Award-winning street food firm Smoke and Soul is set to expand as business owners Lindsay Jackson and Corey Milne announce the launch of a second food residency in Edinburgh.
The couple, who live in Newmachar, launched Smoke and Soul in October 2017 and have been serving up high-quality barbecue food in the north-east ever since.
After a string of successful “beer and BBQ” pop-up events with local craft breweries, they were offered a permanent home within Aberdeen’s Six Degrees North bar on Littlejohn Street in June 2019.
This is when Lindsay (31) and Corey (30) quit their jobs in oil and gas and decided to throw themselves into the industry full time.
Almost 18 months on, the couple have announced the opening of a second Smoke and Soul residency in Edinburgh, which will be based in Fierce Beer’s Rose Street bar.
BBQ comfort food
The new branch boasts a capacity of 50 and comprises two rooms, both on street level, while the kitchen is approximately 300 square feet.
It will serve up the same mouth-watering dishes available at Six Degrees North, as well as Fierce’s extensive drinks range and beers from some of the world’s best breweries.
Smoke and Soul dishes include loaded nachos, mac and cheese, dirty fries, burgers and sandwiches.
Their premium quality meats are sourced from Scottish craft butcher, H&S Milne & Sons.
Lindsay said the partnership with Fierce came about during the same month they visited Edinburgh for the Scottish Street Food Awards which took place over the weekend of June 25-27 at The Pitt.
“Corey and I have had a relationship with Fierce since our first year in business when we were the first to do a pop-up food event inside their Aberdeen bar, on Exchequer Row,” Lindsay added.
“Craig Mason, bar manager of Edinburgh’s Fierce Bar, loves our food and thought we would be a great fit for the venue.
“He asked us if we’d ever consider a residency in the city and that sparked immediate interest for us, so we got chatting.
“We love their products, their team and their brand so it was a no-brainer to say yes to the opportunity to partner with them. It is an honour to have been asked!
“It is smaller than our Aberdeen residency but the venue packs a punch with a mix of original features with a modern interior, intimate atmosphere and in a fantastic location, right off the high street.”
Bringing food to a whole new audience
Fierce Bar Edinburgh have had their own food offering in the past and in the last year, Luxford Burgers operated in the kitchen.
Although Lindsay and Corey are yet to announce a confirmed launch date for their food residency, they are certain it will be mid-November.
The bar is currently open from 2-11pm Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 12am on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 11pm on Sundays.
Food serving hours are also yet to be confirmed.
Lindsay said: “The bar is already operational, however, we plan to launch middle of November. The official launch date will be announced shortly.
“The residency will allow us to create a further five positions within the company.
“We are offering dine-in only to begin with but plan to have a delivery partner in place for home delivery towards the end of the year.
“We can’t wait to have a base in Edinburgh and bring our food to a whole new audience.
“The city is always buzzing with festivals throughout the year and it’s an opportunity to really put our name on the map in our capital city!”
To begin with, Smoke and Soul will be operating Wednesday to Friday from 4.30-8.30pm and Saturdays and Sundays from noon 8.30pm.
Once established with the new team, Lindsay and Corey plan to extend their opening days and hours.
Next focus
During the pandemic, the owners started selling their BBQ slow smoked meat packs direct to customers to create their own comfort food at home.
Proving a big hit with locals, Corey and Lindsay are aiming to focus on distributing more “once Edinburgh is in full swing”.
“Our meat packs are incredibly easy to heat and serve – perfect for hosting parties or just for a quick supper at home after a busy day working,” Lindsay added.
“We have retailers already asking to sell our products, so this is something we will focus on soon.”
Follow Smoke and Soul on Instagram (@smokeandsoul) for more updates.