Bakeries in St Andrews

The baking story of St Andrews

St Andrews is world-famous as the home of golf and of Scotland's oldest university, founded in 1413, and the student calendar comes with its own food traditions. During Raisin Weekend, first-year students traditionally thanked their academic 'parents' with a gift of raisins; these days the present is more likely to be wine, and the weekend ends with a foam fight in St Salvator's Quad. The town's medieval streets, ruined cathedral and castle are lined with tea rooms and bakeries serving Fife favourites: Scotch pies, sausage rolls, shortbread and empire biscuits. Fresh fish and shellfish come from the East Neuk villages just down the coast, and Fife's fields are known for strawberries, raspberries and potatoes.

Local bakes to look out for

• Shortbread – Rich, buttery biscuit in fingers, rounds or petticoat tails.
• Scotch pie – A small round pie of peppery minced meat.
• Empire biscuit – Iced shortbread sandwich with jam and a jelly sweet.

Bakery hunter's tip: Walk from the cathedral ruins along North Street and Market Street for bakeries and tea rooms, then take a picnic down to the West Sands.

Did you know? Raisin Weekend at St Andrews began with first-year students giving a pound of raisins to their academic 'parents' in thanks.