Staycation at The Crusoe and lunch at Balgove Larder’s Steak Barn

18:00
June 20, 2024

PR invite // All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.

I was thrilled to get the invitation to go experience The Crusoe for an overnight stay over in Fife. I haven’t so far seen much around the Fife area and have been curious about many spots around it lately so this was a brilliant opportunity to do a little get-away across the water from Edinburgh. Following our stay we also enjoyed a steak lunch at The Balgrove Larder’s Steak Barn which was stunning as well!

The Crusoe hotel is located in Lower Largo, an approximate 1 hour drive from Edinburgh. If you don’t want to drive, it is also possible to get the train (about 1 hour as well) to Leven, which is a 10 minutes drive away from the hotel. The hotel also offers train packages where they’ll assist with booking your train tickets and pick you up from the train station to provide transport all the way to The Crusoe as well, which makes everything super convenient and easy. The Crusoe sits right by the beach overlooking the water and you can even spot Edinburgh away in the distance on the other side. It felt like we were so far away from home, and yet only an hour away. Perfect for a little overnight escape.

The Largo Pier Suite room at The Crusoe

We were lucky enough to be in the Largo Pier Suite (prices fro £210/night) which is a spacious room with a kingsized bed, freestanding bath, bathroom with toilet and shower as well as a balcony overlooking the Firth of Forth. The room feels bright and tastefully decorated with a nautical feel without going overboard (see what I did there?). The room also has a TV which is disguised as a painting and can swivel around so you can watch it from both the bed and the sofa. The sun was shining as we checked it so we headed to the bar to get ourselves a glass of wine and brought it up to the room to enjoy on the balcony. We sat there and enjoyed the beautiful view over the water, watching both dogs and people basking in the sun until it was time to head to the restaurant for dinner. I could imagine this being a lovely room for a little escape both when the sun is shining and you can sit outside and enjoy it, but also on a stormy or rainy day when you can stay inside, leave the balcony door open and just listen to the wind and rain outside. It’s the kind of room I’d like to come to and just spend time in the room and I would consider coming back here if I need a little work/writers retreat in the future too.

The dinner at The Crusoe Restaurant

The restaurant is where you can enjoy both lunch or dinner as well as your breakfast in the morning. Opposite there is also a little cocktail bar which is a really cute little nook to enjoy a wee drink such as a cocktail or a coffee.

We chose focaccia to share and I got the tomato and burrata salad whilst Cody got calamari to start. For mains I chose the special which was a pasta with ragu and the husband chose a burger. The food felt really fresh and well-made with generous portions. I could’ve definitely been fine with just the focaccia and the burrata! Those are two dishes I’d highly recommend as well because the burrata is beautifully creamy and the tomatoes just so flavourful whilst the focaccia is served warm and is the perfect appetiser along with the olive oil + balsamic vinegar dip.

The breakfast at The Crusoe

In the morning we got up fairly late to enjoy a lay-in before heading over to the restaurant again for breakfast. There is a continental buffet style table with some fruits, toast, juices and cereal but you also get to order off the menu. I went for toast with scrambled egg and salmon and sometimes scrambled eggs can be so disappointing but not here. It were creamy and fresh and exactly the way I like it.

Lunch at the Balgove Larder Steak Barn

The Balgove Larder is about a 30 minute drive away from The Crusoe and is located northwest of St Andrews, right outside the town. I would highly recommend a visit here and it’s easy to visit if you are just visiting St Andrews as well. The farm has a lovely, well-stocked shop with everything from Scottish spirits and beers to cheese, local berries, spreads and meats. I could spend A LOT of money in here but limited myself to a little goats cheese, some sausages and fresh berries.

Right next-door to the shop you’ll also find the Steak Barn, which was the reason for our visit (there’s also a little café if you prefer) and I’m just going to start off by saying that we had such a good time here. The Steak Barn is, as the name suggests, located inside an old barn which brings so much cosy atmosphere – especially for a countryside girlie like myself who grew up near cows and farms. The spacious barns has big wooden tables with rustic decor and big benches. Since they are known for their steaks I chose the fillet steak with chips, whilst my husband went for the wings. The fillet was perfection and served with a creamy béarnaise sauce – and just writing about it is making my mouth water and I desperately want to go back as soon as possible. I asked for the steak to be cooked rare and got exactly that. Sometimes I’m a bit hesitant toward chunkier chips as I tend to prefer crispy skinny fries, but these were really well-cooked and not at all dry or raw but just exactly what chunky chips should be, in my opinion. Even though the big portion definitely filled me up, I also wanted to try a dessert and shared an Eton Mess with my husband which was also superb. It was made with local cream, in-house made meringue and Fife berries and is the best Eton mess I’ve ever had.

I did not know what to expect from the Balgove Larder but I’m now a big fan and will definitely be back!