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16 August 2021

Supporting local for Fresh Express Produce means looking to Fife for suppliers.  Fife, for anyone who doesn’t know, is situated on the East Coast of Scotland and boasts over 500 farms of 50 hectares or more.  (If you don’t know what a hectare looks like it’s approximately 2.5 football fields)

Today we’ll take a look at 2 of our long-established suppliers: Barnsmuir Farm near Crail and Blacketyside Farm near Leven.

Barnsmuir Farm is farmed by Tim and Alice Stockwell and their family.  It is not just a farm they also run a Farm Shop and Bed & Breakfast too.  The farm is situated on the outskirts of Crail, one of Scotland’s most picturesque coastal villages. Set on 500 acres, Barnsmuir is a working farm, growing strawberries, raspberries, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflowers. It is also home to some ponies, goats and sheep.

Blacketyside is a very popular Farm Shop and Tearoom both with Fifers and visitors.  It’s ideally situated on the main road heading towards the world-famous East Neuk so makes a convenient stop off for coffee and cake and to pick up some lovely local fresh produce.

But what many visitors don't realise is that Blacketyside Farm farmed by Robert & Eleanor Todd and Family is also a major supplier of soft fruit to wholesalers like us and Supermarkets too.

Having started out as livestock farmers in Northern Ireland, Robert and Eleanor Todd re-located to Blacketyside Farm for its quality land and great coastal location. The family moved with the intention to grow cereals but decided to make the most of its ten acres to grow soft fruit instead.

The family has invested heavily in its soft fruit business, and they now grow all their fruit in special polytunnels, which has helped to extend the growing season. They have heated polytunnels which has helped them to significantly extend the berry season, meaning they can pick from April right through to October each year

Scotland’s cooler summer temperatures and long daylight hours allows soft fruit to ripen slowly, giving Blacketyside berries a fantastic flavour.

We are proud to support local businesses and we are always conscious of our carbon footprint.  Local keeps the road miles down.