The Cramond Inn

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Wherever you travel around Britain, the sight of the village pub is generally a welcome one. It's no different in Cramond, even if the village is a suburb of Edinburgh and just 20 minutes' trundle along Ferry Road from the city centre. It's all there: a welcoming fire, comfy nooks and crannies, space for the kids and hearty food chalked up on the blackboards. The only disconcerting note is the unusual selection of beer: it's one of only two pubs in Scotland owned by brewers Samuel Smith, and you'll probably need a bit of guidance through the exclusively own label selection to find something similar to your regular tipple. At around £1.50 a pint of beer, however, you can afford the adventure. If you're eating, typically after a stroll along the river or sea shore, the well lived-in, wood-lined interior has lots of dining space and a large menu firmly encamped in the traditional pub grub mode. To be fair, however, this isn't a cooking by numbers place: look to the special boards for something a bit different, such as red snapper with red cabbage colcannon, but when the fish-cakes and nicely textured burgers are clearly home-made there's the reassurance that the kitchen is doing its bit to make the experience individual and satisfying.

• High point: It's the archetypal village pub
• Low point: No food served outdoors