Emma Fabi, Business Marketing and Administration Student

As my time at Balcaskie comes to an end, I can certainly say that within the past year, no two days have been the same. I have enjoyed the variety my role has to offer, allowing me a taste of each enterprise on the estate. The team have been fantastic to work with, all very welcoming and friendly.

 

Bowhouse has been a large part of my time at Balcaskie, from setting up for market weekends with Kat, Kylie, Rosie, Liz and Emma to working at them with Christy, Martha and Shannon we have had a go at everything, apple pressing, chestnut roasting and lots of bin runs. It was great to be a part of Bowhouse’s first ever three-day Christmas Market; the chaos was all worth it when you walk around and see how happy people are (even if it is freezing). I have also enjoyed helping at Grass to Grill tours, this involves a tractor and trailer ride around the estate with 40 members of the public followed by a talk with the butchery and a grand long table feast of Balcaskie meat. It was a great way to learn more about Balcaskie from having discussions with the public and having to answer questions.

My favourite part of my job has been the task of getting photos around the estate, this has allowed me to explore the local area and realise how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place. The photos are used for social media which I also played a role in, trying to explain to the public what we do and why we do it across Balcaskie platform. It has been a great way of getting out and about on the farm and getting my hands dirty, away from the keyboard! Another highlight has been the office lunchtime walk, it really is necessary and makes such a difference to my day, especially when Tula comes with!

In October I was selected as an Agritourism under 35 scholars in the 2024 program.  We spent two days on a course in Edinburgh, the first day was spent on personal development and agritourism businesses and on day two we met with some Scottish Government representatives at the Scottish Parliament discussing issues within the agritourism sector. It was followed up with a two-day conference in Perth listening to different speakers, who are involved in agritourism of all aspects, there were even speakers from India and New Zealand.

Having the chance to live in the East Neuk has been amazing, with early morning swims in the tidal pools, runs along the stunning coast, and nights out in the thriving town of St Andrews I have had the experience of a lifetime, met friends for life and certainly taken advantage of my year here.

Nothing beats a Pimm’s or two by the beach after a hard day’s work!

The year has flown by and I have had a blast, thank you for the Balcaskie team for having me!