The Cramond Inn – The art and the artist
Thoughts on Sam Smith's. Plus, a local pub takes a closer step to reopening.
What’s it about?
For the second week in a row, a review starts with me walking along the coast on a gloriously sunny but bitterly cold winter’s day. But this time, I’m headed west along the Forth to the ancient village of Cramond.
I wanted to take my brother – visiting for the weekend – to the only Samuel Smith’s pub in Scotland. We’ve made our way round a number of the brewery’s London establishments over the years, so it seemed appropriate to tick another one off the list. Plus, it’s an easy walking route from my part of Edinburgh (straight up to Newhaven, turn left when you hit the water). And we were still a couple of days away from Storm Isha hitting.
We timed the two-hour walk to hit our destination at low tide. That meant we had plenty of time for a foray over to Cramond Island. Like other islands in the estuary, its World War Two-era buildings still stand. Cramond stored ammunition and was a line of defence against any enemy vessels attempting to sail up the Forth.
The fishing village on the mainland journeys even further into history. A neat row of white cottages looks down over the water. These must be centuries old. Facing them is The Cramond Inn, which surely also goes back a few hundred years.
I’m pleased to say the interior is also suitably old school. Low beamed ceilings, small windows and open fires contribute to a cosy atmosphere. The slightly nervous manager was welcoming as we entered. (Reasons for her nerves will become clear.)
So far, so good. But Sam Smith’s pubs are divisive.
First, a lot of people don’t like the selection of drinks on offer. Their pubs only sell products they make in-house, including soft drinks. Luckily, I’m a huge fan of their beer, whether it’s the flagship Old Brewery Bitter, the crisp Taddy Lager or the smooth Extra Stout. While the Cramond doesn’t do any on cask, the beers are always consistently good. And they are consistently cheaper than nearly all other pubs, ranging from about £3.50 a pint to around £5 a pint.
Second, the food is pretty ordinary. The menu is the usual pub fare, priced decently and of a middling quality. Most of it appears to be reheated from frozen. But you’re not coming for the food when the beer is this good.
Third – and this winds a lot of customers up – they can be quite strict on people using their phones inside the pubs. I was told off for getting mine out to check my step count after the walk along the coast (18,000 if you’re interested). I’m no lover of phones in pubs, but this rule is a little over-reaching/authoritarian/stupid. Still, there are lots of “digital detox” signs around the place making the rules clear. The pub has darts and board games to keep you entertained. Oh, and there’s also a “no swearing” policy.
Fourth, and by far the most egregious, is the series of news stories which regularly appear about how the managers of the Samuel Smith’s pubs are treated by their boss. They are too numerous to list here, but I’ll leave some links at the bottom of this page, or you can have a look at the extensive “controversies” section of the brewery’s Wikipedia page. If the numerous news stories are true, then it would appear that Humphrey Smith, the descendant of the original Samuel Smith, is a tricky man to work for.
And on the day I was at the Cramond, he happened to be in the area.
In walked a septuagenarian man with a flat cap and a wax jacket. I can tell you that he paid for his own drink. I can tell you that he speaks with quite a posh southern English accent (he’s from Yorkshire). And I can tell you that he was addressed as “Mr Smith” throughout.
What should you do if you love a product but have qualms about the producer? I happen to be a fan of the Sam Smith’s beers. They are cheap. Some pubs – around 200 in the UK – are in beautiful heritage buildings.
But the alleged poor treatment of pub managers isn’t fair. These are people’s livelihoods we are talking about. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to keep a pub open at the moment – let alone having to work for someone who accused of withholding payments to pub managers or shutting a venue down after hearing a customer swear.
I continue to frequent Sam Smith’s pubs. Which is not to support the boss’s actions. I hope I am supporting the couples who run the pubs, who serve good beer and maintain an important British tradition. Without them, the pub scene in this country would be worse off.
Where is it?
The chaser – A bit of local pub news
The reason Humphrey Smith was in the area was because he is looking into reopening one of his shuttered pubs. The Doo’cot in Drylaw has been closed for a few years now, and squatters had moved in.
Mr Smith apparently turfed them out before his visit to The Cramond, meaning the pub is one step closer to reopening.
Further reading on Samuel Smith’s Brewery
Pub couple win £20k after 'dictatorial' brewery charged them thousands for missing beer (Teesside Live)
The beer baron recluse and the trouble brewing for Sam Smith pubs (The Times, paywalled)
Our ‘Lord of the Manor’ pub boss makes ALL rules & is ‘starving our town of oxygen’ – you say one bad word & you’re out (The Sun)
Brewery's old-fashioned rules prevent Spalding pub reopening - council (BBC)
Swearing ban: Samuel Smith pub boss calls time on bad language (The Guardian)
Samuel Smith brewery fined for failing to hand over pension details (The Guardian)
And for a bit of balance: My old pub has banned mobiles. I cherish the return of tranquility (The Guardian)
I feel the same about BrewDog - I like their beer but as a company they sound like a real poison to work for (especially when their whole publicity schtick is the "punk" thing, and then it turns out they're just as bad as all the rest!).
I think there are enough great pubs in Edinburgh to avoid those who's bosses are badly behaved!