In a pickle over somewhere to eat in a busy January  - Fiona Duff

January used to be a month where the pavements were bare (after the sales had finished) and restaurants were virtually empty. The restaurant of choice was Howies in Waterloo Place. Howies has been an Edinburgh institution since David Howie Scott launched it in 1990 and now has three restaurants and an events company.

Always a good meal and doesn’t break the bank. It’s a big restaurant and there wasn’t a spare chair to be seen.

Last week I met some friends in Pickles – great wine bar on Broughton Street,although you can’t book a table.

We thought that we would have our pick of where to sit, being a chilly Thursday night – but there was only one table unoccupied by the time we arrived.

They describe themselves as: “A charming and relaxing retreat in the heart of Edinburgh’s vibrant Broughton Street area. It’s an ideal place to chill out over a glass of wine or a beer. We also provide a delicious range of platters and light nibbles including our incredibly popular Scottish Cheese selection – obviously accompanied by a great range of chutneys and pickles. “Warm and welcoming, a great place to enjoy an after work drink, while away the evening with a few friends, or round off the day in a most relaxing and friendly atmosphere.”

And they are not wrong.

What on earth has happened to dry January? And as for tourists – it’s heaving with tour guides jabbering away in different languages to large groups of people staring at some building or another.

Where are they all coming from, I wonder to myself. I suppose flights might be cheap and hotels not as dear as in August, but you would definitely need to pack some thermal undergarments and a big insulated coat.

That’s what I wander about in and I live here so am used to the weather. Anyway, I suppose it is good for businesses to keep having people coming through the doors – especially as the cost of running a restaurant must be going through the roof.

Paying the staff and heating the rooms certainly isn’t cheap these days. So I suppose we are all feeling that it is our civic duty to go out and keep everything open. That's my excuse.