Well here we are , it’s almost time for us to sign off for Christmas and we’ve reached the final post in our local shopping guide. Today we are celebrating local heroes, the unique, independent shops, products and experiences to be discovered on our own doorstep. As with each instalment of the guide, the list is not exhaustive but, we hope, enough to inspire you to shop in, support and
For many people, a gift for the home is the best type of Christmas present and luckily there are lots of interesting homewares made and sold locally that may just fit the bill. C20 Home is a fantastic new showroom in Dunfermline where collector David Walker sells mid-century classic furniture and home accessories including this gorgeous 1950s Finnish carafe and glass set, 1960s Lotus Pottery bulls, elegant white 1950s china
Now here’s a challenge. Is it possible to buy all your Christmas presents locally? Many people might try to buy local the rest of the year but probably assume it can’t be done at Christmas. In Fife, like many parts of the country, there are interesting shops, food and drink producers, artists, designers and makers that can help you with your Christmas list. Over the next couple of weeks Avocado
Eden Mill distillery and brewery has signed a Chinese distribution deal that means their Fife gins will be sold in bars and hotels throughout China. The company, which is based just outside St Andrews, already has some experience of the Chinese market after launching their craft beer business there two years ago. All five gins are part of the export drive; oak, hop, love, original and golf and Eden Mill
A festival of chocolate sounds like a good idea don’t you think? The people of Perth clearly think so, because their festival is being held this weekend, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of November. Chocolate stalls will be in King Edward Street and hosts include Marie Campbell, a contestant in this year’s Bake Off and Iain Burnett of The Highland Chocolatier who will be doing a truffle tasting.
The Bankhead Farm Shop is popular with men according to the owner, Nancy Wishart. There’s no cafe, no gift shop and no supermarket crowds and no temptation for impulse buys, so, as Nancy points out, ‘you can’t overspend’. That’s because Bankhead, near the villages of Crombie and Cairneyhill in Fife, is very much a working farm, that just happens to have a shop, not a destination cafe or lifestyle shop
Our latest fish recipe from Elaine Hardie at Fyfe Smokery, Dunfermline could not be easier. Here is a wee recipe that will go well with sole or plaice. Plaice is plentiful just now, so the price is good. The fillets should be dusted with seasoned flour, then pan fried in butter till flaking. Keep the fillets warm till you make the lemon butter sauce: Whisk together 50g unsalted butter, 1.5
Don’t panic, like we did, at the tiny portion of chips in the mini frying baskets served at the Tailend restaurant in St Andrews, Fife. The waiting staff will bring you more chips when you are ready. Once you’ve relaxed because your extra chips have arrived you’ll realise the haddock is really fresh at this Market Street restaurant which is also a takeaway and fishmonger. Maybe being a fishmonger helps
Beaujolais by Paul Rudge, Reubens Wine Store, Dunfermline, Fife Geographically, Beaujolais is part of Burgundy, but from the wine point of view there seems little logic in the association between the Côte d`Or and the pretty, hilly, granite band of Beaujolais vineyards that run along the west bank of the Saone towards Lyon. With annual production sitting at 133 million bottles you’d think the region would be dominated by factory
Artists, more often than not, get the credit for bringing creativity to a neighbourhood. Rarely do hairdressers get acknowledged for their creative input to high streets up and down the country. In Dunfermline, Fife, Craig Hutchison has been particularly resourceful in shaping the interior of the shop that he shares with colourist, Clair Karran. Where ever possible he has tried to use local artists, tradespeople and suppliers at Vollood Hair and