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The sun is beating down furiously on St Andrews, and as beads of condensation slip down the side of a freshly poured gin and tonic, a Floridian man at the next table scoffs at our slap-dash application of Factor 50.
I could call it déjà vu, but I know exactly why this feels familiar.
It’s the second weekend in a row that I’ve found myself in the town. On almost exactly the same shoogly seat outside of the exact same bar.
Only last time the group of holidaying golfers was from Australia.
I won’t pretend for a minute that it’s a hardship to be here again, having previously enjoyed a stay at the Fairmont Hotel and now indulging in a pitstop while awaiting the next bus to take us further east still.
I’m on a mission this time, you see, accompanied by a friend to discover the Market Weekends at Bowhouse, an innovative operation that strives to fix a missing link in Scotland’s food chain by connecting small growers with restaurant producers with restaurants and shoppers.
“At its heart, Bowhouse is a gathering place for people who really care about food,” a member of the team said.
“They want to know how their food is grown and reared and to meet the people making it.
“In these small ways individuals are feeling empowered to change the way food is produced around them.”
It turns out to be a truly magic place, but there will be plenty more to come on that in The Herald in the coming weeks.
For now, not fully confident in either our organisational skills or sense of direction, we reluctantly say goodbye to our prime outdoor drinking spot and prepare to journey into the unknown.
Which in this case means the small coastal town of Crail in search of the Shoregate Hotel.
And oh, is it special.
From the boutique bedrooms furnished with oversized pillows so plump they cover half of the bed, to the windows which frame a storybook view towards the idyllic harbour, it’s perhaps the finest introduction to the area to the East Neuk we could have hoped for.
Things get even better yet at dinner, as plates of celeriac remoulade topped ham hough fritter, Scotch beef carpaccio and rump of lamb with lyonnaise potatoes start to fill our table.
We don’t need dessert.
But with a menu of sticky treacle tart, pecan and barley crème or a seasonal rhubarb bakewell with just the right nip of sharpness, how could we not?
Although not the main focus of our trip, even a simple overnight stay shoots the Shoregate straight into my list of favourite experiences of the year so far, aided greatly by its staff who ensure we receive the warmest of welcomes.
You can find out more on their website at theshoregate.com, and keep an eye out for the full story of what came next with a tour of Bowhouse in The Herald soon.
Sadly, I won’t be making it a hattrick of weekend trips to the sunny Kingdom of Fife, but now know for sure that I’ll be back to explore this summer.
👉 Read more from Sarah Campbell
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