The Edinburgh Reporter December 2019

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28PHOTO OF THE MONTHThe Edinburgh ReporterEdinburgh in the rain - Edinburghers make their way home along Princes Street on a rainy November evening.Photo by freelance TV cameraman Steve Kydd. Follow him on Instagram /stevekyddCrossword AnswersAcross: 1 Vote, 3 Sponge-cake, 10 City state, 11 Dacha, 12 Ounce,13 Enfeeble, 15 In vitro, 17 Luggage, 19 Utensil, 21 Tie-dyed, 22 Apres-ski,24 Trace, 27 Alibi, 28 Out-and-out, 29 Altogether, 30 Kale.Down: 1 Victorious, 2 Titan, 4 Placebo, 5 Needful, 6 Endue, 7 Ancillary,8 Elan, 9 Asbestos, 14 Dead-centre, 16 Viewpoint, 18 Greeting,20 Lose out, 21 Thistle, 23 Eying, 25 Aloha, 26 Data.The Edinburgh Sketcher ChristmasCardsSix illustrated Edinburgh themedChristmas cards from EdinburghSketcher.A set of six Christmas cardscreated from Mark's own inkdrawings sketched whilst walkingaround in Scotland's capital city.As the Edinburgh Sketcher hecaptures the city on his sketchpadusing ink and watercolour. Youcan see more of his work onsocial media by searching forEdinburghSketcher.Blank inside, each A6 cardcomes complete with a whiteenvelope.Want your photo featured here?Email you photo to editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk£9.50 with free UK postagethroughout the Etsy shop until theend of 2018.Order from Mark's Etsyshop www.etsy.com/shop/edinburghsketcheremail contact@edinburghsketcher.comGet in touch today!For editorial and advertisingenquiries please emaileditor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreportertheedinburghreporter.co.uk
@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FEATURE 29There's room at The Balerno InnPhoto courtesy of Balerno InnPhoto courtesy of Nigel Duncan MediaBy Nigel DuncanBEN Watson was a former pupilof Balerno High School and he hasreturned to the village to open anaddition to the eating options atthe gateway to The Pentlands.The Ratho resident saw thepotential in a crumbling formerpub and has taken eight months torefurbish the building in the middleof Balerno’s main street into abistro-style restaurant and baroffering all-day dining.By December the prominentsandstone building, which hasbeen vacant for several years,will offer five en-suite bedrooms,decorated with fabrics includingHarris Tweed, and have threefunction rooms.Ben already has Christmasbookings from people cominghome to visit relatives forChristmas and he has also hadinquiries from parents of studentsat nearby Heriot-Watt Universitywho wish to visit their children.Others wishing to enjoy the hillsand the City of Edinburgh, butdon’t want a city centre hotel, havealso made inquiries about TheBalerno Inn which also has privatedining facilities.The Malleny Room is on thefirst floor and will accommodategroups of up to 12. It has a baywindow which provides a view ofthe main street and the room alsofeatures fully-restored cornicing.The Library Room, which willaccommodate parties of up to ten,is adjacent to The Garden DiningRoom which has a capacity for40. They can be used together asan exclusive space for weddingsor graduation, engagement andbirthday parties.The name of Balerno, incidentally,comes from Scottish Gaelic BaileÀirneach, meaning townland/town of the hawthorns and the18th-century saw flax, snuff andpaper mills springing up aroundthe Water of Leith and its tributary,the Bavelaw Burn.The largest mill, Balerno BankPaper Mill, is located near the newgastro pub, and the village hasexpanded significantly since theend of the First World War.Heritage is important for Ben andart work of local scenes taken bylocal photographers is very muchpart of the in-house decorationand he has also retained andrestored the original beams in theproperty which used to be calledThe Malleny Arms. It had thelocal nickname of The Honky asAmerican servicemen stationed ata nearby base used to drink there.Everything is cooked freshin-house by chef Andy Robson andhis staff of three which includesa sous and pastry chef, and theclose-knit team prepare foodwhich ranges from classic pubfare to sophisticated bistro-style,daily specials.From November 25 they willbe open from 10am for morningbaking – croissants and Danishpastries – followed by a relaxedlunch, bar snacks and eveningdining until 9pm.The owner and his five frontof-housestaff are pleased towelcome guests who need tore-energise after a walk or takingpart in fishing or cycling (he hasinstalled bike racks in front of thebuilding) in the nearby hills. Thefamily dog is always welcome.And, The Balerno Inn is onlyyards from a bus stop served bythe No 44 (around 45 minutes)from Edinburgh’s world-famousPrincess Street. There is ampleon-street parking.He said: “I used to go to BalernoHigh School and lived in Rathowhere I trained as a chef under mylate father Ian at The Bridge Inn soI know the area and what makesit tick.“My aim is to make The BalernoInn very much the heart of thelocal community.Photo courtesy of Balerno Inn“We plan special events in thebar like quiz nights, game nightsand ladies nights and our menu isdriven by quality, provenance andgreat value for the entire family.“That is why we designed aspace with the kids in mind,offering a play area that is safeand secure. Guests can relax andkeep a watchful eye whilst the weeones enjoy the enclosed play area.”Food is key and, for example,starters include soup with freshbread is £4.50 and pheasant(locally shot) and barley terrineplus Harlaw hawthorn jelly is £6 orfire cracker cauliflower with roastgarlic mayonnaise £6.Fish (full fillet, Scrabster landed)with chips and mushy peas is £13,the same price as pie of the day.Scottish mussels in cider, parsley,garlic, smoked bacon, crèmefreche, lemon and fries is £14.Lamb rump, cooked low andslow, with roots, barley and mint is£17 and, from the grill, guests canpick a 180g fillet steak (£26) or ribeye (£20) with slow roast tomato,chips and proper beef jus.There is also a beef burger (£11)or Honky Burger for £18, calledafter the former nickname forthe previous pub, with mayo andsweet mustard, pickle, Frenchfries, smoked bacon, Montereyjack cheese, spiced haggis, Cajunhoney mayo and onion rings.There is a choice of five dessertsand a range of coffee and tea plusa selected wine list.Ben said: “I’ve used socialmedia to publicise the openingand in just seven weeks we havegenerated 1,500 inquiries. Ouropening weekend was wonderful.We were crazy busy.“Naturally, we appreciateeveryone's support and, even afteronly a few days, we are beingflooded by reservation requests onour Facebook page.”That is why they have installedan automated online reservationsystem on the website (www.balernoinn.co.uk). You can calldirect to 0131 202 3220 to make areservation.He added: “Our bedrooms, ourprivate dining, our garden roomand elegant library room arecoming on fast and we expectto have them ready by earlyDecember.“Whether you’re looking to enjoysome Scottish sun at one of ouroutside tables in the summer orhave a private get together in oneof our cosy bothies, complete withheating and surround sound, in thewinter, you’ll feel comfortable andright at home at The Balerno Inn.”The Balerno Inn, 15 Main Street,Balerno EH14 7EQ0131 202 322Photo courtesy of Balerno Inn
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