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Friday 17 November 2017

Farm Food Shops and Cafes in Perthshire and Fife

Perthshire and Fife
Farm Food Shops have grown in popularity over the years.  Anyone with a passion for great food and drink should explore the wide range of Farm food shops Scotland has to offer.  They reflect the quality produce grown locally by the farmers and make the whole shopping experience enormous fun.

Here are my reasons for visiting our local Farm food Shops:


  • To support local businesses.
  • To eat fresh quality, local produce.
  • A fun shopping experience, not just buying fresh food but unique quality gifts, some hand-made and cards as well.
  • To try something new.
  • And last but not least, to minimise your carbon foot print.

Here in our local area we have three excellent farm food Shops/Cafe that I would personally recommend.  Not only are they places to purchase quality farm produce but they all have a cafe where you can eat the delicious food they make.

Perthshire and FifeGloagburn Farm Shop


Open daily 9am to 5.30pm

Situated in the beautiful Perthshire countryside with a working farm, Gloagburn is a great day out and is our local Farm Food Shop just six miles away.

Starting from humble beginnings in 2003 and now a hundred-cover coffee shop.

Gloagburn Farm Shop

There is a licensed coffee shop,  with a bright airy conservatory, which is always busy, so I would recommend that you book a table.  You are guaranteed, delicious coffee and a varied menu with lots of homemade delights, my favourite being their gooey carrot cake accompanied with a cappuccino.

For those with special dietary requirements, there is a daily Gluten-free option in Savoury and Sweets.

A lot of the produce sold in the farm food shop, is reared on their own farm but they also sell other products sourced locally and of the highest quality.

A team of skilled cooks produce delicious home baked savoury pies, quiches, puddings, cakes, salads, chutneys and marmalades to name but a few of the goods on sale in the shop.  I love their broccoli and nut salad and Wensleydale and red onion quiche all made in their own kitchen.  I quite often stock up on beef reared on their farm, sweet tarts and of course their famous free-range eggs.

Finally, the Gift Shop – “providing something a little different” from English scented candles, bespoke pottery, luxury scarves, beautiful French glassware and a wide range of greetings cards.  You will need a few hours browsing and are thoroughly spoilt for choice!


Pillars of Hercules


The farm shop is open every day  throughout the year including bank holidays 9.00am-6.00pm.

Pillars of Hercules

Pillars of Hercules is the smallest in size of the Farm Food shops/Cafe but sells an abundance of delicious, organic home grown vegetables.  It is a quirky wooden shop/cafe, rustic in style and recently received a BOOM award for the Best Organic Farm Outlet in th UK.

Pillars of Hercules was established in 1983 and is one of the oldest 100% organic farms in Scotland growing salads, veg apples and potted herbs, also keeping laying hens.

A variety of flowers are grown in their cottage garden and are either cut for sale or sold as potting plants, I have found some really unusual tulips grown here amongst some other gorgeous plants.

The organic farm is situated next to the lovely wooded Falkland estate, ideal for dog walking and only a miles wonder through the woods from Falkland palace itself.  It is such an attractive woodland walk and great for letting the dogs out once you have purchased your goods.

The Farm shop is open daily and sells a great selection of fruit, vegetables and eggs as well as home baked bread, meat, dairy products and wholefoods.  The salad leaves and tomatoes are full of flavour and the vegetables and herbs are all organic, I always come out with an armful of goodies.

A popular vegetarian café provides delicious homemade meals with vegan and gluten free options available daily.

Loch Leven’s Larder


Opening Hours 9.30am to 5.30pm – 7 days a week.

Loch Levens Larder, another favourite of mine, is an award winning family-run farm, restaurant, deli and retail shop.


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Set against a stunning backdrop with the Ochil and Lomond Hills and with a nature trail that is a haven for wildlife, really does make the Larder a unique visitor’s experience.  The walk around the Loch is beautiful and well worth adding to your trip to the Larder, making it a full day out. I suggest you visit it first and then relax and enjoy the retail therapy that the Larder has to offer.

There is a well-stocked gift shop which offers a range of contemporary gifts including items that cannot be purchased elsewhere in the UK.  I never fail to find that unique gift for birthdays or Christmas presents, quite often you are spoilt for choice, so hours are spent on deciding.

Working with Johnston’s of Elgin, the wool and cashmere producers, Loch Leven Larder are proud to promote their own tartan cloth, inspired by the colours of the landscape.

breadThe Larder source much of their produce from their own vegetable farm and local producers in Perthshire and Fife, both counties are rich in quality Scottish produce.  All these delicious goods are sold in their farm shop and used to produce seasonal meals and treats to be sold in their restaurant and deli.

A relaxed, spacious café with a picturesque window looking out across the fields to Loch Leven itself gives you a feeling of dining al fresco.  Diners can enjoy the stunning scenery whilst sampling the quality home made food produced in the Larder’s kitchen.

The menu choices change daily, reflecting what is fresh and seasonal on the day and you can have anything from breakfast, lunch through to tea.

These Farm Food outlets help the public reconnect with the farm producers.  We as consumers have the comfort of knowing exactly where your food is coming from and that whatever you buy is quality, full of flavour and some of the best Scotland has to offer.