Why they chose Crieff

The food scene in a town is only ever as good as the people who show up to build it. The chefs, the producers, the bakers, the people who look at an empty shop or a family farm or a vacant bistro and decide that this is the place where they want to make something.

Crieff has been attracting those people for a while now. We asked four of them about their backgrounds, what brought them here and what they think of the place they chose.

Mark Bush, Summer Harvest

Mark and his partner Maggie produce multi award-winning cold-pressed

rapeseed oil at Ferneyfold Farm between Crieff and Perth. Summer Harvest has been running since 2008.

Tell us a little about your background. How did you come to be farming and producing in Strathearn?

I grew up in South Wales - my dad was a miner and my mother worked in a factory, though they both opened their own shops after the pit closures. I trained as a software engineer and worked on air traffic control systems and on the trading floor of an international bank in London. It was in London that I met Maggie through a mutual friend. In 2007 we moved to Scotland and I started helping out on Maggie's family farm, first selling potatoes to local businesses and farmers' markets, then moving on to producing cold-pressed rapeseed oil in 2008.

What do you make and what makes Strathearn the right place to do it?

The farm has been in the family for several generations. We grow spring barley, oilseed rape and wheat, and rent out some fields for cattle and sheep. The Strathearn Valley is widely recognised as one of Scotland's most fertile and productive agricultural regions. Summer Harvest produces cold-pressed rapeseed oil and a range of dressings in collaboration with Wilde Thyme, supplying retailers and catering businesses.

What does a typical week look like?

Oilseed rape is planted in August and harvested the following July. We press, triple filter and bottle the oil on a weekly basis because it stays freshest in the seed - this means we avoid having to concentrate everything into one period of the year. We also visit Cultybraggan weekly to collect the dressings from Wilde Thyme. The start of the week is fulfilling orders, then planning and restocking as the week moves on.

What are you most proud of?

Creating a new business on the farm that introduced a new kitchen essential to home and restaurant kitchens - including Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, where I was privileged to work for a few shifts myself. The fact that we have been running since 2008 is a lot to take in.

Where does your oil end up and what does that mean to you?

We focus on independent shops, farm shops and delis for our retail range, and supply into the catering sector where chefs use our oil to prepare dishes for their guests. Having chefs who value your product shows us that the care we have taken is respected and appreciated. The support from loyal customers since our first farmers' market eighteen years ago has been unreal.

Iain and Nicola, G's Bistro

Iain and Nicola took over G's Bistro on the Crieff High Street and have brought fresh energy and a renewed passion for great food to one of the town's most beloved restaurants.

Tell us a little about your backgrounds. How did you come to be in Crieff?

Iain spent four years as head chef at Carlowrie Castle, the five-star venue in Edinburgh, then was head chef at the Royal Hotel in Comrie before running the Crieff Golf Club franchise for two years. He has lived in and around Comrie most of his life. Nicola spent a decade in Dubai managing events, then came home and worked in wedding events management before we bought the bistro together. Nicola is originally from Dunblane and moved to Crieff four years ago after coming back from Dubai.

Was coming to Crieff a deliberate choice?

For Iain it was a natural home - he has always been rooted in this part of Perthshire. For Nicola, Crieff became home after Dubai and she has not looked back.

What has surprised you most about running a food business here?

How supportive and invested the local community is. When we took on G's we knew we were becoming part of a town with a strong sense of community, but you don't fully appreciate that until you experience it first-hand. We have had so many local customers who have supported us from day one, celebrated milestones with us and genuinely want to see the business succeed. It has also been lovely seeing how many people are passionate about good food and about keeping independent businesses thriving in Crieff.

What are you most proud of on the menu right now?

Rather than one dish, we are most proud of the way we continually evolve our menu with the seasons. We love creating new dishes and finding different ways to showcase fantastic Scottish ingredients, particularly when we can source them locally. It is about keeping things fresh and interesting while celebrating the incredible produce we have right on our doorstep.

Where do you think Crieff's food scene is heading?

