A FORMER nurse and finance sector worker have created a new recipe for success at a Peebles delicatessen.

Milne & Pickles, named after proprietors Lorna Gould and Julie McLean’s maiden names, is the latest addition to the town’s Northgate.

Lorna, 44 and Julie, 45, who both attended Peebles High School, always fancied running a food shop combined with a bistro style café, where the “craic” is as good as the coffee.

Julie said: “We have talked about doing something like this for years and in the two years of Lockdown that became reality.

“We both love cheese, wine and sharing our knowledge.”

Lorna worked part-time in the Intensive Care Unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, during the pandemic and said she is pleased to be taking on something potentially less stressful.

“Because the shop is small it has a great atmosphere,” said Lorna. “Customers can share good food and wine and ending up chatting.”

Neither of them are making their first foray into catering.

During sixth form, which Lorna said “is a long time ago”, she worked at the Yarrow Valley’s Gordon Arms Hotel.

Julie did a stint in a similar style café to Milne & Pickles, Le Monde, in the Surry Hills district of Sydney, Australia.

The venture is entirely self-funded and, in the first eight weeks, Julie’s husband has proved a whizz at raising its profile through social media and handling the IT.

Lorna joked that her mum is helping with the dish washing since retiring.

The pair gained barista training at their supplier, Three Hills Coffee Roastery in Selkirk, which also supplies their beans, from Colombia, Guatemala and Brazil.

Their cheeses are supplied by I J Mellis in Edinburgh; bread is from Peebles bakery Fat Batard; wine from L’Art du Vin, in Dalgetty Bay; beer from Traquair Ales, Broughton Brewery and Tempest, in Tweedbank; charcuterie comes from Peelhams organic farm in Berwickshire and tea from Pekoe Tea.

“We are passionate about getting the coffee, food and drink right,” said Julie. “When you are selling really good things, people like it and it is a pleasure.”

The shop and café is open from 9.30am to 4pm, with evening opening till 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, mainly serving sharing platters, with the pair working a straight through shift.

Plans are already in place to offer hampers at Christmas.

Lorna said: “We like people to have a blether and in the future would like to do some wine and food pairing taster sessions.”