Farmers & Farm Shops | Katherine Melton Scott, Kathellan
There are lots of reasons for stopping at Kathellan. Just one is to re-assure yourself that really good places definitely exist moments from a motorway. One minute you’re hammering along in the outside lane – the next you’re in a peaceful location where both the dining room menu and the shop are very appealing – positively seductive in a wholesome kind of way.
Actually, you don’t have to be en route anywhere – because Kathellan is a destination in itself. Here you’ll find a delicatessen, a food hall, wines and spirits, a bookstore, jewellery, crafts and gifts – plus a 150-seater restaurant. It’s in Fife, just off Junction 4 of the M90. The owner, Katherine Melton-Scott, is a great believer in supporting small independent suppliers, especially local ones, where possible.
That’s just one of the many quality themes you can see in action here. Another is the insistence that all food served in the restaurant is cooked fresh. Customers agree the extra few minutes is well worth the wait. And there’s an interesting cross-over you might notice in the extensive shop. The same suppliers turn up again, so that the, say, apple-pie you enjoyed in the restaurant is calling to you from the deli counter. (It’s all so hard to resist!)
There’s yet another impression you have here. No matter the volume of visitors, there is still a sense of space in both the dining and retail areas. There is, for example, plenty of elbow room for the Kathellan team to run their programme of cookery demonstrations and masterclasses. In 2004, for instance, there were appearances by such luminaries of the world of food as Cordon Bleu Chef Annette Sprague, Lady Claire MacDonald, Sue Lawrence and Wendy Barrie, while 2005 has certainly maintained the standards.
This well laid out air which distinguishes Kathellan extends to its Farm Park, set in 25 acres. It hosts rare breeds from around the UK, and, while some are just unbearably cute, some of the breeds here are rare because they do not fit in with modern methods of animal husbandry on a large scale. It’s all part of a Kathellan theme: a gentle reminder that there are alternatives: craft producers, small scale, quality focus – it doesn’t have to be fast food and standardised! (Kathellan has already won a Guild of Fine Food Retailers award - a confirmation of their commitment to sourcing from small independent British suppliers.)
The Kathellan experience works at lots of levels, from a simple refreshment break on the road or the chance to buy some fine food or giftware, all the way to participating in a masterclass run by a high-profile culinary expert.
For anyone with an interest in quality Scottish food, Kathellan is a beacon of quality.