Edinburgh is many things, to many people – and here we share what Claire Boulton, head of business development at www.espc.com  particularly loves about our capital city. What is your favourite part of Edinburgh? My favourite part of Edinburgh has to be Stockbridge. When I moved up from London over 20 years ago, I lived in Comely Bank, and I couldn’t believe my luck in having this beautiful village within a city on my doorstep. It has a cool mix of independent shops, cafes an

Artist and musician, Bee Asha, is launching What a beautiful place to fall over – a multi-art-form project that blends music, poetry, photography, film-making and live performances,  " to honour the historically diverse borough of Leith – and to shed a light on the complex effects of gentrification   on local businesses and communities."  At the heart of the project is a live album inspired and written collaboratively with Leith creatives .  The project will include six perfo

Accountability Edinburgh is hoping to complete a memorable year with success at the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Impact Awards. The firm has been shortlisted in three categories – Practice of the Year, Digital Finance Pioneer and Bookkeeper of the Year. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony in London today (Friday 7 November). The firm recently landed a hat-trick of prestigious awards. As well as being crowned Bookkeeping Partner of the Year for the seco

Following the announcement that the Bank of England has held the base rate at four per cent, Ben Thompson, deputy chief executive at Mortgage Advice Bureau commented: “It’s no surprise that the Bank of England has acted with caution, choosing to hold the base rate at four per cent. “This decision breaks the streak of quarterly rate cuts, and with the autumn Budget fast approaching and meaningful tax rises likely to be imminent, the Bank is clearly waiting for certainty on the

ESPC’s house-price report for August-October, which covers Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders, has revealed that Edinburgh properties were snapped up within 22 days during this period.   The residential suburb of Restalrig in the east of the capital saw the highest demand from buyers: 45 per cent of properties listed for sale in the area set a closing date.    The average selling price in the city rose 1.6 per cent, to £314,321.   Commenting on activity across all

Dunfermline-based, Italian restaurant, Casa Mia is a finalist in two categories of this year’s Scottish Italian Awards – best family-run business and best family-friendly restaurant. The awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 30 November, at the Doubletree by Hilton Glasgow Central hotel. Casa Mia, which opened its doors eight years ago, has just appointed a new head chef, who has more than 20 years’ experience.  Graziano Fragole is a childhood friend of chef/proprietor Fabio

Visitors to Newhailes House and Gardens in Musselburgh have the chance to win tickets and vouchers for a Christmas shopping fair at the SEC in Glasgow.   ‘Deck the Halls’, a new seasonal event taking place at the SEC from 28-30 November, is teaming up with the National Trust for Scotland, to host a festive gift hunt at Newhailes.   The gift hunt, which is being held on the weekend of 7-9 November gives visitors the chance to seek out hidden ‘golden’ envelopes containing ticke

Judging is underway for this year’s Business Excellence Awards run by the West Lothian Chamber of Commerce. The final nominations came in last week, with the winners to be announced at a gala dinner at the Macdonald Houstoun House Hotel, Uphall, on Friday 28 November. The awards showcase organisations that have achieved business excellence across all the categories. Joint headline sponsors for the 2025 awards are DYW (Developing the Young Workforce) West Lothian Regional Grou

Funding-solutions specialist, UMi, has announced a UK-wide roadshow, ‘FUEL’, to help businesses understand, prepare for and access the finance they need to fuel their growth or overcome cashflow hurdles. The first of the events will be held in Edinburgh, at Murrayfield Stadium, on 28 January.  The roadshows will bring together funders and experts to support local business leaders from different industries, commercial backgrounds and disciplines to help them identify what type

The dynamics between farming and forestry and some of the many challenges facing the rural economy will be explored at the launch of The UK Forest Market Report 2025 in Edinburgh on 18 November and in London, on 19 November. Published annually by  Tilhill Forestry  and  Goldcrest Land and Forestry Group , the report records forestry transactions and investment trends across the UK. Xander Mahony, head of forestry investment at Tilhill and Jon Lambert, partner at Goldcrest Lan

