Problem. Where can you find a convenient meeting place just off the City of Edinburgh by-pass which has ample parking, good food and is quiet enough at 9am for a meeting without being surrounded by other hard-talking business types.
Solution. The Paper Mill at Lasswade. I recently met a man from Midlothian, another from East Lothian and I travelled from west Edinburgh there.
And it proved ideal, not just from a location point of view. The all-day restaurant overlooks the River Esk and it is situated in the middle of a tranquil conservation village.
It gets its name as it is on the site of an historic former paper mill.
The Esk Valley was once home to ten mills and was known for the production of fine papers made from Esparto grass imported from Africa.
The Paper Mill is comfortable and informal destination and a spacious outdoor terrace leads down to the riverbank. It was raining heavily when we visited.
And the food? Coffee arrived piping hot. One colleague tucked into a well-filled bacon bap.
Another enjoyed smoked Scottish salmon and scrambled eggs and my pick was eggs florentine.
The muffin was generously topped with spinach, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
We’ll use this location again and the slick and welcoming staff helped make this a great location for a breakfast get-together.
ADDRESS: The Paper Mill, 2-4 West Mill Road, Lasswade EH`8 1LX: www.thepapermill-lasswade.co.uk
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
