Falko Konditormeister - Gullane

Tear your eyes away from the mouth-watering display of cakes peeking through the glass counter, and you will notice that your surroundings resemble a coffee house circa 1880, complete with a combination of charming Scottish, German and Viennese features. The dark panelling, converted gas lamps and regulator clock at Falko's Gullane branch, as well as the old shop counter and utensils, give an impression of what the bakery and coffee house would have been like in the Victorian era.

Owner Falko's passion and expertise can be seen in each confection, from the oh-sonaughty layered cream cakes to the strudels, tarts, pastries and brioche. Falko is a konditormeister - a highly trained German master pastry chef, whose creations are made according to a strict set of German baking rules. We can vouch for the results. Smooth and creamy cherry and almond tarts sent our tastebuds waltzing, as did a generous, delicately flavoured raspberry cream cake.

Cakes are made on the premises, using locally sourced ingredients where possible - although, to maintain authenticity and quality, some are imported. Marzipan is bought in by the ton, while 150 to 200 kilos of couverture quality chocolate are imported per month. A wonderful selection of traditional, stone-baked German bread is also made daily on-site. There's hausbrot - a popular moist rye bread packed with sunflower seeds - as well as equally tasty breads such as dinkel-roggenmischbrot and bauernbrot. The sourdough used for these is over 100 years old - the culture is refreshed every day without fail in order to keep it active. There is also a great selection of light lunch options.

Like many traditional German coffee houses, Falko sells beers and wines at the Gullane branch, most of which are from small, independent vineyards. Between May and September fresh ice cream and sorbets are made using seasonal fruits and berries. At Christmas, over 30 different kinds of biscuits are baked, as well as stollen, which is made using a traditional recipe from a master baker and is available to order online from October onwards. Look out for Falko's stalls at the Edinburgh and Balerno farmers' markets, or pop into the sister branch at Bruntsfield in Edinburgh for a real treat.