Ricky de Marco is a regular at the Sundial Cafe in Limekilns, Fife. The Edinburgh art impresario is not the only fan; locals in the scenic waterfront village keep coming back for the homebaking. Mike (pictured below) and Sandra Graham opened the cafe in September 2012 after careful restoration of the 400 year-old building. Clearly a labour of love, the restoration has revealed the beautiful stonework, complementing the dark slate
The charms of Scottish men proved irresistible for two Canadian sisters and explains why ‘Georgia Rose‘, a furniture upcycling company happens to be based in Dunfermline, Fife instead of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Two days after missing her flight back to Canada, Natasha Gallant Marr, who had been visiting her sister Carrie in Edinburgh, was in Wester Hailes when she met Charlie, her future husband. Several years have passed since then
David Austin’s self-confessed low boredom threshold has been good for Dunfermline in Fife. Having opened Reuben’s, a cafe/deli which quickly became popular in the town, he soon added a wine store. The venue, named after his son, then started hosting wine tastings and live music events. After that came the de Brus beer, the town’s own blond ale developed by David and named after King Robert the Bruce. The beer
For Lowry, the industrial landscape inspired his matchstick men. For Hockney it was the swimming pools of California and for Banksy, gritty urban backdrops. For Scottish artist Ann Oram a diverse series of places have been the spur for her work. For the time being, the place is Fife – not the East Neuk which is the usual choice for artists – but the picturesque Logie Estate in Crossford near
Things have moved fast at The Walled Garden, Kincardine in Fife. Within months of Avocado Sweet first featuring the garden, owners Keith Laing and Anne Crawford have built a 70 seater cafe and decamped from the tiny potting shed cafe opposite. The first event to be held since the new cafe opened in mid-July is a summer fete on Sunday 21 July. To raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Research there
Taking wine to the remotest pub on mainland Britain is wine merchant, Philippe Larue’s most challenging delivery. With no road leading to The Old Forge at Knoydart, access is by boat from Mallaig. ‘It’s like a military expedition,’ laughs Philippe of L’Art du Vin, Charlestown, Fife. As France’s wine consumption continues to freefall it’s down to two Frenchmen, Philippe and his colleague Richard Bouglet, to meet the increasing demand from
‘Between 92 and 96 degrees is the perfect water temperature to make coffee’ – so says barista-trained Derek Rankin who opened Rankin’s cafe/deli in his home village, North Queensferry, Fife. The barista classes were run by his coffee supplier, Mathew Algie, one of the few companies to have a coffee roasting plant in Scotland. Barista classes are open to the general public/ non-customers of Mathew Algie at a cost of
Little did Niall Campbell realise when he was travelling from Glasgow to Culross every week for the pottery classes that he would later take over the Biscuit Gallery Cafe from his tutor, Camilla Garrett Jones. Two years after taking over from Camilla, and Niall is making some changes to the cafe and gallery. Upstairs the cafe has expanded into the gallery space and the ceramics and art are now displayed
Rachel Collins, like many of us, was taught to knit by her grandmother. Unlike most of us however, who never got beyond pointless squares and gappy Doctor Who style scarves, she has gone on to be the creative force behind Selvage, a young company based in Crossgates, Fife which sells beautiful, supersoft Fair Isle blankets, scarves and cushions in the muted tones of the Scottish landscape. Rachel, who grew up
Here are some stunning photos from around the world by Kevin McCollum. It’s tempting to travel the globe to seek out the exotic in your work but one of Kevin’s latest projects, an interesting approach that many artists and designers might apply, is to focus on subjects no more than a mile from where he lives. Easy if you happen to live in Manhattan or Tangiers but more of a challenge for Kevin who lives in