JAMIE WRAY OPENED HIS OWN PUB THE BLANE VALLEY INN IN BLANEFIELD JUST OVER A YEAR AGO. SUSAN YOUNG CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO FIND OUT HOW HE HAS FOUND COUNTRY LIVING.
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he Blane Valley Inn in Blanefield is exactly how you would imagine a good country pub, complete with a licensee with bonhomie by the tonne. A fact definitely appreciated by his customers. On the day I visited the ladies in front of me burst in to the pub with a chorus of ‘Hi Jamie’. And over the course of our catch up everybody that came in greeted him like a member of the family. In fact one lady even came over to me to tell me that this was “the best pub in the land.” In fact she said “It’s not pub, it’s a home. When you come here it’s not like being a customer it’s like being part of a family.” she gushed. And no Jamie hadn’t paid her! But then again if you know Jamie Wray that wouldn’t really surprise you. This enterprising licensee has a wealth of experience in the industry. He started off working with Colin Barr at The Tunnel more years ago than he cares to remember. He also had stints at The Lounge (with the odd shift in The Living Room), Brunswick Cellars, the Truffle Club, The Mini Bar, Wodka Vodka in Paisley, Simpsons in Aberdeen and The Drovers Inn at Loch Lomond (which he claims was the maddest place he ever worked) and latterly he managed Hotel Artto in Glasgow. However the move into running his own place he thinks was probably long overdue. Says Jamie, “I had been looking for a place for a while. I really enjoyed working with Bobby Singh and his family at Artto. They were really great to work for. But it was time to work for myself.” He continues, “The pub is a Belhaven/Greene King lease.
24 DRAM JUNE 2015
THAT’S T WRAY TO Jamie Wray with Assistant Manager Cara Roberts