I was amused and interested to hear that a chap in our group yesterday had been given a ten per cent discount card for a meal at Ham’s Hame, by his Kingsbarn’s caddie. Talk about an effective method of direct marketing. That is brilliant. For indeed, the four guys in his group went and had a good slap up dinner there, including a few beverages, I believe.

Now, if you consider that there are perhaps a handful of caddies pushing Ham’s Hame discount cards, then you have a pretty strong sales force out there on a daily basis, doing the rounds so to speak, These blokes mostly do two loops a day, probably six day a week, and so the caddie pitch is a pretty cool tool.

I certainly do volunteer information about the culinary experiences to be had in St Andrews.  Mainly because I am fond of eating but I also have an interest in cooking, and at a time had an aspiration to have a restaurant. Indeed, the caddie contact can be an invaluable source of information to the discerning visitor. And I suppose my blog is veering that way. However, the St Andrews food scene is chugging along in a minor division at the moment, in my mind.  There is a distinct lack of good restaurants and decent bar food in town, and I struggle sometimes to recommend somewhere. To be fair I haven’t eaten everywhere, including the highly praised Vine Leaf, Ardgowan and Little Italy, but I have had significant exposure to the mainpart of St Andrew’s kitchens to know that they need a good jolt.

The Seafood Restaurant has a remarkable location on the seafront with glass windows overlooking the bay. However, I have never had a great meal there and it’s very expensive. A client recently, a restaurateur from Sweden was most disappointed and aghast that they didn’t have enough fish to do their seafood platter! Come on now.

I, in fact, just recommended a wee gem of a place to eight guys from Tennessee which is down the road in Crail at the harbour. (Not Tennessee but this wee place I mean) It’s just really a fisherman’s hut, but they serve up fresh lobster to order and you can enjoy it outside on benches that overlook this idyllic and beautiful setting. The secret is to buy your fries from the chippy on the main street and maybe take down a flask of Chablis to top things off. Hard to beat that one.

However no discounts available I’m afraid. Although we could work on a code I believe. Tell them you’re on a kilted caddie haggis hunting tour of the East Neuk.

In time that should do the trick I would think?!