Crieff has a really exciting food scene for a town of its size. There is a brilliant mix of independent businesses and people are increasingly looking for quality, locally sourced food and somewhere with personality rather than a standard dining experience. I think there is a real opportunity for Crieff to become known as a destination for food, not just somewhere people pass through on their way to the Highlands. We are proud to be a small part of that.

Stuart and May Michael, Deli and Dough

Stuart and May opened Deli & Dough on the Crieff High Street in February 2024. The shop serves Schiacciata bread sandwiches, sourdough pizza and Illy coffee alongside freshly baked cakes. They also run Wild Kitchen Events, their wedding and events catering business.

Tell us a little about your backgrounds. How did you come to open Deli and Dough?

May has always lived in and around Crieff and her family are here. Stuart is originally from Newcastle and has always been a chef - his last employed role was Executive Chef at Dunkeld House Hotel. We met while working at Crieff Hydro. We bought a house, got married and have two girls aged two years and ten weeks. We also own Wild Kitchen Events, so Crieff was the obvious base for everything. In 2023 we decided we needed a side hustle. The shop had been empty for a while so we decided to buy it. May was pregnant with our first daughter at the time and we spent the next year renovating it ourselves before opening in February 2024.

What has surprised you most?

How well it has been received. Opening Deli & Dough has surpassed all our expectations. We have been so well supported by the people of Crieff, which we are incredibly grateful for. We definitely found a gap in the market. May has since left her employed job and we now have two amazing full-time team members in the shop.

What are you most proud of?

We put a lot of thought into the shop fit and wanted to bring something fresh and cool to the High Street, which we think we achieved. We also love our specials board. Our main menu has all the sandwiches and pizzas our customers love but the specials board lets us be creative on a weekly basis and involve the team and our customers in what we create.

Where do you think Crieff's food scene is heading?

Since we opened, lots of other amazing foodie businesses have opened too and it is brilliant to be part of that. Having one good place is fine, but having lots of amazing foodie places creates a destination and ultimately benefits everyone. We are so fortunate as a town to have so many lovely food outlets whether that is a shop, a takeaway, a bakery, a bar or a restaurant. The future is bright.

Emily, Ems and Co

Emily and her partner Andrew opened Ems & Co on King Street in March 2025. Emily was previously head pastry chef at Cromlix, Andrew Murray's five-star hotel in Perthshire. The Scotsman called Ems & Co a discovery within months of opening.

Tell us a little about your background. Where were you before Crieff?

I was living on my family's croft just outside Muir of Ord on the Black Isle and running a café in Dingwall, also called Ems & Co. My partner Andrew convinced me to move in with him and his two children. After a period renting in Dunblane we moved to Crieff. During that time I was working as head pastry chef at Cromlix.

Was Crieff a deliberate choice?

We started looking to buy when we were in Dunblane and found a lovely house - a smaller version of the kind I grew up in. Crieff has everything we were looking for: friendly locals, a good range of shops and easy access to the countryside.

What has surprised you most about running a business here?

How kind and supportive our regular customers are. Also, even though Crieff is much bigger than Dingwall, people still say hello to you in the street. That matters more than you might think.

What are you most proud of right now?

Probably our cocoa nib rice pudding and morello cherry cross laminated croissant bow at the moment. Though that might change by next week.

Where do you think Crieff's food scene is heading?

It is great and going from strength to strength. There is something for everyone and I think its diversity is a real asset.

What the four stories have in common

A software engineer from South Wales who followed a farmer's daughter to Perthshire. A Dubai decade followed by a High Street bistro. A Newcastle chef and a Crieff local who bought an empty shop while expecting their first child. A Black Isle crofter who followed her partner south and opened a pastry shop that The Scotsman noticed immediately.

Different routes. Different backgrounds. The same instinct that Crieff was somewhere worth putting down roots and building something.

May Michael said it most clearly, but all four of them are living it. 'One good place is fine. But lots of amazing places creates a destination'.

Crieff is becoming that destination. These are some of the people making it happen.

Discover more at experiencecrieff.co.uk

Experience Crieff: it's yours to discover.