Mhairi Brett, Manager
I’m Mhairi. It’s Gaelic and pronounced Vari, not Mary or Very, although you’ll get a warm welcome at the Globe, whatever you call me. I was born in Glasgow and I went to school in Giffnock. School didn’t make a great impression on me. I did enjoy Home Economics, even though we were taught to make things like pineapple upside-down cake, a skill I have never needed to this day.
What I really needed were proper professional skills, so I did a SCOTVEC qualification in Paisley and then went to work at a Michelin starred restaurant and hotel in Grasmere. It’s not there anymore because the owner ran it like his own home and he preferred to close it down rather than sell it on to someone who might neglect it.
I met my husband Jonathan at the hotel. He was newly qualified like me and we learned the trade from the ground up literally – every role from chambermaid to chef. After it closed we moved back to Scotland and worked in hotels in Braemar, Aberdeen and here in Dumfries. Jonathan did some consultancy work for David Thomson’s new distillery and visitor centre restaurant at Annandale and we were both head-hunted to run their new venture, The Globe Inn in Dumfries.
A year ago, this place was practically derelict, despite its history as Robert Burns’ own local. We are hidden up a tiny alley off the High Street. It hasn’t been an easy transition from back-street boozer to fine dining venue, but the colossal investment by Annandale Distillery and the unfailing support of Teresa Church, the owner, has given Jonathan and I the opportunity to transform the Globe into a place that would have gladdened Burns’ heart – a place of pilgrimage for anyone who loves great poetry, great food, great whiskies (we have 200 of them), and great Scottish hospitality.
My Place is a section where people share places that are significant in their lives. If you would like to take part in My Place, simply email your photo and a text of up to 250 words to johnbrucemullin@hotmail.com
