John Cooke

A history of fishing in Fife

Though excellent fish still comes from Fife, it's a far cry from the harbours' heydey

A picture of Fife's vibrant seafaring past, as well as an insight into the food that would have been on fisher household tables. Also find out the best time of day to see Pittenweem's modern day catch brought in.

How the Scotch pie made a comeback

A Fife baker has played a key role in preserving an iconic Scottish snack

The world was crumbling for pie-makers in the latter half of the 1980s. Scares about meat saw sales slump by 40 per cent. Step forward Fifer Alan Stuart, sixth-generation baker and owner of the Stuarts of Buckhaven chain.

Usan Fisheries: The last salmon netters in Angus, Scotland

Coastal-caught salmon is a controversial delicacy

The quality and importance of Scottish salmon is perhaps best reflected by the passions and controversies it can stir up. John Cooke looks into the issues surrounding salmon netting.

Best of 2011: Scottish food producers

The brewers, smokehouses, bakers and cheesemakers on the rise

2011 wasn’t a fun year for small business but food and drink in Scotland continued to make advances with impressive new products, new producers, new markets, growing food festivals, and an increased awareness of the value and importance of local food…

From field to fork - The meat producers of Fife, Scotland

For those who love their meat, but like to know where it comes from

For at least a decade now, Fife farmers have been finding a way to market that has avoided the high-volume supermarket route and reduced the food miles between field and fork. Typical of this movement are small-scale, family farmers such as Jim and…

Orchards of Fife provide a bounty of fruit

Pear, plum and apple among fruit grown in Fife, Scotland

There is a very rare pear tree in Newburgh, on the banks of the Tay estuary. Called the Lindores pear, it’s rooted in the twelfth-century world of Tironensian monks who founded Lindores Abbey just beside the town. The monks were responsible for the…

East Lothian company Chocolate Tree make moves into Edinburgh

Lovers of real, hand-made chocolate will delight at the arrival of another chocolaterie in Bruntsfield. Alastair Gower and Friederike Matthis’ Chocolate Tree started out in East Lothian, where they perfected an organic chocolate recipe that mixed food…