Chris Valentine-Allan and Some Funguys

There are mushroom farmers, and then there is Christopher Valentine-Allan — growing lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms in a decommissioned nuclear bunker beneath Edinburgh. Chris has always struggled to sit still. His background is eclectic in the best possible way: a degree in horticulture, training in brewing and distilling, years working as a private chef, and a long stint managing events venues. The through-line, he’ll tell you, is simple: forage, farm, feed.

When the pandemic shut down the events industry overnight in 2020, Chris found himself exactly where he hates to be — idle. So in August of that year, he converted his first space and started growing.

The next chapter came when Makars Mash Bar approached him for a supply of mushrooms to anchor their vegan menu. Chris needed a suitable space quickly. Summerhall — Edinburgh’s arts and tech hub — showed him an old workshop with dark, cool, thick walls. From there he was soon producing around 150 kilos a week, all of it going straight to the restaurant. The story kept repeating itself: find the right space, fill it with mycelium, supply someone who genuinely cares about good food.

Then a friend invited him to an event at Barnton Bunker — a Cold War nuclear shelter that had been largely unused since the end of the Cold War. Midway through the evening, the thought arrived fully formed. He asked the question, sealed the deal, and spent months stripping lead paint off the walls and sorting ventilation through thick steel. Between October 2024 and March 2025, across just 40 square meters and at 50% capacity, he harvested 2.5 tonnes of mushrooms. The energy footprint is a fraction of what a greenhouse or vertical farm would require — the bunker’s consistent underground temperature does most of the work for free.

What makes Some Funguys quietly radical isn’t just the location. The growing substrate is made from agricultural by-products — sawdust from local sawmills and coffee grounds collected from Edinburgh businesses — and, once spent, it goes to an organic farm for composting. Low-tech, low-waste, and producing genuinely premium mushrooms for some of Edinburgh’s best kitchens — Green Michelin star restaurants, most of the vegetarian restaurants in the area.

Chris has also contributed to Scottish food policy, which feels right for someone who has spent years demonstrating that derelict spaces don’t have to stay derelict. Oh, and there’s a hot tub in the bunker, heated by compost. Of course there is.