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Fife Coastal Path

Monday 30 March 2009

Caiplie Doocot East Neuk of Fife Scotland


Caiplie Doocot, located between Anstruther and Crail, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

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Thursday 26 March 2009

Waves Cellardyke East Neuk of Fife Scotland


Waves at Cellardyke, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

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Wednesday 25 March 2009

Ceramic Mermaid Cellardyke East Neuk of Fife Scotland


A ceramic Mermaid seen in Cellardyke, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

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Monday 16 March 2009

Selkirk Ancestry East Neuk of Fife Scotland

Selkirk Ancestry, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

My name is Paul J. Romero, Jr. and I recently learned that I am a descendant of Alexander Selkirk of Robinson Crusoe fame. I have traced my family tree quite a bit and am very interested in my Scottish history. Such as a family coat of arms, crest, motto, colors, etc. My son Thomas graduates High School this year and will be attending the University of New Orleans in the Fall. I was looking to pass on to him
additional family history and such so he knows the roots he comes from. Thank you in advance for anything you might be able to provide. My searches have led me to Fife, Scotland where he lived. I look forward to your timely correspondence. Sincerely, PJ Romero.

Dear Paul,
I would strongly suggest that you contact the Fife Family History Society which was formed in 1989, has over 700 members and is still growing. The principal aim of the society is to promote the study of family history in Fife. Since the inception of the Society, they have tried to achieve this in a variety of ways.

In association with Fife Council Libraries, they have a Family History Room in Methil Library, which holds many primary sources such as Fife Old Parish Registers and Census Returns on microfilm. Microfilm copies of local newspapers relevant to the Levenmouth area are also held, as are the IGI for Scotland and a microfiche index to the 1881 census for many Scottish counties and to the 1891 census for Fife only, and a large stock of books embracing local and family history, maps, manuscripts, family histories as well as indexes to other census returns and court records. Several CDs of genealogical interest have recently been added to the collection.

Fife Family History Society holds regular meetings with guest speakers, featuring an interesting variety of talks, in the Caledonian Hotel, Leven. Meetings are also open to non-members. The syllabus is published in the Journal.

Over the years they have taken part in a variety of projects, including assisting with the indexing of the 1881 census. In recent years a vast amount of work was carried out in relation to the Fife section of the National Burial Index project, under the auspices of the Association of Family History Societies. As a result, Fife Family History Society produced a CD ROM of pre-1855 Deaths in Fife, which contains over a quarter of a million entries. The CD is available for sale through the Society.

Members are asked to submit a Members' Interests form when joining the Society. Members' Interests are published in the Journal, so that members with similar interests can contact each other. It is also possible for members to place queries relating to specific lines of research in the Journal.

The Society's Journal is produced three times a yeaR and sent out to members. We also have a PublIcation Club open to members of the Society. For an additional fee of £6 annually, members of the Publication Club receive an additional booklet along with their journal. This is usually a transcript of a manuscript not readily available to the public. Past publications have covered indexes to Wills and Deeds, Trade Incorporation Records, Non-Conformist Baptismal Registers and Monumental Inscriptions.

The Fife Family History Society Web Page at http://www.fifefhs.org offers some research aids as well as keeping members up to date with Society news. Exclusive to our members is our on-line mailing list, which allows members direct email contact to chat about the Society, family history, Fife etc. It is also possible to pick the brains of other members to help in problem solving.

To their members, they also offer to transcribe certificates from New Register House in Edinburgh and the Society will endeavour to answer any queries in relation to their family history research.

Subscription fees (from 1 October - 30 September annually):
Adult single UK £10, Overseas £12.
Family UK £12, Overseas £14.
Institution UK £12, Overseas £14.
Publication Club All £6.
Transcription Service £3 per certificate.

Contact Details.
Mrs Betty Pryde ( Secretary)
Glenmoriston , Durie Street, Leven, Fife, Scotland, KY8 4HF.
Tel: 01333 425321
Email: chairman@fifefhs.org
Web: http://www.fifefhs.org

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Sunday 15 March 2009

Whelks East Neuk of Fife Scotland

Whelks, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. When I was a young boy growing up in Cellardyke, there were lots of snail like periwinkles and dog whelks, and dark red sea anemones, to be found in ever rock pool. My friends and I used to boil the whelks in any old tin can that we found on the seashore. No Health and Safety worries in those days. As I got older I discovered there were actual Scottish Whelk recipes.

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Saturday 14 March 2009

March Photograph Kellie Castle East Neuk of Fife Scotland


A March photograph of Kellie Castle, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Kellie Castle is a castle just outside Arncroach, just north of Pittenweem. The earliest records of Kellie go back to 1150 where it is mentioned in a charter issued by King David I. The first known owner was Robert of London, the illegitimate son of King William the Lion. By 1266 Kellie had passed to the Siward family, who had hailed from Northumbria and had assisted King Malcolm Canmore to overthrow Macbeth. The estate was signed over to a Siward relative, Walter Oliphant, in 1360 and the castle remained in the ownership of the Oliphant family until 1613. It was purchased by Sir Thomas Erskine, Earl of Mar, who had saved the life of King James VI during the Gowrie Conspiracy by killing Sir Alexander Ruthven. The King stayed at Kellie in 1617 during his only visit to Scotland after the Union of the Crowns, and he appointed Erskine as Earl of Kellie in 1619.

