Lucy Davies, Business and Marketing Student

I can’t believe my time at Balcaskie is over. Before arriving, I thought living so far away from home was going to be much harder, but it turns out Scotland is a lot more similar to Wales than I realised. Having such a welcoming team has certainly helped too as well as the midday office walks with Tula.

One of my favourite parts of placement was the Bowhouse Market Weekends. From setting up the stalls the day before with Emma and Kylie to spending the whole market gossiping with Christy, these weekends were definitely a highlight. I think I probably spent more money at them than I actually earned.

Grass to Grill Tours were also a great experience and another event that didn’t feel like work. In August, Emma and I were also tasked with organising and making all the sides and condiments for the meal at the end of the tours. Neither of us claim to be chefs, but our first attempt turned out pretty good. We made blackberry and ricotta salad, dijonnaise, potato, dill and cucumber salad, chimichurri, tomato and basil salad, and horseradish mayo. The sides were served alongside mutton and beef from the butchery and, thankfully, everything went down very well. When I started placement, I never thought I’d find myself elbow-deep in a gigantic tub of coleslaw.

Outside of work, one of my favourite things about living here was that you can see the beach almost everywhere you go. Running along the coast is amazing, and I definitely made the most of it. In October, I joined the Haddies Running Club in Anstruther. Although I was only there for a few months (thanks to a lovely case of runner’s knee), it really helped me get through the Scottish winter. I trained every Wednesday and even competed in a race with the club. It gave me a reason to get out and do something, even when it was dark before I got home.

Within my first two months at Balcaskie, I completed both my telehandler test and quad bike training. All I have to say is that I don’t like heights, and I refused to drive off the edge of a hill.

A standout moment for me was our Christmas party. We took a minibus to Lindores Distillery, where we enjoyed a tour and some whisky tasting before heading to the Boar’s Head for a three-course meal and plenty of wine. It also marked the halfway point of my placement – six months already gone.

February brought the first market of 2026, and it was a wet one. I spent most of the day in the car park helping push countless cars out of the mud. Despite that, it was actually one of my favourite market weekends. Watching a man in pristine white trainers go flying through the mud absolutely made my day.

Also in February, Bowhouse hosted the annual RHET Day. Children from local primary schools visited Bowhouse to take part in a variety of food, drink, agriculture and countryside activities designed to teach them where their food comes from and how it is produced. This was an event I was put in charge of organising, so I had spent months preparing for it. Thankfully, everything ran smoothly and the children seemed to have a great time.

Of course, I can’t forget my favourite weekend of the year: the Don’t Walk Fashion Show. As soon as Kylie told me about it, I spent the first half of my placement looking forward to it. It was an amazing night – and a very loud one. Kylie and I were technically “working”, but we got to watch the entire show while mainly keeping an eye on things, sampling food from the street vendors and picking up a few freebies at the end. It was a 2:30 pm to 3:00 am shift, so it was a long day, but definitely worth it. It certainly lived up to expectations.

Thank you to everyone at Balcaskie for making my placement year so memorable. I’ve learned so much, met some brilliant people, and had experiences I’ll never forget. But I will be glad to never have to hear Sam say “Lucy can you order these signs” again.

See you all when I next visit!