Dear Customers,

Having run The Ship Inn for 20 years this October, and as the Licensed Trade falls under closer scrutiny and regulation in the public domain, you may be pleased to learn that Jill and I have just passed an exam which, to all intents and purposes, was based on a course telling us how to run a Licensed premises!! How things have changed from the days when we took over from Robin and Pat Hendry, when a pint of beer cost less than a pound and the till was a wooden drawer!!

Ever the optimists, we have now taken over The Golf Tavern, known locally as the 19th Hole. There was a great danger that this property was going to be sold for housing, and the loss of a village pub in Earlsferry would have been a terrible blow for those who live in the western extremities of our community. However, for small local businesses to survive it requires both locals and visitors to support them. Our plan is not only to try and keep certain aspects of both The Ship Inn and The Golf Tavern different in order to give customers a genuine choice of venue within the village, but to also apply many of the products and ideas to The Golf Tavern that have been so popular at The Ship Inn in recent years. One local wag has already christened The Golf Tavern as the ‘Dinghy’ as it is somewhat smaller than The Ship!!

Therefore our new brochure, which runs until the end of March 2010, is packed full of  products, events and promotions designed to entertain you throughout the next twelve months. I shall not spoil your read by giving all the details away, but it all kicks off with an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids at The Ship Inn on Easter Sunday. Jill and I would like to say a big thank you to all of our Staff at both The Ship Inn and The Golf Tavern without whom our businesses would not be such a success. The Staff in both businesses have been very tolerant and understanding during the transitional period since we took over The Golf Tavern last June.  

Whether you are enjoying Sunday Morning Brunch at The Golf Tavern or having lunch in the Beer Garden at The Ship Inn watching cricket, Jill and I wish all our customers a very happy and prosperous 2009/10 and hope that you enjoy all that Elie has to offer.

Richard and Jill Philip
Elie, March 2009.