the sheep heid inn

i love this place! i wanted to go because it is scotland's oldest pub, but when i found out it had old fashioned skittles i was even more excited to visit! after a year or living in edinburgh, i finally made it.
myself and 2 friends headed along at the weekend and played skittles before enjoying dinner. skittles were so much, we had the room to ourselves which made it more enjoyable and we all voiced how great it would be for a group of people to rent out the room for an evening.
being the oldest pub in scotland i didn't have high hopes for the food as i thought it would be quite gimmicky. i couldn't have been more wrong! there seemed to be a lot to local people in the sheepheidinn and the food was great. we shared halloumi to start and then i chose the lobster brioche roll and fries for my main. i took a while to decide on my main as many items on the menu sounded extremely appetising! for dessert i opted for the chocolate fondant. i really enjoyed all of my food and i can't wait to go back to sample more from the menu.
the atmosphere is lovely in the sheepheidinn; so warm and cosy! it's perfect for a cold winters evening. the only let down was the service. the bar staff were friendly, but the wait staff were not very cheerful and approachable.

we went for family dinner and skittles last saturday. it was as beautiful and charming as it always is. i introduced the boyfriends family to sheep'sheidas now it's the first choice to take visitors that come to town. they love it as much as i do. the family from australia were quite impressed with the surroundings. they loved playing skittles, had a cosy drink in the beer garden and we all enjoyed a delectable dinner and a lot of wine! the sheep'sheidis such a unique experience, i realise a lot of tourists don't see it and maybe it's better for us locals that was. we can keep it our secret:-) the food is sometimes usually very good, sometimes inconsistent, but enjoyable. service is always very very good. and of course amazing atmosphere.

a welcome sight for those who have just come down from arthur’s seat, the sheepheidinn in duddingston is the oldest running pub not only in edinburgh, but scotland as a whole. with a charming exterior and a lovely warm pub inside, it’s a great way to reward yourself after a long day rambling around holyrood park.

the sheepheidinn has a long and illustrious history. it’s one of the oldest pubs in scotland (the oldest, maybe), it has a skittles alley and a beer garden. it is nestled in the village of duddingston, in the shadow of arthur’s seat. it’s been there for a long time (651 years!) and is a well-known edinburgh attraction. there’s beer, there’s food, there are charming surroundings.

when i went last monday to look at the new menu, i hadn’t visited for years. why hadn’t i been? partly because i’m not over on that side of town often. but also because my memory of the sheepheidinn was of a run-down, very pubby pub. a lot has changed since i was last there, and not just the menu.

the sheepheidinn had a complete re-fit in november 2011. the new decor is neutral and comfortable. the upstairs dining room is inviting and warm. during the week, most people choose to eat downstairs where there’s a really nice little room between the bar and the skittles alley. (yes. the skittles alley is a very good reason to go to the sheepheidinn. have a drink, a bowl of chips and throw those wooden balls down the skittle lane. if you’re lucky, you’ll hit some skittles.) 

i started one of the kitchen’s very special specials: cy’s cullen skink. it was good! filling, smokey, delightfully peppery and finished off with mussels in the shell and crispy leeks. it was the perfect soothing dish and i’m not surprised it is one of the dishes they sometimes offer as a special snack-bowl in the bar. i’d have it every time. i blame the fact that i was too full to have pudding on the skink’s greatness. but don’t worry – i had a thorough look at the dessert menu and will talk about that later. 

the sheepheidinn is owned by a chain – mitchells & butlers – but the individual restaurants are given quite a lot of autonomy. the sheepheidinn is a local pub that serves neighbours and visitors alike. because it’s so close to athur’s seat, it gets a lot of visitors at the weekend: walkers come for lunch and families drive over at the weekend. they are so busy at the weekend that if you want to visit, you’re best booking a table. on a sunday the kitchen serves a sunday roast with all the trimmings. book a couple of days in advance to make sure you reserve a spot.

in the summer, they have plans for the barbecue in the beer garden and events and festivals will start this spring. the sheepheidinn beer festival will not stop just because the management changed. a local restaurant/pub like this needs to strike a balance between new and traditional. follow them on facebook and twitter to stay up to date with the latest specials and events.

