Fife Forager Jayson Byles Teaching the Intrepid

On a windswept stretch of Scottish coastline, nanobrewers, gifted young chefs, and foragers, like New Zealander Jayson Byles, are transforming the picture-postcard towns of Fife into a culinary wonderland. Adam Erace visits the region for a story published in Travel + Leisure.

Byles moved to Fife six years ago. His Māori heritage and professional culinary training converge in a deep reverence for the ocean, an attitude reflected in his hands-on East Neuk Seaweed workshops.

Clear as they are, the tide pools don’t show the future, but Byles is certain food and education can support conservation – of the physical environment and of Fife’s community and culture. “Getting people out on the land, out on the cast, foraging their own food – that’s a way to make newcomers appreciate this place and give them the memories the seventh-generation locals have, so they become bonded to the area.” He collects our plates, Erace writes, and, of course, our trash, and pushes cool sand over the smouldering charcoal. We leave no trace behind.

Original article by Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, August 20, 2022.

Photo by Murray Orr.