Effective Hospitality Management (EHM) has announced that it has been certified as a B Corporation (B Corp) company. The firm said that this underscores its longstanding commitment to building commercially resilient hospitality businesses while creating positive social and environmental impact. Kevin Keenan, EHM co-founder and director commented: “Hospitality should enhance places and people as well as profits. Achieving B Corp certification formalises that commitment. We’re

The owners of Pilgrim Bar, in Robertson’s Close, on the Cowgate, have announced plans to refurbish the bar next year, with around £20,000 earmarked for further improvements to the facilities. This follows a £20,000 upgrade which took place over the summer, including an investment in all live sports channels, as well as redecoration and new furniture. The owners also reported that the bar has experienced a 15 per cent growth in turnover over the past few years. A new manager,

Furniture retailer, Sterling Home is lighting up the festive season with a donation of Christmas decorations and furniture to children’s hospices and hospitals across Scotland. The family-owned business is giving back, with a donation of items including cushions, throws, garlands, table runners and other seasonal pieces to CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland). These will be used to decorate and refresh rooms in children’s hospitals and hospices, creating comforting envi

Property firm Rettie is forecasting that Scottish house prices are set to rise by three per cent in 2025, with modestly improving economic conditions underpinning limited growth for the full year.   On a 12-month rolling basis, the average house price in Glasgow has continued to outpace Scotland’s main cities, growing by over five per cent to nearly £218,000.  Edinburgh and Dundee have both grown by one per cent. However, the average house price in Edinburgh (around £338,000)

Leith-based Barry Fish restaurant has been recognised in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland , just eight months after opening. The guide said: “Yet another terrific eatery in the foodie haven of Leith, this instantly likeable restaurant unsurprisingly offers a fabulous feast of fish. From whole sole to the signature sea-trout pastrami, the cooking is fuss-free and cleanly executed to show off the natural flavours of the ingredients.   “At lunch, share plates fro

Edinburgh property portal ESPC has revealed the capital’s top-performing rental postcodes for Q3, highlighting where buy-to-let investors are achieving the strongest returns. Using rental data from Citylets alongside ESPC’s latest house-price analysis, the report identifies the areas that delivered the most attractive yields between July and September. Five postcodes emerged as particularly strong performers for landlords and investors. The ever-desirable EH3 postcode, encomp

The inaugural Scottish Women’s Well-being Summit is taking place on Saturday 15 November, at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews.   More than 200 women are expected to gather for the event, which will feature speeches from special guests such as Kate Muir, women’s-health campaigner and documentary maker; Lee Donald who recently scaled the summit of Mount Everest; Dr Heather Currie MBE, gynaecologist and founder of Menopause Matters; and Dr Jo Salter, the UK’s first female figh

The Duck & Waffle is celebrating Thanksgiving, on Thursday 27 November, with a three-course feast full of seasonal flavours and classic favourites. The Thanksgiving menu features roasted turkey and a mushroom and camembert wellington, served with all the traditional trimmings, including cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy. Side dishes include marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes, truffle mac and cheese, green-bean casserole, and more. The feast concludes with a show-stopping bou

As the Chancellor faces mounting pressure to address a fiscal shortfall ahead of the Budget, an economic analysis of previous wealth taxes by Rathbones, suggests that more than £100bn of wealth could shift overseas, or into less productive assets, if a wealth tax were imposed here. The wealth-and-asset-management firm also says that a wealth tax could cost the government £600m to set up, with ongoing compliance and administrative costs to taxpayers of £700m a year or more. It

Venture capital (VC) investment into Scotland’s start-up and scale-up businesses increased in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest KPMG Private Enterprise Venture Pulse report.  Scottish businesses raised £116.1m in the third quarter of 2025 – up more than 200 per cent from £36.2m in Q2.    A total of 23 investments were completed between July and September; the same number as Q2, signalling the sustained confidence of VC investors in supporting Scotland’s small