for my main, i had salmon with bubble and squeak and a mushroom sauce. i was quite intrigued by the sea bass on the specials menu, but stuck with the salmon. it was generous and tasty and more than i could finish. the specials on the day that i was there included pan fried sea trout on sauteed wild mushrooms and a parmesan encrusted white bean and pancetta cassoulet, veggie and non-veggie haggis, neeps and tatties with a brandy pepper sauce and crispy duck breast with confit duck and celeriac lasange. rather more exciting and tempting than you normally expect from a pub. one the standard menu are all the things you’d expect: burgers, steak, beef and guinness pie, mussels of the day (sauces vary. nice idea), and a couple of vegetarian options. there’s a good variety on the menu and even without the specials i would have founds things i wanted to eat. with the specials i was in a serious quandry since i couldn’t have everything. the specials menu is what makes the sheepheidinn exciting for food.

to my great regret, i don’t seem able to eat as much as once i could. no really, it is a sadness. there was lemon tart, creme brule and treacle and ginger tart on the dessert menu, and bitter chocolate cheese cake on the specials. home made bitter chocolate cheese cake. mmm. the special dessert is made by the resident pastry chef, meehan, so there are some very special things on offer. i’ll have to come back for dessert…

i’m nosy so i talked sharon, the manager, into letting me visit the kitchen and say hello to richard, the chef, and some of his team. much magic happens in the kitchen and it’s always interesting to see one. the sheepheidinn kitchen isn’t the biggest in the world so they don’t take bookings for groups of over ten. space dictates how many plates they can get out at the same time. the restaurant is so cosy and intimate that groups bigger than that would be rather annoying to other diners, i think, so it’s a good idea to cap the table size. 

the sheepheidinn has had a lick of paint and a new menu and drinks list. they do sensibly priced supper and lunch menus during the week so there’s something there for most budgets. there’s a car park if you prefer driving to walking and the 4, 42 and 44 stop nearby. those are all good reasons to go, but warm service, a really pleasant ambiance and good food are even better. if you haven’t been for a while, it’s time to visit again.

if there’s anything in particular you want to see on the menu, why not suggest a spcial? the sheepheidinn is running a competition: suggest a special and be in with a chance to win a free meal. find out more on their website.

when i lived on west nicholson street, my flatmates and i couldn't go far wrong on a sunny day by visiting the pear tree. now i've moved further afield, i'm lucky that the famed sheepheidis my local beer garden. the pub is famous for being the oldest establishment in scotland, tracing it's history back to 1360, as well as having welcomed a slew of historical figures to it's well trodden hearth over the years. a group of friends and i set off for the sunny spot last week for a late lunch in the summer heat.
to start, i had the 'sauteed portobello and oyster mushrooms in a marsala sauce on toasted brioche'. this is one of my favourite dishes and one that i make at home for myself often. i was pretty impressed that the sheep heid's version came up to scratch. the sauce was creamy and the brioche was tasty, if a little blonde, and the mushrooms were the hero.

following this i went for the 'sticky chicken' on the recommendation of a friend. it was fairly tasty, a nice sauce and a standard salad to complement, but nothing extraordinary. i have to say i don't ever expect too much from pub food and this is why: it tastes good, eats well, and doesn't move a mountain. i should've perhaps stuck with my intuition and gone for the 'sticky crispy duck salad with pea shoots, cucumber, mooli & ginger', which i'll no doubt end up ordering on another sunny summers day.
the sheepheidis a destination establishment. with all its history and village charm (duddingston is adorable) it really is the best place to end up after a long walk in the sun or in the snow. their skittle alley out back is a sure fire hit with any group of friends, and the beer garden is a place of quiet relaxation. though the food is average, the bar selection is brilliant and the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. i'll definitely be back.

i'm lucky that the famed sheepheidis my local beer garden. the pub is famous for being the oldest establishment in scotland, tracing it's history back to 1360, as well as having welcomed a slew of historical figures to it's well trodden hearth over the years. a group of friends and i set off for the sunny spot last week for a late l

within a few minutes i realized that if this pub were closer it would be one of my locals. it has that fantastic balance of old and new. a look that any pub owner who has hired an expert to make their pub gastro understands. you can't have it looking too modern and lose the locals and you can't keep all the old crap around and lose the younger generation that don't appreciate it. the sheepheidinn strikes a perfect balance.