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Long wooden tables set for a feast in an old stone barn at the Free Company near Balerno.
Lothian

The Free Company

A regenerative farm, restaurant and community hub at the foot of the Pentland Hills near Balerno, cooking what it grows and raises.

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Welcome

At the foot of the Pentland Hills, just outside Balerno, an old farmhouse and its stone steadings are home to the Free Company, a regenerative farm, a restaurant and a gathering place all in one.

It was started in 2016 by a group of friends who set out to bring back forgotten country skills, and it has grown from there.

Everything starts on the farm. Vegetables are grown without digging, native breeds of cattle graze the fields, and the whole place is run with the health of the soil and the wildlife in mind. That food goes straight into the restaurant, which won the Sustainability Award at the National Restaurant Awards in 2025. You might eat snacks by the fire, a relaxed lunch, or a full feast at long tables in the barn, with Dexter beef from the farm.

There are workshops and events through the year, and the old courtyard strung with lights is lovely on a summer evening. Book ahead.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 1 November, from Scotland with love. A misty lane runs past slate-roofed cottages toward a wooded hillside.
Not farKanpaiA Japanese restaurant of sushi, sake and tempura on Grindlay Street, behind a sushi bar built of stacked cedar blocks.8 milesSee itKanpai
Before you go

Book a table through its website; there are workshops and events through the year.

Where
Cockdurno Farmhouse, Balerno, EH14 7HZ.
Founded
2016.
Award
Sustainability, National Restaurant Awards 2025.

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

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Where it is

At Cockdurno Farmhouse on the edge of the Pentlands, south of Balerno, EH14 7HZ.

Close byBalerno.
  1. The Grey Horse pub sign hangs above a quiet Scottish street with buntingBalernoThe village at the foot of the Pentlands.2 miles 3 min by road
  2. Bacon roll and cake on an outdoor table with sunflowersThe Mill Cafe at St Joseph’s CentreA not-for-profit community cafe run by Balerno Parish Church, with coffee, fresh baking, soups and toasties.2 miles 3 min by road
  3. The Grey Horse pub front with hanging fuchsia basket and open signThe Grey HorseA village pub on Balerno's Main Street with a traditional public bar of real ales, a lounge for wine and gin, and a back room for events.2 miles 3 min by road
  4. Restaurant seating with green banquette booth, wooden tables and herringbone flooring by bay windowsThe Balerno InnThe inn on the Main Street.2 miles 4 min by road
  5. Red telephone box beside a postbox set into a mossy stone wallRed Phone Box - Balerno Village Trust2 miles 4 min by road
  6. Jupiter ArtlandJupiter ArtlandThe sculpture park near Wilkieston.6 miles 9 min by road
Directions
Teal wooden door in a stone wall, framed by climbing foliage and white flowersAttractionsMalleny House & Garden1.5 miles as the crow flies
Sandstone cottages and shopfronts line a quiet curving street with bunting overheadAttractionsBalerno Main Street1.8 miles
Reed-fringed loch with autumn trees below a rounded hillAttractionsHarlaw and Threipmuir Reservoirs3.2 miles
Angler wading in a reservoir, green footbridge crossing the water beyondAttractionsThreipmuir Reservoir3.2 miles
Stone wall curves along a reservoir edge with hills beyondAttractionsHarlaw Reservoir3.7 miles
Clermount Cottage, EdinburghPenicuikClermount CottageSleeps 2 · 4.8 miles
Stone tunnel entrance with "Colinton" lettering above graffiti-covered walls and lit pathwayAttractionsColinton Tunnel5.2 miles
Wooden sign reading "Easter Craiglockhart Hill Local Nature Reserve" fixed to iron railingsAttractionsCraiglockhart Hill6.7 miles
Round sign lettered "B" hangs beside hanging baskets on a stone buildingRestaurantsThe Bridge Inn7.0 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the farm, and when each is next free.

White cow parsley blooms in front of a stone cottage with skylightsSteading
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Penicuik
  • 3 miles from the Free Company
Check datesStone cottage courtyard with slate roof, chimney and rolling green hills behindThe Byre
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Penicuik
  • 3 miles from the Free Company
Check datesA black kitchen counter with flowers on the worktop stands before a curved timber slatted screen opening onto a bedroom.Cartshed
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Penicuik
  • 3 miles from the Free Company
Free 9–11 NovWoodshed
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Penicuik
  • 3 miles from the Free Company
Free 2–5 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in LothianAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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What we have written about it and more in Lothian.

From the magazineFine Dining Footsteps from the Field: Farm to Fork Dining ExperiencesFrom the magazineThe Rewilding of the Supper Club
More in Lothian
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .