Bistro owner Duck in deal to buy hotel

In a private deal expected to go through today, Mr Duck, who owns the stylish New Town bistro Duck’s at Le Marche Noir and holds the catering contract at Lennoxlove House, will take control of the three-star hotel for an undisclosed sum.

Mr Duck, a former Royal Marine who served in the Falklands conflict and counts the Princess Royal as a regular customer in his restaurant, says it is the first time he has ventured into the hotel business, but he has a great team that is more than capable of taking it on.

Mr Duck said: "Duck’s at Kilspindie will be aimed primarily at the Edinburgh market and the golf market. We will be launching in November. Up until then we hope to bring the ethos of Duck’s to Kilspindie but we will be keeping their excellent head chef plus increasing the team and looking at creating exciting new menus for diners.

"I’m looking forward to expanding the wine list too. We are hoping to build up a reputation which will appeal to locals plus people from Edinburgh and further afield."

The original Kilspindie House dates back to 1638. In the 18th century it was a famous landing point for smuggling, a trade that involved all in the village. Today’s 26-bedroom hotel, between Longniddry and Gullane, is a popular venue with golfers and bird watchers.

Mr Duck says that, rather than transforming the premises into a boutique hotel, he wants to create an establishment that is known for its food.

"I’m not sure we want to take it away from a three-star. I would rather over-achieve by making it a very good restaurant with a bar and some rooms rather than a destination hotel. If people want to come out and have some dinner they can do that and stay over and drive back in the morning. That is the kind of ethos we are trying to establish.

"But we are not going into the hotel business blind. Working with me I have Lynn Abernethy who used to be deputy manager at the Caledonian hotel, and has been working in hotels since she was 14. She knows a lot about the business. We also have a great team of chefs and front-of-house folk."

Born in Quetta, Pakistan, the son of Dr Donald Duck, who was a missionary doctor, Mr Duck left the navy in 1991 and took over the running of Duck’s at Le Marche Noir. In the early days it had a strong French leaning but that gradually diminished, amid experimentation with influences from other countries and continents, based on local fresh produce.

Mr Duck, who is a director of the Academy of Food and Wine in Scotland and the chairman of the Edinburgh Restaurateurs’ Association, is also known for his love of wine. His restaurant is known to have one of the finest cellars in the country, scooping last year’s Les Routiers wine list of the year, with an extensive range of malt whiskies, cognacs, armagnacs and ports.

Jack Munro, the chief executive of Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board, said: "Malcolm Duck is a very highly regarded and successful tourism operator in Edinburgh and I am sure his skills and experience will be welcomed in East Lothian."