Amy Elles bringing cookery classes and product range to new Bowhouse site

Amy is one of Scotland’s foremost chefs, having won a number of plaudits and represented Scotland on the BBC’s Great British Menu.

Amy and Jack’s new venture will allow them to offer a range of cookery workshops in the unique courtyard space as well as sell cookware and a range of foods using seasonal ingredients sourced from other Bowhouse makers.

The couple opened The Harbour Café seafood restaurant in Elie in 2018, which won national recognition for its focus on East Neuk ingredients cooked simply and with a classical flare. Visitors will be able to browse a range of produce put together by Amy and Jack using vegetables grown in the field behind Bowhouse, flour milled on site and meats reared on the estate and butchered by the inhouse butcher. Products will change seasonally and will include a specially curated selection of cookware.

A classically trained chef, Amy started out as pastry chef at The Grove hotel in Hertfordshire before taking up a pastry chef role at Heston Blumenthal’s three Michelin starred Fat Duck. She went onto work at Spanish Michelin starred restaurant, Casa Marcelo in Santiago de Compostela, at London’s Moro restaurant and as a private chef travelling the world for four years. She appeared on the BBC TV series Great British Menu in 2019 and 2020.

Bowhouse is based on Balcaskie Estate, which covers 2,000 acres of organic and regeneratively farmed land in the East Neuk of Fife. Bowhouse is home to a growing community of producers, which works to transform local ingredients into artisan food and drink.

Butchery at Bowhouse: which sells a range of grass-fed, organic Balcaskie Estate beef, lamb, pork and mutton, alongside other local game.

Angry Kulture: vegan fermented Korean style kimchi made in one of the courtyard units.

Scotland the Bread: an innovative mill producing wholemeal organic flours and grains grown on Balcaskie Estate.

Baern Café: the cafe offers hyper-seasonal, producer-led, locally sourced food and homemade drinks with a particular emphasis on sourdough and baking.

East Neuk Market Garden: pesticide-free, seasonal vegetables beloved by chefs and locals alike.

Futtle Brewery: rums, ciders, beers and an impressive selection of natural wines are all available to take away or enjoy in the tap room.

Keeping the Plot: which grows and sells home-grown fresh flowers and bouquets.

Rosie Jack, Business Development Manager at Balcaskie Estate said: “Alongside Amy and Jack Elles’ new opening, Fife Beekeepers Association are currently developing a base on the estate and Fife Insect Farmers are running a pilot via our Pitch Up! process.

"At Balcaskie we're actively developing a community of businesses, makers and growers and are always keen to hear from those looking to base themselves here and collaborate with us.”

The innovative Pitch Up! scheme invited businesses to present ideas showing how they’d use the fertile organic land at Balcaskie Estate to work with the existing community of businesses. The project aimed to allow businesses access to rural areas, providing opportunities to use land in a way that would not otherwise have been possible without renting or buying land.

The Bowhouse Market Weekends have become a well-established fixture, introducing artisan producers and street food outlets from across Scotland to around 4,200 members of the public every month.

Find out more about Bowhouse at bowhousefife.com or on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Travel Information:

Bowhouse attracts a crowd of food-curious people from across Scotland and travel to the venue is easy. Train stations at Kirkcaldy and Leuchars are stops on the main East Coast Mainline with regular services to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Stagecoach bus services 95 (Leven–St Andrews) and X60 (Edinburgh–St Andrews) stop nearby. The popular seaside holiday town of Elie is under two miles away and a popular walk or cycle ride along the Fife Coastal Path.