Coming home

Campbell McNeil left his native Scotland in 1997 for the bright lights of London, with big plans and dreams. "I wanted to be a famous actor, but like so many actor wannabes I got into catering instead," he says.

McNeil specialised in city wine bars, working as general manager at Henry J Bean's in Camden and then managing bars for Corney & Barrow in the City.

"It was fantastic - lots of money around, a Monday-to-Friday job and being in the heart of all those bars and restaurants," he says.

But six years later the 33-year-old McNeil was ready to return to his native Scotland.

"I was getting married, and we were both tired of London, with the dark and dingy Tube and an hour's commute to work each morning," he says.

Most of the couple's social life revolved around going out, says McNeil, and they wanted to slow down the pace.

Having enjoyed the buzz of life in London, McNeil wasn't ready to go home to the small fishing town of Eyemouth, Berwickshire, where he'd been born, but he felt Edinburgh could provide the amenities they required.

"It's all about quality of life up here. You have clubs and style bars and restaurants and lots to do, and there are several thriving companies in Scotland, so it's not like moving to a city where there's nothing going on - there's plenty of money about," he observes.

He acknowledges that career opportunities may be more limited - most companies have one outlet rather than the five or six that is common in London. However, he found there were plenty of interviews to go to, and he could choose between restaurants and bars. In addition, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that salaries were not all that different from London.

"You might get £30,000 in London and that only drops to £28,000 in Edinburgh. There's not so much difference in the catering trade as you'd find in the financial sector, where salaries are considerably lower up here," he says.

A job opportunity arose with Spanish tapas chain La Tasca, which was opening its third Scottish restaurant, at the Omni Centre in Edinburgh. McNeil joined in July as general manager and has subsequently been promoted to managing partner with responsibility to oversee the 150-seat restaurant at the Omni Centre and the 200-seat restaurant in Charlotte Street.

The restaurants are 15 minutes' walk apart, and McNeil has a 15-minute walk to work in the morning from his listed Georgian two-bedroom flat in the trendy area of Leith.

Initially, he had decided to rent, but with a price tag on the flat of £100,000, McNeil was able to afford the mortgage on his own salary, taking the pressure off his wife, Sophie, to find a job immediately.

In London McNeil would work 50 hours a week and spend his time off socialising with friends in the industry. In Edinburgh he works as hard, but his free time tends to be spent going to the gym, getting back to his childhood sport of bowls and, of course, acting.

"I never had the chance to go to many auditions in London, because of the job, but I still enjoy acting. Here, there's the chance to get involved in amateur dramatics," he says.

So the change was for the best?

"Yes, I do like being back. Mind you, I doubt whether I could afford to return to London with its housing prices," he says.

And, come June, McNeil will have even more reason to appreciate his slower pace of life, as Sophie is expecting their first child.