Under the stewardship of Hannah Stevenson, the Pitscottie Inn became one of Fife’s favourite hostelries.
It was packed out with young farmers on weekend nights and the favoured lunch spot on market days.
On these days Hannah, who has died aged 93, would serve scores of plates of her famous steak pie.
Hannah and her husband, Alex, worked hard to renovate Pitsottie Inn from a basic structure in the 1970s.
Catering
She ventured into catering when she began serving soup and sandwiches to widower customers.
By the time they sold the inn in 1987, they were selling 100 bar lunches on peak days, all home cooked.
Hannah was born in September, 1928 at Rankeillour Estate where her father, John Keiller, was a gamekeeper.
War service
Her father, who lived until he was 104, had served with the Highland Light Infantry during the First World War.
He fought at the battle of the Somme and later became a prisoner of war of the Germans.
Shortly before his death, he was awarded the Legion d’honneur by France because he had fought on French soil.
Marriage
In September, 1950, Hannah married Alexander Stevenson at Monimail Church, Letham. They went on to have four of a family: Ewan, John, Verna and Joyce.
As the catering side of Pitscottie Inn took off, Hannah surrounded herself with a loyal team of family and close friends.
Verna said: “Most of the local young farmers at that time would meet friends on a Friday and Saturday night at Pitscottie Inn to start their night out and often packed out the lounge bar.
“People would come from far and wide to eat the great food mum had on offer, including the farmers on market day where homemade steak pie was a firm favourite, while tripe and onions also went down a treat.
“Pitscottie Inn was a great meeting place for locals, farmers and business people.”
Listening ear
Hannah also had a handle on what was happening locally, often thanks to a radio that could pick up the police frequency.
Verna said: “It is fair to say that at times as she listened to it she was worried by what she heard.
“On one occasion her father, a retired gamekeeper who was in his 80s at the time and one of her sons were being spoken about on the radio for poaching at a local pond.
“She was worried her father was going to be getting into trouble at his age, and a gamekeeper. However, they managed to avoid a tricky situation.”
Retiral
When Hannah and Alex sold the Pitscottie Inn they retired to Ladybank where Alex enjoyed his racing pigeons and Hannah her large garden.
When the garden became too much to tend to, the couple bought a house with a smaller garden in Pitlessie in 2001.
Alex died in 2004 and Hannah, an avid Dundee United supporter, continued to live independently in Pitlessie until she took ill several weeks ago.
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