THE arrival of a sushi business and expansion of a cheesemonger in Haddington town centre have been welcomed by two town councillors.
The Cheese Lady on Haddington High Street is moving into the former butcher premises of Colin D Peat on neighbouring Court Street.
The move from High Street has opened the door for Minato Sushi to bring the Japanese delicacy to the town centre.
The changing face of the town centre was welcomed by councillors Tom Trotter and John McMillan, with the new businesses set to open this summer.
Jen Kerr, of Minato Sushi, stressed there was still plenty of work ahead at the business before the doors opened.
The 29-year-old, of Port Seton, who will run the business with her boyfriend Tom Cuddy, described it as “a real dream come true”.
Minato Sushi will move into the former The Cheese Lady premises
She said: “We are really excited. It is quite a big town centre in East Lothian and has quite a diverse mix of businesses there already. It seems nice and some people have been coming up and chatting to me and other shop owners have been quite friendly.”
Meanwhile, Svetlana Kukharchuk – The Cheese Lady – has ambitious plans for the former butchers having found a home for her business in the town nearly four years ago.
She said: “We needed more space and wanted to expand so we can offer more space to our customers to shop more conveniently.
“We want to mature our own cheeses and we are going to have a maturation room.
“Also, I’m hoping to offer a few tables, which still needs to be confirmed with the council, where people can sit down and order a flight of cheese and a glass of wine.”
The Cheese Lady is moving from Haddington High Street to nearby Court Street
Svetlana, who previously had a business in St Andrews, moved to East Lothian in November 2017 and opened her High Street shop.
The business has proven a popular addition to the town centre, offering cheeses from throughout Europe, including Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland and Norway.
Mr Trotter was pleased with the announcement regarding the two businesses.
He said: “Whoever thought a cheese shop in Haddington that, after this time, needed bigger premises? That’s fantastic.
“And it is incredible we are getting a sushi shop.”
Fellow ward member Mr McMillan was pleased with the level of interest from people looking to open up businesses in the town.
He said: “I think we are in a good place.
“When we were growing up, we did not know what sushi was!”
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