The Ship Inn, Elie, Fife

Graham and Rachel Bucknell, owners of the Fife pub, The Ship Inn in Elie have been busy since they bought the business back in 2015. They renovated six bedrooms and refurbished the pub. Replacing the traditional bar with a more modern look may have had detractors amongst the regulars but hopefully they have been won over by a standard of food that boasts some of the freshest fish and chips around these parts, not to mention the crab linguine.

Although excellent food shouldn’t come as a surprise since the couple already had a solid track record with their other restaurant, the Bridge Inn in Ratho near Edinburgh.  Two restaurants would be more than enough for most people but the couple clearly like to keep busy and also took over the nearby 19th Hole, a bar overlooking the golf course.

More plans are afoot with planning permission secured for an extension to their beer garden. The Ship’s Cabin, due to be finished summer 2017, will have floor to ceiling windows looking out on to the beach with its own kitchen and bar and will be available for private hire for up to 30 guests. The Cabin will also serve as the cricket pavilion for The Ship Inn on cricket match days. Dog owners will also be pleased to hear that the bar and the accommodation is dog-friendly – one of the bedrooms is for guests with dogs.