A weekend in Fife with children, Scotland. When Visit Scotland invited us to spend some time trying out the food in Fife I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Especially as a family of vegetarians and pescatarians.
But Fife is undergoing a foodie revolution with many farms and producers rejecting large-scale production and returning to traditional methods. It’s an effort which is really bringing about quality over quantity.
The peninsular is just an hour north of Edinburgh by car and is filled with new and exciting tastes, way beyond any of our hopes, or fears of dare I say it…haggis and black pudding.
There are also some great attractions to enjoy in Fife too, lots of fun places to visit with kids.
Flying in for a weekend in Fife with children, Scotland
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We flew into Edinburgh on a sunny afternoon and drove to the gorgeous Gardener’s Cottage on the Kinloss Estate in Cupar which was to be our base for our stay.
Surrounded by wild garlic it was the perfect setting and a peaceful retreat at the end of our days out and about.
With chickens running free, and ptarmigan roaming the lawns this was a lovely spot to really get close to Scottish nature. And a great starting point for our road trip.
Ardross Farm shop
Fife is a beautiful region of Scotland, it has rolling countryside, breathtaking beaches and some wonderful towns to explore. Our first stop was to the inspiring Ardross Farm Shop.
The farm is run by the Pollock family who have become their own suppliers and outlets.
Their thriving farm shop is a testament to them getting it right for their customers. Rob, father of the family, took us out on a trip to see their cattle grazing happily in nearby fields.
They are being reared naturally on food from the fields and crops from the farm.
The simple back-to-basics ethos is being lived out in their other main venture too. Veggies growing in the fields overlooking the shop.
It was incredible to see how they are painstakingly grown from seed – planted by tweezers – and once ready picked and sold in the shop the same day.
We also visited the land around the farm to see the vegetables growing and helped picked the biggest rhubarb I’ve ever seen.
The children held them as large umbrellas.
Rob’s wife Fiona welcomed us into their farm kitchens at the rear of the farm.
It’s here where she makes cakes, pies and many other treats from her own produce to sell in the shop.
The children were treated to a masterclass in making their wild garlic pesto with wild garlic shoots, olive oil, pesto and some hard cheese.
It was great to get hands-on, and for the children to really get an idea of the ethos of the farm.
St Andrew’s Farmhouse on a weekend in Fife with children
Off on the road again we headed for St Andrew’s Farmhouse just a short drive away, where we watched the creation of their famous Anster cheese.
It is made by hand using traditional (and somewhat backbreaking) methods. Its creator Jane Stewart has seen a lot of interest in her new cheese which is delicious and melts in the mouth.
Pittenweem chocolate
In the small coastal village of Pittenweem is a wonderful surprise. A rustic and welcoming cafe which uses chocolate in everything it sells.
The Pittenweem Chocolate Company was the perfect spot for lunch where we tried out their delicious and hearty thick mixed bean soup, packed with cocoa.
It was all washed down with a super tasty hazelnut hot chocolate. It’s a long way from the village’s recent history of fishing trawlers and lobster pots, but it is certainly well worth a visit.
Cairnie Fruit Farm – Fife with children
The children absolutely loved their visit to Cairnie Fruit Farm which has something for everyone in the family.
For the grown-ups their delicious award-winning jams are a big part of their farm shop and rightly so. They’re really tasty.
Beyond the shop is a huge outdoor play area with slides, maize maze, trampolines and go-karting. It was a blissful afternoon in the sun and the children played happily for hours.
Kingsbarns Beach
The next morning we headed for the coast at Kingsbarns which stretched for miles and was a perfect spot to take in the clear Scottish air.
The children loved the wide sandy beaches and rock pools and we played for hours here in the crisp sunlight. It was blissful.
fishing villages
Seeking out the fishing villages and little towns was such a great part of our weekend in Fife. They were beautiful and packed with character and made me want to sell up and move to the sea.
There is a simple quality to the life in Fife and they really seem to have got the balance spot on with great food and strong, simple flavours. And communities that really work together to support each other.
St Andrews – A weekend in Fife with children, Scotland
Our final stop was the delightful city of St Andrewswith its grand stone houses and wide streets, which still have a similar layout to their 12th-century origins.
We loved wandering past the elegant Victorian and Georgian architecture which sits alongside the medieval monuments and ruins of church buildings. St Andrews really has its own character.
We sought out some traditional Scottish dishes at the welcoming Playfair Restaurant. This celebrates the best local foods with delicious dishes for vegetarians and a great children’s menu too.
The menu included local beef and fish and their own interpretation of Haggis, neeps and tatties. And I loved the delicious sticky toffee pudding.
We really enjoyed our time in Fife. It has so much in terms of food, stunning scenery and lots of fun for all ages.
We can’t wait to return.
A short film of our family weekend in Fife with children.
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