Company Bakery, Musselburgh

When we’re out reviewing, we try to have as close to the ‘standard’ experience as we can. We wait in big queues, we book tables at awkward times, we pay for stuff then feel the sting as we walk down the street. ‘That fishy thing was well worth it, but if you think that’s a £12 cocktail you should be in jail or at least on some kind of list,’ we type then quickly delete from our Notes app. 

But sometimes you do know the woman behind the bar, or the guy in the sandwich place recognises you and gives you slightly more chicken than usual. You can’t help being a legend whose pals lavish attention upon them; you can help telling everyone that something’s great while avoiding the fact that it was #gifted, or that you got a bunch of special treatment because hey look, it’s your pal! Hi pal! 

All of which is to say that Company Bakery’s head baker is this writer’s best pal, and many of the folk behind Company have been involved in projects we’ve loved and talked about in the past. They’ve helped us out, we’ve helped them out, they’ve made The Skinny more than one birthday cake… we aren’t strangers to one another. We get on. We are chums. Of course, one of the best ways to avoid any sense of impropriety also happens to be one of our favourite professional (and social) tactics – just don’t tell them that you’re coming. Turn up unannounced, and if you *do* spot someone you know, sneak in while they’re distracted.

And so we’re in Musselburgh, at Company’s new home at Eskmills on the banks of the eponymous river to check out their new cafe, and take a chance to try a few bits and pieces that aren’t as readily available as those delicious loaves of sourdough, all while being as incognito as possible. We’re here for a vibe check. Nee-naw nee-naw, what’s that sound; it’s the vibe police, and they’re coming to town.

On a sunny Friday afternoon, that vibe is lovely. For a warehouse with a full-scale commercial bakery through the back, it’s a very trendy and homely space; all pale wood, fluted glass, enormous windows, and blocks of matt colour. It’s a bit like a Scandi-inspired kitchen-dining room, blown up to 2000% of its original size. That fluted glass fills a partition wall between cafe and bakery that doesn’t quite reach the ceiling – you can ‘sort of’ see and hear what’s going on back there, and the bakery staff can, for the most part, avoid your gaze and get on with the baking.  

As for what they’re baking back there, the counter is loaded up with a diverse mix of sandwiches, cakes, and sweet and savoury bakes. It’s a working bakery so what’s on offer will vary from day-to-day, but if our trip’s anything to go by, be ready for a few surprises. The romesco, cauliflower and chickpea ciabatta (£5.50) is a case in point. The bread is great – obviously – but as veggie sandwiches go, this is genuinely interesting and exciting. There's a bunch of interesting textural things going on here, with none of the dry, vegetal notes you might associate with your classic 'meal deal veggie alternative in the style of a falafel wrap'. Bounce, chew, crunch, a little bit of squelch; the gang's all here, alongside bags of savoury, earthy flavour, and a touch of completely gratuitous swag in the form of an edible flower. 

Meat-eaters aren’t left out when it comes to outrageous bakery flexes – our nduja brioche (£4.60) has a whole egg in the centre, and a hefty, comical, Scarface-meets-Wallace and Gromit dusting of grana padano on the top. It’s sweet and it’s salty, it’s spicy and buttery and it’s all over the brushed concrete floor, sorry folks. The classics are also well-represented – our cheddar and nigella seed scone (£4.20) is just an excellent example of the craggly, cheesy form, complete with a side of whipped butter so airy you might absent-mindedly try to put the whole blob on at once – and your sweet tooth will also get a workout. We grab a slice of a chocolate Basque cheesecake (£4.90) and it’s an ooey, gooey, creamy lump that would probably collapse in the sun from those big windows were it not wolfed down in about two minutes. 

A brilliant array of baking, great coffee, and a laidback space with frankly enormous tables and loads of room, Company Bakery is a great addition to the Edinburgh cafe scene. It is, of course, a bit of a journey out of town, but hop on the bus, take a walk by the river, then cover yourself in cheese and edible flowers and you’ll find that it’s well worth the trip. You can take our word for it.

---

Company Bakery, 6 Station Rd, Eskmills Rd, Musselburgh EH21 7PE
Open daily, 8.30am-4pm
@companybakery on Instagram