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Friday 13 March 2009

Lobsters East Neuk of Fife Scotland

Lobsters, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

The flavour of Drambuie combines well with lobster in this dish. Although it does not have its origins in the local area, it satisfies a need to refine and develop some dishes using local produce so that the Scottish gastronomic map may be extended a little.

Lobster East Neuk
2 lobsters live or cooked
2 oz butter (50 g)
3-4 tbsp Drambuie
Quarter pt double cream (150 ml)
Salt and pepper

For the cheese sauce -
Half pt milk (300 ml)
1 oz flour (25 g)
1 oz butter (25 g)
1 small onion stuck with a few cloves and a Bay leaf
1 oz Dunlop cheese
Salt and pepper

For the Garnish -
8 oz mushrooms
1 oz butter, melted

If the lobsters are live, plunge them into a pan of boiling water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove them when the water has cooled a bit. Split the lobsters in half lengthwise with a large, sharp knife. Scissors may also be used, cutting through both sides of the shell then cutting through the flesh with a knife. This gives a good clean edge.

Remove the stomach sack at the top of the head. It is about 1" long and three quarters" diameter (2.5 x 2 cm), depending on the size of the lobster. It will have split in two halves when you cut the lobster, so remove both halves and discard. Pull out and discard the blackish intestinal vein which runs right through the lobster, the greenish/ blackish soft part (brain) should be scooped out and sieved into a small bowl.

Remove the meat from the tail sections, claws, claw joints, chest sections and legs. Pull off and discard the gills which are attached to the outside of the chest at the leg joints. Scrape out any white matter which has coagulated inside the shells and add to the brain. Cut the meat into approximately 5" (1 cm) pieces. Clean out the shells and put in a warm place with the serving dish.

To make the cheese sauce, simmer the onion, cloves and bay leaf in milk for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile make up a white roux with butter and flour and leave to cool. Strain the milk and add gradually. Season and bring to the boil slowly, stirring all the time. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cheese at the end, mixing with a whisk until it is thoroughly melted and mixed through. Add sieved brain and check seasoning.

To make up the dish, melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the lobster meat and toss for a few minutes. Sprinkle on the Drambuie and flame. When all the flames have died down, add the cheese sauce and cook for a few minutes. Then add the cream and heat through. Adjust the consistency if necessary and check the seasoning. Pour into the shells and garnish with grilled mushrooms and sprigs of parsley. Serve immediately. Scottish Cooking.

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Wednesday 11 March 2009

Fish Sauce East Neuk of Fife Scotland

Fish Sauce, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

15 anchovies
Half pt wine vinegar (250 ml)
1 pt red wine (500 ml)
1 tbsp horseradish, scraped
2 small onions, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 dsp lemon thyme
2 bay leaves
1 grated nutmeg
Half tsp ground mace
9 cloves
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Chop up anchovies and add to the vinegar. Cover and leave for a week, shaking occasionally. Put this into a pan and add all the other ingredients. Simmer for about 2 hr. Strain through a fine sieve. Add a little cochineal to improve the colour if necessary. Cool and store in a bottle.

To use, shake the bottle well, melt 2 oz butter (50 g) in a pan and add 1 tbsp of the sauce. Serve hot with fish. Scottish Cooking.

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Friday 6 March 2009

Partan Bree East Neuk of Fife Scotland


Partan Bree, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

This is more of a national than a regional dish, but it is made in the East Neuk of Fife whenever crabs are plentiful. Crabs are known throughout Scotland by their Gaelic name (partan) and bree simply means 'liquid' or gravy. The season lasts from January to October and the crabs are usually boiled by the fishmonger. To cook them if they are live, plunge them into a large pan of boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes. They can weigh anything from 1 and a half to 8 Ib, but for quality the best weight is about 3 lb (1.4kg). It is illegal to offer for sale crabs less than 4 and a half (10 cm) in breadth across the broad part of the back, or any crab carrying spawn (known as 'berried' crabs).

1 large cooked crab (about 2-3 Ib, 1 to 1and a half kg)
Quarter pt single cream (125 ml)
2 oz rice (50 g)
Anchovy essence to taste
1 pt milk (600 ml)
Salt and pepper
1 pt water (600 ml)
Garnish - Chopped parsley

Remove all the meat from the crab, keeping the claw meat separate. Put the rice in a pan with the milk and water. Cook till the rice is tender. Put the rice and some of the cooking liquid into a liquidiser with all the crab meat except the meat from the claws. Make into a fine puree or put all this through a sieve. Return puree to the soup and add anchovy essence and cream. Season and adjust the consistency with more milk if necessary. Add claw meat and some finely chopped parsley. Heat through but do not boil. Serve in heated soup bowls.

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Thursday 5 March 2009

Potato Soup Largo East Neuk of Fife Scotland

Potato Soup from Largo, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. There is a long history of fine quality seed potatoes as well as 'earlies' in this area along the coast of Fife. Further inland, sheep produce excellent mutton which combines with the potatoes in this substantial peasant style broth.

1 Ib neck of mutton (Half kg)
4 pt water (2 Litres)
4 oz finely chopped carrots (125 g)
1 and a quarter lb finely chopped onions (625 g)
1 and a half lb sliced potatoes (750 g)
Salt and pepper
Garnish - Chopped parsley

Put the mutton in a pan with water. Bring to the boil and skim.
Add carrots and onions, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 2 hours.
Add the potatoes 30 minutes before the end.
Lift out meat, remove bones and any excess fat.
Chop up finely and return to the soup.
Check seasoning and serve garnished with parsley. Scottish Cooking.

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