New Pastures, Kat Gilmour-White

The last four years have been an incredible journey that have introduced me to so many new faces, seeding and growing my passion for farming, food, drink and the agritourism sector. My last couple days in office have given me time to reflect on my experiences in such an exciting, varied and evolving role.

 I started my original position as Bowhouse Market Assistant right out the back of Covid, never having been to Bowhouse before, I was intrigued by its unusual concept and presence in the East Neuk. I ran the ‘online market’ which allowed the local community to access produce from lots of small artisan businesses, when real-life markets could not operate.

In early 2023, I progressed to site co-ordinator, which involved organising a variety of events including workshops, market weekends and farm tours.  What a whirlwind it’s been!

A personal highlight for me has been developing the Balcaskie Estate ‘Grass to Grill’ tours. A concept that had been considered for a while and was first brought to life at an Open Farm Weekend. The first experiences were rough and ready, some may say ‘rustic’, but the guests were so engaged and excited – it had the potential to be something quite special.

Balcaskie has taught me to value honest, open conversations about advancing farming methods and encouraging discussions around food production that works in harmony with nature.  The tours give an opportunity for guests to be immersed in the landscape and learn first hand from the farmers that work hard to bring the vision to a reality. They also get to enjoy a delicious, seasonal feast back at Bowhouse that champions the small food & drink producers based on site. I loved co-ordinating these experiences, bringing together the team with our customers and allowing knowledge to be filtered through organically.

 Market weekends are busy, fast-paced and honestly, a bit mental! You must live and breathe them when you get involved with Bowhouse. But they’re brilliant, utterly unique and something I have never seen done to that scale, anywhere else. The time spent carefully curating each market gives you an immense feeling of pride seeing it all come together.
I never took for granted the opportunity to stand back and watch the market hall bustling with life, sales being made, and produce being enjoyed. There is real joy to be found from working alongside so many passionate, like-minded producers that bring personality, energy and lots of laughter to the walls of Bowhouse.

I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to work as part of a team that unite to deliver exceptional events from a world-class venue.
Bowhouse feels like a home and has been an experience I’ll look back on fondly. I look forward to returning as a customer in the future and enjoying the space from the other side. Just like the cattle at Balcaskie, I’m ready to move on to pastures new.