Margaux and Ben Larg run popular creperie Salt and Pine in Tentsmuir Forest, near Leuchars, bringing a touch of France to Fife.
Margaux, who hails from Nice, enjoys making crepes for tourists and locals who visit Tentsmuir Forest.
She runs her popular crepe shack with her husband, Ben, where they make sweet and savoury crepes.
It’s ten years since the couple began their journey making crepes.
And it all began from a conversation in a pub.
Ben recalls: “It’s funny how I met a guy in a pub and he offered me a trailer, and all of a sudden, it changes your whole life.
“We got the first trailer for £500.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was a friend of a friend – a German guy I knew.
“He knew this Russian guy who was selling crepes, who was going back to Russia and selling his trailer.
“I thought, that’s the perfect job – French person, she’s got to know how to make crepes.”
It turns out that Margaux didn’t know how to make crepes.
“I didn’t,” she admits through laughter, “we had to watch YouTube videos and take it from there.”
Tentsmuir Forest the perfect location for Salt and Pine
From their first go at making crepes at a festival where they were “thrown in at the deep-end”, Ben and Margaux’s crepes have now become a Fife staple.
From appearing at events around the country, they eventually settled on Tentsmuir Forest for their crepe shack.
“When we were kids,” recalls Ben, who grew up in Fife, “there used to be a small hut here.
“But it just sold Mars bars and ice cream. It was pretty minimal.
“It was an afterthought. We came here for a walk one day.
“I had forgotten how amazing this place was, and thought: we could really do with something down here.
“And it went from there.”
But it wasn’t a roaring success when they first brought the crepes to Fife.
“It has been a big change,” says Margaux, looking back over the last 10 years.
“I’m glad we’ve built up the following that we’ve got now here.
“It’s a good feeling.
“I remember we used to have a hammock set up in the trees, and we would open up and lie in the hammock waiting for our first customer.”
Ben adds: “We would always do rock, paper, scissors to see who was going to get up out of the hammock to serve the customers.
“But it’s not like that anymore!”
What food can you get at Salt and Pine?
Food and drink was definitely the right choice for Ben and Margaux who love every minute of running Salt and Pine.
“I totally love it,” adds Ben.
“I’d been working in the building trade for years, so it was a breath of fresh air doing something different.
“I think after we did the first festival, I knew it was for me.”
Success in the hospitality business clearly runs in the family, as Ben’s brothers’ run St Andrews foodie institutions The Cheesy Toast Shack and Dook.
Both sweet and savoury crepes are on offer at the Tentsmuir forest crepe shack.
“It’s not something you can find many other places,” says Margaux.
“Especially the savoury crepe, it’s quite unusual.”
Margaux and Ben have now introduced pizza Fridays and seafood Saturdays, from 5-8pm.
“We wanted to give people the option to get some night-time treats,” says Margaux.
“I think the crepe is more of a lunch thing.
“There will be live music as well, and Pétanque [a form of boules] competitions.”
Ben adds: “I think when people come down here [Tentsmuir Forest], they come here for the whole day.
“And we thought, if they’ve had a crepe for lunch, they won’t want one for dinner.”
Their new seafood dishes include lobster and chips. They will preboil the lobster and then finish it off in the pizza oven.
There will also be mussels and chips on offer.
“I love seafood,” says Margaux.
“It’s my favourite thing to eat – aside from crepes!” she laughs.
Conversation