A new restaurant, wine bar and café has opened at Papple Steading near Haddington, completing a major phase in the long-running restoration of the East Lothian farm complex and bringing a dedicated food and drink offer to the site for the first time.
Eve’s Court, named in tribute to Lady Eve Balfour, founder of the Soil Association, is now operating within the footprint of the original 19th-century model steading.
The menu has been developed with input from chef and consultant Scott Smith of Blank Plate Creative, formerly of Fhior in Edinburgh, with kitchen operations led by Chris O’Connor, who was previously head chef at The Pompadour at the Caledonian. The food offer reflects the site’s sustainability ethos, with a focus on organic and locally sourced ingredients including produce from Phantassie and shellfish landed at Musselburgh. It joins the wider site as part of a growing rural hospitality destination focused on exclusive-use stays, cultural programming and seasonal events.
The restoration by Papple owner, George Mackintosh, and Richard Murphy, Principal of Richard Murphy Architects, began in 2017 as a plan to save the derelict steading. Since then, they have restored the farmhouse, the grieve’s cottage, bothies, the granary, and cattle courts as well as the sheds stables to create a rural retreat with space for up to 20 guests across the mix of the large and smaller properties.
Also based at Papple is the Richard Demarco Gallery, which features exhibitions and permanent works tied to the surrounding landscape and cultural heritage of the area.
Picture: Papple Steading, Eve’s Court
