Cormo Bakery and Stocks Cook School have become the latest businesses to join the growing community of food and drink producers at Balcaskie Estate in the East Neuk of Fife.
Artisan bakers Matt Mallia and Julianna Barker are behind Cormo Bakery at Balcormo Farm, while Amy and Jack Elles have expanded Stocks Kitchen with a new cookery school at the estate’s Bowhouse food hub.
Stocks Cook School launches at Bowhouse
Amy and Jack have launched Stocks Cook School following more than a year of renovations to create a bespoke teaching space and demonstration kitchen.
A classically trained chef, Amy previously worked at Heston Blumenthal’s three Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck, Casa Marcelo in Santiago de Compostela and London restaurant Moro. She later spent four years travelling as a private chef.
After returning to the UK, the couple moved to Scotland and operated the much-loved Harbour Café in Elie. The restaurant appeared on The Hairy Bikers Go Local, while Amy competed on Great British Menu.
The couple later opened Stocks Kitchen at Bowhouse, where their new school will host cookery classes, demonstrations and events featuring guest chefs and food writers.
Its autumn programme includes a dinner party demonstration on 9 October and a seafood workshop on 30 October, using seasonal produce and locally landed fish from Pittenweem.
Roberta Hall, the chef behind Edinburgh restaurants The Little Chartroom, Eleanore and Ardfern, will join Amy and Jack for a Cook the Books supper on 2 December. Inspired by her book The Changing Tides, the evening will include cocktails, canapés, dinner and a book signing.
Amy and Jack said: “We can’t wait to welcome people into our classes to cook, to learn and, most importantly, to enjoy the very best produce the East Neuk has to offer from our talented growers and suppliers.”
Cormo Bakery begins new East Neuk chapter
Matt and Julianna moved to the East Neuk after closing their award-winning Hobz bakery on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk in 2025.
Named among Britain’s best bakeries, Hobz became known for its sourdough bread and pastries, but customer demand eventually outgrew its production space.
The couple are now developing a former farm shed at Balcormo, which is already home to East Neuk Eggs, Vandyke Brothers Coffee and Fife Campers.
While work continues, customers can place weekly small-batch orders through the Cormo Bakery website. Its range includes breads, pastries, handmade preserves, biscuits and snacks, with selected products available for national delivery.
Cormo Bakery is also trading at Bowhouse Market Weekends and supplying local wholesale customers, including Stocks Kitchen. Future plans include evening events and a sit-in café with a wood-burning stove.
Matt and Julianna said: “We’re really excited to be back in a retail space again in such a special location, connecting with visitors who share a love for great, locally produced food.”
Growing Balcaskie’s producer community
Balcaskie Estate covers 4,500 acres of organically and regeneratively farmed land in the East Neuk. It is home to an expanding community of producers working with local ingredients to create artisan food and drink.
Estate manager Sam Parsons said: “Cormo Bakery and Stocks Kitchen and Cook School are exactly the kind of businesses we’re passionate about having here at Balcaskie. Both businesses work closely with our network of producers and farmers based here, and seeing that collaboration happen is exactly the kind of thriving and connected community we want to build at Balcaskie.
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“Cormo Bakery and Stocks joined us through our ‘Pitch Up!’ scheme, which we’re about to relaunch for 2026. The farmer-led movement invites businesses at all stages to share land and space on our organic and regenerative farm at a low cost.”
Businesses interested in the scheme can submit an expression of interest.
Further details are available through the Cormo Bakery and Stocks Cook School websites.
