Exploring Fife’s Culinary Scene
On a windswept stretch of Scottish coastline, foragers, nanobrewers, and gifted young chefs are transforming the picturesque towns of Fife into a culinary wonderland.
The directions to Dunino Den read like the start of a thrilling tale: Take the country road to the sandstone church with the spired bell tower. Walk to the end of the graveyard, where an unmarked trail slopes into the woods. Follow the path until it disappears into the ferns and locate the staircase running like a crack in the bedrock. Descend into a sunken hollow hemmed by a meandering stream, where tattered ribbons and other offerings dangle from spindly tree branches.
In Scotland, the boundary between the mortal and the mystical is historically porous. After dark, visitors visit Dunino Den to harness the energy said to dwell there. However, during the day, when the sun pierces the forest canopy, you are more likely to find foragers hunting for local delicacies. On this balmy spring morning, my excursion to this ancient pagan altar in the region of Fife is focused on ramps and chanterelles.
Situated across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh and unspooled eastward to the North Sea, Fife is a mosaic of tidy farms contrasted by unruly seams of wilderness. In the mythic woods and wind-swept coves, a renewed interest in wild edibles and an influx of culinary talent are contributing to an ascendant food and drink scene.
I find both magic and food at dinner at the Crusoe, a welcoming pub and inn facing the sea in Lower Largo. Sweet scallops with hazelnuts and crispy blood sausage set the stage for duck lacquered in local honey, while warm date cake drowns in salty, sticky toffee sauce. Resurrected last year, the establishment boasts stone walls, stained glass, brass mermaids, and cozy rooms; in one of them, I fall asleep to the surf slamming the inn’s 18th-century foundation.
At breakfast in the Crusoe’s restaurant, a tall, bearded chef brings maple-drizzled pancakes bracketed by thick-cut bacon—perfect fuel for a second foraging trek in nearby Keil’s Den, a forest protected by the Woodland Trust. Chef Christopher Trotter, who has dedicated much of his life to cooking and living in Fife, believes our chances of finding ramps are strong.
“Wild foods were staples during the World Wars,” he explains, boots crunching as we drop into the sunlit river gorge. “Rabbit, pigeon—it was all people had. So when you’re faced with something different, you reject it as poverty food. However, there has been a recent awareness of the quality in wild foods, making foraging fun and rewarding.” Finding a colony of ramps poking out of the ground like small green bunny ears, it becomes clear that Scots are just as enthusiastic about them as diners in the U.S. During my week in Fife, I spot them on menus everywhere. Ramp butter enhances dishes at the convivial Steak Barn in St. Andrews, while sautéed ramps dress a delicate rabbit-and-sweetbread cannelloni at the lovely Michelin-starred Peat Inn. Ramp pesto enlivens the stinging-nettle soup served in the pumpkin-colored kitchen of Trotter’s Largo farmhouse.
The bowls of soup and pesto look inviting on the table cluttered with Christopher’s cookbooks and fragrant cut hyacinths alongside a seed-speckled loaf baked that morning by his wife, Caroline, a renowned food photographer. Butter glides onto the whole-wheat bread, warmed by sunlight pouring through the window, which opens onto a neat field and the Firth of Forth. “We’re bordered by water on three sides,” he notes, referring to the river Tay to the north. The rivers Forth and Tay escape from inland lochs, winding across the countryside as narrow veins before uniting with the North Sea, thus nourishing Fife and establishing it as a lush food haven.
Fife’s agricultural bounty has resulted in its reputation as the larder of Scotland, with the area contributing to both culinary innovation and preservation of the land.
Where to Stay
Bonerbo Farm: Refreshingly minimalist, boxcar-like lodges on a working grain farm just outside Anstruther.
The Crusoe: Once a creaky seafront granary, this atmospheric inn in Lower Largo offers cozy rooms and an exceptional dining experience.
Mangle Cottage: A charming stone cottage transformed into a seaside rental in Pittenweem.
Rusacks St. Andrews: Recently renovated, this historic property overlooks St. Andrews’s iconic Old Course and West Sands Beach.
Where to Eat and Drink
Aeble: An excellent bottle shop in Anstruther offering a range of ciders and other beverages from around the globe.
Anstruther Fish Bar: This award-winning fish-and-chips shop is located on a scenic harbor and is known for its delicious offerings.
Baern: Creative, seasonal bakes at Bowhouse, located in St. Monans.
Bread & Butter: A delightful Anstruther café-bakery beloved by locals.
CombiniCafé: A sleek Japanese- and Korean-inspired café run by university alums in St. Andrews.
Dory Bistro & Gallery: A friendly seafood specialist in Pittenweem that sources its catch directly from local fishers.
18: Superb cooking, Scottish ingredients, and stunning views from the rooftop restaurant at Rusacks hotel.
Futtle: A unique spot in Bowhouse, St. Monans, offering genre-bending brews and a relaxed atmosphere with vinyl records and board games.
Jannettas Gelateria: Iconic gelato shop whose delightful scoops can be found across Fife; the original location is in St. Andrews.
Kinneuchar Inn: A beautifully renovated restaurant in Kilconquhar, near the Balcaskie Estate.
Peat Inn: A Michelin-starred gem in Fife, known for its refined yet accessible cuisine.
Pillars of Hercules: An early organic farm in Falkland featuring a charming grocery store and café.
Steak Barn: Serves estate-raised steaks in a relaxed environment within a former sawmill in St. Andrews.
What to Do
Bowhouse: Monthly market weekends attract large crowds to this converted barn in St. Monans.
East Neuk Seaweed: Jayson Byles guides all-ages harvesting excursions on the East Neuk beaches.
Tours by Christopher Trotter: Participate in foraging walks, culinary workshops, and more, hosted by this local culinary expert.
This story originally appeared in a previous issue of GoTravelDaily under the headline “Salt of the Earth.”
