NEW CHAPTER BEGINS FOR CHEAPE FAMILY
Published: 20th May 2010
 A FAMILY, whose name is synonymous with both golf and farming, is combining the two in an ambitious project which will breathe new life into a derelict historic steading on land it has farmed for generations.
Strathtyrum Estate, only half a mile outside St Andrews, on the busy A91 gateway to the town, has deep and historic links with the Home of Golf. Records of its owners, the Cheape family, go back to 1780.
Through all those years, the family's diversification has ranged from rabbit farming on the now Old Course of St Andrews, through to attempting to create a new breed of sheep – The Deviot, a cross between a Cheviot and a Dorset Horn.
More recent milestones include the introduction of the first combine harvester in Fife at Strathtyrum in the 1940s and 75% of the workforce receiving long service awards of 30 years or more (Fife show 2007).
Later this year, another landmark will be reached, with the realisation of a plan which has been germinating for more than a decade.
Last Monday, work started on a project which is destined to make the family name resonate with not only golfers, but gourmands.
Farm Shop manager Will Docker says it is largely down to the site's prime location. “That and the traditional farm steading (pictured above) which has been used for numerous agricultural practices over the years,” he explained.
“Strathtyrum Farms are now into their eighth generation of being farmed by the Cheape family. While in the past 30 years, activity within these buildings has decreased somewhat in line with alternative farming pursuits, the family wanted to do something to preserve the vernacular buildings.
“Richard Lochhead's Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP), greatly helped us focus our ideas and plans and we were awarded much needed grant funding for the project.
“Our main aim is to develop 'The Balgove Larder' into a recognised destination, renowned for supplying the finest quality Scottish produce, providing good value for money in a stunning corner of the Kingdom of Fife.
“Within the Farm Shop, the traditional butchery will offer much of the livestock from the farm, particularly the delicious Highland/Shorthorn cross beef, Fife lamb, pork and game. Among a range of products, there will also be Scottish and British cheeses, smoked fish and shellfish, Fife preserves, chutneys and Balgove Kitchen-prepared soups and ready-meals.”
A cafe at the farm will provide rest and refreshment after exercise either on the famous golf courses, just across the road, or on the nearby coastal walks and beaches. Visitors can enjoy delicious seasonal lunch menus, heart-stopping cakes, brownies and other teatime treats.
Added Will: “There will be regular events, held on-site, featuring traditional skills and more modern sustainable practices, to promote rural education for all ages.
“We will, for example, be installing a solid wood boiler - providing under floor heating (from naturally fallen timber from the farm), which should result in a saving of over four tonnes of CO2 emissions a year (compared to a standard oil boiler). By combining that with recycling facilities and numerous energy-saving initiatives, we aim to do everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint and impact positively on the environment.”
The Balgove Larder should be opening its doors in September. Its name, derived from Balgove, the home farm within the Strathtyrum boundary, epitomises the focus on delicious food that will be served there.
However there is also a very practical reason the shop does not go under the name Strathtyrum Larder. “Strathtyrum is very difficult to pronounce let alone spell!” said Will.
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