Success on a plate - Fife’s food is big business

Culinary excellence is not something that has been traditionally associated with Fife but 2010 has been a landmark year for the food industry where the region has started to enjoy the recognition and the success it deserves.

The Peat Inn near Cupar won Restaurant of the Year at The Scottish Restaurant of the Year Awards 2010 and the Fife Food Network partnership was launched.

Fife Larder, a defi nitive guide to Fife’s food and drink, was published in May as part of the Celebrating Fife programme supported by Fife Council. Produced in partnership with The List magazine the Fife Larder guide brings together the best of Fife and is targeted at increasing custom and footfall to the region’s restaurants, food producers and retailers.

A number of top food writers have contributed on subjects ranging from oats to venison, taking in other local highlights such as fruit, seafood, meat, cheese, ice cream, whisky, and a concentration of quality farm shops unmatched in Scotland. There are also sections on the Fife Diet and Falkland-based One Planet Food.

The Fife Larder has been distributed at farmers’ markets and Fife events throughout the year including the Open Golf championship in July.

The Open also provided a showcase for some of Fife’s fi nest chefs in front of tens of thousands of visitors who visited the Old Course.

Hosted in the Welcome to Five Pavilion visitors were treated to masterclasses from Geoffrey Smeddle, chef-proprietor of the Peat Inn; Adam Handling, chef at the Esperante restaurant, St Andrews Fairmont and Richard Brackenbury from the Inn at Lathones among others.

There were also sessions with from St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, Fletchers Venison and Puddledub Buffalo all with the purpose of leaving the tens of thousands of visitors to the Open with no doubt as to Fife’s kitchen credentials.

“Fife’s reputation for food - our produce, restaurants and sustainability ethos - is adding a new dimension to our tourist and visitor economy,” said Geoffrey Smeddle, chef-proprietor of Michelin Starred Peat Inn.

“There’s a lot to shout about and it’s important that we continue to build Fife’s culinary profile.”

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Permalink: http://www.fifebusinessmatters.co.uk/articles/404558-success-on-a-plate--fife8217s-food-is-big-business.html

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