Champany Inn - The Chop and Ale House

What better to do on an unexpectedly free weekend, when the sun is shining, than go out for lunch? A place that has been on our 'to visit' list for some time now has been the Champany Inn near Linlithgow (well, nearer Bo'ness). The main restaurant gained a Michelin star earlier this year (along with the Ballachulish House Hotel - which is stunning! A review to be posted here if I ever have the good fortune to revisit that establishment).

We did not go to the main restaurant, but to the Chop and Ale House. It's a traditional Scottish style of pub, with plenty of parking and easy access from the M9. The choice on the menu is excellent, with mains including burgers, steaks, chicken and fish. The puddings also looked good. Between us we polished off a burger with Stilton sauce, and a beef and lamb sausage, washed down with some Bellhaven Best.

The quality of the beef is key here, and the meat was excellent. Mains ranged from £8 to over £20 for some of the steaks. All in all a good atmosphere, attentive staff, and very good pub food. Excellent coffee to finish off with!

As well as the Ale house and restaurant, there is a third establishment on the premises: Champany Cellars - a gem of a shop with a huge selection of wine (about 20% of the restaurant wine list), which specialises in South African wines. The shop stocks a large selection of 'Cape Winemakers Guild' wines. Having been to South Africa and tasted a few Cape wines, we are huge fans of Kanonkop and bagged a bottle of 1999 Pinotage. It will be interesting to see how it compares to their standard bottling.

With the wine in the boot, we headed to Blackness for a wander round the castle, and then back to Edinburgh to finish digesting.

Overall Rating

A fine day out, a good pub and a fantastic wine shop - could this possibly be the best kept secret in Scottish wine? We may have to arrange a trip to the restaurant - what could be better than good quality steak and a huge wine list?? Oh the memories .... 96 Winery Road.

Autumn Gold

Some pictures from a recent walk along the Firth of Forth from South Queensferry to Cramond, and back. A good way to spend a Sunday morning.

Gorgeous woodland.

A little sandy cove, a sunny day ... just imagine that it's hot instead of 'bracing'.


It could almost be a golf course. This is Scotland remember, of course it's a golf course.

The road home ...

The Mother of All Indians

I really have to start walking up mountains more and eating out less ... Oh well ;)

Apparently a stalwart of the Glasgow dining scene, Mother India's Cafe opened up in Edinburgh in May. It is informal Indian dining, tapas style and the latest establishment from a brand including the Cafe, a more formal 'Mother India' restaurant and 'The Wee Curry Shop',

A friend walked passed recently, smelled the food, saw that every table was full and suggested we try it.

Food

There are over 30 dishes to sample, ranging from £3.00 to £5.00 per dish, as well as the usual selection of rices and breads. Portions are small, as you would expect, and beautifully seasoned.

We started by sharing some popadoms and delicious chutneys whilst working out what dishes to order. A selection of 6 mains, including the 'signature' dish of oven baked spiced haddock arrived. My particular stand outs included the Patina Lamb, with mint and the Keema Dosa pancake stuffed with mince. As someone who doesn't particularly like fish, I even enjoyed the haddock!

The peshwari nan was so good we ordered a second, along with a few more dishes including the lamb saag. Nothing disappointed.

Overall Rating

The website points out the commitment to using the best local produce, and having tasted the dishes I can certainly attest to that - the lamb in particular was outstanding. The restaurant keeps some tables free for walk in customers, so if you haven't booked and are passing by it would be worth dropping in. However, there was a queue waiting at the bar when we left last night so I would recommend booking in advance.

If this is an example of Glasgow dining, I say bring more over to us. Mother India's Cafe delivered excellent food in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The concept is brilliant, and it was the most enjoyable Indian meal I have ever eaten. Price??? Well, here comes the best bit: more than enough food and beer for only £20.00 per head, including tip. Go!