The welcoming reception at The Leddie
A refurbished hotel in one of Scotland’s prettiest villages offers a comforting welcome, writes TERRY MURDEN
It’s a little over a year since the Ducks Inn was rebranded as The Leddie following an extensive refurbishment that has brought the best out of this eighteenth century building in the heart of picturesque Aberlady. Handily located along East Lothian’s Golf coast, it is also popular with walkers, birdwatchers and weekenders thanks to its cosy bedrooms and stylish restaurant and bar.
Adopting the original name of the river running through the village, it has been a hotel since 1970. Under the current ownership it now features 27 rooms, including two large Cottage Suites in an outbuilding, and is just as welcoming to families as it is to groups of hikers.
It has been tastefully decorated using a palette of mossy green, teal and grey, against orange, antique brown and red leather furnishings. There are natural wool fabrics and a keen focus on mood lighting to create the correct ambience for the time of day.
The recent arrival of Lewis Lane as Head Chef was another milestone for the hotel. His CV includes the Michelin-starred 21212 under Paul Kitching, Restaurant Mark Greenaway, Timberyard and Borthwick Castle.
His menu was impressive, some of it sourced locally, including East Lothian butcher John Gilmour, and for dinner I started with the haggis bon bons, burnt apple puree and pickled apple for (£9), while my wife Julia went for the pan-fried scallops, black pudding and cauliflower puree (£21).
The bar and restaurant
For mains I chose the rib-eye steak, fries and salad (£44.50) though I was envious of Julia’s choice of lamb rump and veg (£34). From the wine list we each had a large glass of Rioja (£13).
I finished off with spiced apple crumble with gingerbread ice cream (£9.50), though I prefer crumble that is sweeter and more buttery. Julia was won over by the caramelised pear mille-feuille with Amaretto cream, almond praline and salted caramel (£9.50).
The staff were friendly and attentive, and able to adapt to what we required.
Children are offered a “Little Leddies” menu for dinner and breakfast, along with crayons and colouring sheets that helps keep them occupied. There is also a selection of games in the lounge area where the hotel also arranges art sessions, while in the bar there is live music every Friday night.
A courtyard offers outdoor eating during the warmer months, while the it was relaxing on a cold November day to just sit in the lounge and read while enjoying heavenly scones (£5.25) that were hot from the oven and melted in the mouth. They have become so popular that a group of 25 local ladies meet at the hotel every month for a scone day out.
The beds are very comfortable
The room included an integrated desk and dressing table (though only one stool) with a large mirror and a plentiful supply of plug sockets. There is a coffee maker, hairdryer and shelves for shoes, bags and hats. The bed was faultless and guaranteed a good night’s rest.
A slight gripe was the view over the kitchen roof of the ventilation equipment, which could have been hidden. I would have preferred a comfortable sofa to the two chairs provided.
The hotel offers limited parking at the rear, though access is through a narrow passageway that may not take all sizes of vehicles. We chose to park on the street.
The Leddie is at the heart of the village
Located 18 miles from Edinburgh, Aberlady is a tranquil getaway of just 1,200 residents built along the bay that was once a port and is now home to what was the first local nature reserve in Britain. Waterston House, an eight-minute walk or two-minute drive from the hotel, is home to the Scottish Ornithologists Club. It includes a viewing area, book shop and gallery which hosts regular art exhibitions and workshops. During our visit there was a display of work by the watercolour artist Darren Woodhead who also gave demonstrations.
There is a walk behind the village church to the Bay and to Kilspindie, also one of more than 20 golf courses that include the famous Archerfield and Muirfield. The Leddie can organise golf rounds as well as visits to local distilleries.
For nature lovers, access to the reserve is via a bridge over the Peffer Burn where there is car parking. The bridge is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Those looking to explore the area further will find glorious beaches at Gullane and North Berwick where we enjoyed visiting the variety of craft, clothing and sweet shops and stopped at Steampunk, a former carpenter’s workshop that is now a speciality coffee roaster and well worth a visit.
A night at The Leddie ranges from £175 to more than £300 while the Cottage suites start at £400.
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