Crombie's of Edinburgh – February 2010

Edinburgh Castle may well be Scotland's major tourist attraction and the city has also got Princes Street, the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood Palace that rate highly for visitors. For every butcher who takes the trip to Scotland's capital city, however, the 'must see' is on the east side Broughton Street in the city's New Town. Widely acclaimed as the flagship of Scottish butchers' shops, Crombie's of Edinburgh is the destination for all whose holidays are incomplete without a visit to a good butchers' shop.

Those returning this year are in for a shock though when they see what Sandy Crombie and his son, Jonathan have done now. In October 2009 the shop that so many admired was stripped back to the bare walls and completely re-furbished all within 12 days. Sandy called it a “tarting up” but that's like calling the one o'clock gun a popgun. Designer Jackie Muir has done a wonderful job creating a classic look using black granite and walnut with black trim.