Outdoors: Peter Ellis, miller at Barry Mill, Angus, is worried his traditional art might die out

Peter Ellis certainly looks the part. His big white beard, smock and cheery grin fit the stereotypical image his ancient profession conjures up.

But Peter is one of the last millers in Scotland and behind the smile lies a concern that the tradition could die out.

He is 65 in December and due to retire, although he would like to stay on at Barry Mill in Angus as long as he is fit and able. But why stick to tradition when technology makes life much easier?

He says: "I think Churchill once said that you need to know where you've come from to know where you are going; you need to put things into context.

"We live in an age which has become instantaneous, we have an age of convenience, a throwaway society ... we have young people who don't know where food comes from."

Barry Mill is an oat mill where local oats are first dried in a kiln before being milled between two shelling stones made of Scottish sandstone to reveal the edible kernel, known as a groat. The husks are kept to feed the kiln fire while the kernels are milled into meal between two other millstones made from French stone in Edinburgh during the 19th century. The stones are powered by a large water wheel fed with a stream from a lade, or channel, diverted from the nearby Barry Burn.

The technique Peter uses has remained unchanged since Barry Mill was established in 1539 (the present building was erected following a fire in 1814).

But he hasn't got rose-tinted spectacles when it comes to looking at the past, saying: "I don't want to go back to having a plate of porridge every day of my life - although I like porridge! But it is important to keep tradition alive. This is arguably the oldest mechanical process known to mankind."

It is a long way from the start of Peter's working life, as an architect in England. He realised office life was not for him and moved to the Lake District, eventually taking a job restoring Muncaster Mill. After 13 years in Cumbria it was time to move again so he wrote to the National Trust for Scotland and secured a job running Barry Mill in 1991.

Sitting next to the mill, in front of his cottage garden, he is happy with the way his life has taken him. "I've gone from being a professional jack of all trades to being a practical jack of all trades. Muncaster and Barry may be old buildings, full of old machinery, but you have to nurture them. You don't go to college to learn how to run a water mill - you've got to be sympathetic with what it is."

Although the threat of closure of Barry Mill was averted in 2009 by more funding, the future is still uncertain. Peter would like to stay on while he is still fit and active and train an apprentice. Funding for a new miller has been applied for from the Heritage Lottery Fund although Peter believes a new recruit would need more than just technical knowledge.

He says: "It is not just the physical milling; we need someone who can empathise with the whole thing."

Despite the uncertainty, the miller is confident about what will happen next in his beloved corner of Angus.

He says: "I am sure there would be a lot of people who are interested. It is finding someone with the right attributes. "It's important to keep places like Barry alive as once they've gone, they've gone."

Barry Mill, Barry, Carnoustie, Angus, DD7 7RJ, admission 3, tel: [phone]

This article was originally published in the Scotsman. June 4th, 2011