THE secrets learnt at his grandmother’s famous Alloa café and chip shop has helped a local man in launching a new business.

Tullibody man Colin Robertson, alongside his sister Tracy McGowan, opened their food van Hume’s Kitchen next to Peppe’s Bar last month.

They are the grandchildren of Olive Hume, who used to run the popular Hume’s Central Café in the town centre decades ago, and are hoping to bring the brand back into the Wee County.

Colin used to help out at his grandmother’s business where he fell in love with good local food.

He told the Advertiser: “I did live away up north for a few years when I was younger, but any time I was down here I used to stay with my grandmother and she would take us to the shop and I would chip the potatoes with my cousin Alan.

“We would help serve behind the counter and we were there quite regularly when we were here."

Colin explained his grandmother Olive originally started the café and chip shop after the owner of the previous business, whom she worked for, passed away and left her the premises.

The 45-year-old, whose mother remarried when he was young, added: “Myself and my sister have always been into cooking and we were encouraged by our grandmother because she was passionate about her cooking and we got it off her.”

For years, the brother-sister duo dreamed of bringing the Hume’s brand back into existence and recently decided that now is the time to do it.

Colin said: “This is just the start to find my feet in the food business and within the next 12 months I’ll be looking to move into a premises, hence the name Hume’s Kitchen rather than just a burger van name.

“I would like to expand it further than that eventually, but we’ll just need to wait and see what happens with that.”

It has been a busy start for Colin, who says it is about quality over quantity and insists on buying local produce from the High Street rather than a supermarket or outlet.

He added: “My grandmother taught me that as well – if you look after locals, they look after you.”