Bakery on to a winner in former bookie’s shop
A new bakery will open in the shadows of the Forth bridges this weekend, specialising in vegan baked goods as well as treats for all tastes.
Taking its name from the Gaelic word for Edinburgh – Dùn Èideann – new bakery Dune will start trading tomorrow, with takeaways on offer, and the hope of seating up to 14 people in the former William Hill bookies within a fortnight, once the staff get familiar with their surroundings.
Owner Lewis Gill, 36, who ran bakeries in Stockbridge and Leith until the Covid pandemic, is not letting a minor setback this week get him down ahead of opening weekend. He said: “I was excited. We were planning on opening on Friday, but we had to put it back a bit as the oven needs fixed. So it’s not ideal. But it gives us an extra day to get ready, so it’s not the end of the world.
“I previously ran a health food cafe then a place focusing on vegan pastry. But now we are going down the road of doing everything, including vegan food. We found this great spot with an incredible view from where we will be rolling in the kitchen. You can come in and see us baking in the back, through a glass wall.
“I’m not used to that and it will take a while to get used to. You are normally baking in a basement, dancing and singing, but now we will have to behave. No swearing, it’s going to be hard!
“The problem with being in Edinburgh in the past is that the units are all smaller rooms, but this is one big open room, so a lot easier to manage. Our former shops in Edinburgh fell apart when Covid hit. So this is our second coming. We will continue to offer people vegan options, but with pastry you are quite restricted with vegan stuff. So we wanted something a bit more broader this time.”
Lewis is hopeful that he has found the perfect spot for his Dune bakery. He said: “It’s great being on the High Street. It’s quite busy here, with a decent footfall all the time. A few local people have said they wanted something like this here. As soon as we saw this unit we thought it was perfect.
“It’s very weather dependent out here. If it’s sunny it can get very busy on the High Street. Which is a nightmare for preparing enough food. But hopefully over the summer it should be more steady as cruise ships full of tourists arrive here.”