mustard shack to get over its weather-related trauma.

My heartfelt thanks go to Dr Fixit, whose expertise and empathetic manner have given the shack (and the mustard maker) back the courage to continue doing its duty.

29/10/2026

The strength of our island community – looking after one of our own

Last Sunday, while Boelo was battering the island, our community faced a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly life can change. Stewart Maclean was out in the worst of the storm serving us all with the Leverburgh Fire Service, only to return from a call-out and find his own home on fire.

By some beautiful stroke of luck, the power outage had already prompted his pregnant wife Karen and daughter Isla to decamp, so thank goodness they are all safe. 🙏🙏🙏

But they have lost their home and everything inside, leaving them with just the clothes they wore.

Here on Harris, we know exactly what community means. We weather these storms together and look after each other. As your mustard maker I normally don’t share these gofundme actions when it is not really necessary (in my mind). But this one I feel I have to share with my Musthebbie community.

If you were thinking of picking up a jar of mustard, perhaps skip it this time and put those few pounds towards helping Stewart and his family rebuild instead.

We all know the pressure of the current cost of living crisis, but if there is one thing I have learned in my life, it's that every single small act of kindness ripples out. Stewart is always there to protect our homes; let’s wrap our community arms around his family in these hefty times.

If you’d like to join in supporting them, you can find the link here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-stewart-karen-and-isla-after-their-devasting-house-fir?attribution_id=sl:7befa7a6-f07f-4e98-93bd-bf62842f9014&lang=en_GB&ts=1793133528

In the Isle of Harris on Sunday evening (25/10/26), retaine… Rebecca Hutton needs your support for Help Stewart, Karen and Isla after their tragic house fire

28/10/2026

Goodness me, what a few stormy days we’ve had here in the Leverburgh – roof tiles have been blown away, gutterings torn down, rubbish bins have been scattered about – and large parts of the Western Isles esopecially Harris have been without electricity for days. That doesn’t just mean you might not be able to make a cup of coffee or cook a pot of soup; it also means the house could be cold and you’re cut off from the entire world, as the power cut has knocked out the router and (mobile) phone connections.

Because Mustheb runs on solar power alone since the start of the year, there were no power-related restrictions here. But by speaking to people it became clear, however, that many here who also have solar panels were also without power because their PV systems had been installed without an emergency power supply. At first, I couldn’t believe it. The mains supply has failed and you can’t use your solar power? That’s completely counterproductive!!!

Of course, the solar system has to be disconnected from the grid, because if, for example, technicians are trying to repair storm damage to the electricity masts, it would be extremely dangerous if solar systems were feeding back into the grid.

I can't get my mind around that those installed systems do not have an ‘automatic switch’ to solve this problem?!

Or am I missing something here?

27/10/2026

oh dear, there is another power outage, seems to last till tomorrow evening. I have open the mustard station - pop in whenever you want, to charge your gadgets. There are 4 sockets
that can be used.

Gale force winds & power outage update

We’ve woken up to another wild and windy morning, with gusts of 72mph recorded here in the village and yet another power cut affecting the area.

We’ll do our best to open the shop today and trade for as long as we can, or until it becomes too dark inside the shop to continue safely.

A few things to note if you’re planning to visit:

Petrol pumps: These will remain out of action until the power is restored.

Freezers: These will be kept sealed to help preserve our frozen stock.

Payment: If possible, please bring cash, as our card machines may not work during the outage.

Generator: We’re working on getting our generator set up to run the tills and will keep you updated as things progress.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. We’ll do our best to keep the shop open for the community for as long as it’s safe and practical to do so.

Stay safe out there, everyone!

26/10/2026

Something is missing in this picture.

The power is back on, but the weather still isn’t calming down. More high winds are already on the way and at the moment 29 of all CalMac’s 30 ferry services are affected.

The mustard shack is in a ‚repair clinic', but the knowledgable Dr Fixit is very busy, but he had a first visit already and is hopeful. Some patches here and there, spare parts and paint and the mustard shack will be back - stronger than before.

It’s not clear yet when that will be and also the shack needs some time to get over the shocking moment of the fight with Boelo.

In the meantime, if anyone needs mustard, just give a shout, send a message and the mustard maker organises something. And there are also the island outlets where you can get your favourite mustard.

25/10/2026

Update: fortunately this seems to be a typo

25/10/2026

And now your mustard maker was sooo proud of the mustard shack, which had stood unshaken against every wind and storm for more than nine years. But today he had to surrender to Boelo, which thundered towards him from north west at over 70 mph.

Harris has been without power since 4 am this morning; power is expected to be restored by 8 pm.

By the way: ‘Boelo’ comes from Old Dutch and means ‘the brave one’, ‘the strong one’ or – derived from older word roots – also ‘the fighter’.

Note to the mustard maker: the mustard shack can’t take on every fighter!

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22/10/2026

Batten down the hatches and tie down whatever you can, Boleo is coming.

Storm Boelo will impact Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend.

Warnings have also been updated for Storm Austen which impacts the south of England and Wales tonight and tomorrow.

Find out all the details in our news release👇

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2026/storm-boelo-named-as-strong-winds-forecast-for-northern-uk

15/10/2026

The day after: The ‘Mustard Shack’ stands – as always – as solid as a rock; it hasn’t moved a millimetre 💛

The sign, though, has been blown to pieces. The forecast was for 74 mph, but we only recorded 62 here in the Glen.

Nevertheless, this was just the beginning. The forecast for late autumn and early winter (November–December) predicts a very high risk of further and more severe Atlantic storms. The jet stream, intensified by El Niño, will whip the storms across the Atlantic.