Little Dessert Shop aiming to double its 50-site estate by end of 2027 as it focuses on new areas of UK, to roll out more ‘X model’ stores: Dessert franchise Little Dessert Shop has told Propel it is aiming to double its 50-site estate by end of 2027 as it focuses on new areas of the UK. The company, founded in 2014 by Mu’azzam Ali and launched the following year in Wolverhampton, passed the 50-site landmark of site openings this year. Little Dessert Shop previously told Propel it has a long-term plan for up to 200 UK stores and has now said it wants to open half of those over the next three years. “Little Dessert Shop is aiming to secure 15-20 new locations in 2025, with new store openings already planned in January/February in Doncaster, Cheshire and Oldham,” Ali said. “Our long-term goal of 100-200 UK store locations remains firmly in place. Backed by a strategic rebrand and an evolved menu strategy, we are confidently on track to reach 100 locations by the end of 2027. We’re actively targeting key growth areas with significant untapped potential. Our franchise team is currently focused on securing licences in Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Newcastle – regions we’ve identified through market analysis, social media engagement and consumer demand. With limited licences available, we are taking a strategic and selective approach to expansion. Many of these locations are already at various stages within our franchise pipeline, ensuring we prioritise markets with the highest potential for long-term success.” Last year, Little Dessert Shop partnered with better burger business Betsy’s to launch both concepts under one roof – known as its X model. Launching in Lichfield, the model to three further locations – Wolverhampton, Crewe and Stafford – with more on the cards. “With a proven model in place, we aim to roll it out more broadly from 2025, making it a key consideration for all future store openings,” Ali said. “By tapping into the dessert, fried chicken and burger markets under one roof, we’re driving stronger revenue potential and future-proofing the brand's growth strategy.” Ali also said international expansion is “very much on our radar” and “has been a recurring topic within our franchise department” but its focus for now remains expanding in the UK. He added current trading “remains strong” and that “despite a challenging economic environment, we’ve maintained positive momentum”. He said in response to challenges posed by the Budget, the company has taken measures to support its franchise network including optimising supply chain agreements, reviewing cost structures and introducing more agile pricing strategies.

Discover how to create joyful experiences at Restaurant Marketer & Innovator, open for bookings: Discover how to create joyful experiences at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit. Peter Critchley, chief executive at Trison UK, will talk to Mary Coriano, head of products and corporate portfolio at Merlin Entertainments, about how technology is enhancing operations across their parks. They’ll explore how innovation is addressing guest pain points, improving commerciality and streamlining processes, all while supporting Merlin's mission to spread happiness and create lasting memories. Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit is returning for its seventh edition, and tickets are now on sale. The event is a partnership between Propel and Think Hospitality, aiming to build a community, promote the sharing of ideas, recognise talent and define the future of eating out. Bookings are now open for the two-day conference as the centrepiece of the January event series, taking place on 21 and 22 January at One Moorgate Place in London. The conference will focus on technology, marcomms strategies, proposition, brand building, the latest market insights, digital developments and diversification of revenue streams. It is designed for customer-focused chief executives, marketers, technology and innovation teams, as well as investors wanting to better understand the latest marketing, innovation and development opportunities to build market share and grow. For the full speaker schedule, click here. The pre-Christmas early-bird prices are as follows: a one-day ticket for operators is £295 plus VAT while a two-day ticket is £550 plus VAT. Supplier tickets are £395 plus VAT for one day and £700 plus VAT for two. Propel Premium Club members receive a 20% discount. To book, email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

UKHospitality – revised growth figures show government ‘urgently needs to rethink its approach’: UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls has said revised growth figures that show the economy flatlined in the last quarter show the government “needs to urgently rethink its approach”. Previously, it was estimated that the economy grew 0.1% between July and September. Early estimates show that real GDP per head fell by 0.2% in the third quarter of 2024, and is 0.2% lower compared with the same quarter a year ago. Nicholls said: “These figures confirm what we already suspected – that the economy is in a fragile place and in dire need of growth. But with business confidence already plummeting and a third of hospitality businesses operating at or below break even, the planned changes to employer national insurance contributions will make generating economic growth even more difficult. Hospitality is hit disproportionately hard by the changes, particularly the lowering of the threshold, and the £3.4bn in costs hitting the sector in April will impact jobs, investment and business viability. That’s why we urgently need the government to rethink its approach. Delaying these changes to allow for proper consultation and engagement with businesses is much needed to protect hard-working venues and team members.”

Pubs under threat after government axes scheme allowing communities to save them: Pubs could be under threat after the government scrapped a scheme allowing communities the opportunity to save them. The community ownership fund, which was launched in 2021, was set to run until the end of March and keep £150m available to help people rescue local pubs on the brink of closure. The initiative was closed earlier than planned with millions of pounds unallocated in an attempt to budget for prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s priorities. Sir Keir was branded a “Scrooge” for scrapping the scheme just days before Christmas as the government blamed the decision on the state of public finances. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said it was an act “worthy of Scrooge”, especially after Labour hammered businesses with tax rises at the October Budget. He told The Telegraph: “With many businesses predicted to fail at the start of next year due to Labour’s Budget, this scheme would have been needed more than ever.” So far, around £135m of the promised £150m has been allocated from the community ownership fund to 409 projects over the course of the scheme, with a further £8.5m having been used to provide support before and after applications. As well as pubs, the fund was credited with saving music venues, historic theatres, museums, parks and cinemas. The final £36m round of funding announced on Monday (23 December) will go to 85 projects across Britain, including at least 35 community centres, eight pubs and eight parks.

Christmas Day bookings up 75%: Christmas Day bookings has increased 75% across the UK compared with last year, according to new data from payments provider Dojo. In pubs, bars and clubs, bookings for Christmas Day are up by 273%, while restaurants have seen a 115% rise in reservations. Meanwhile, New Years’ Eve bookings are currently significantly down on last year, by 64%, in signs that partygoers may be waiting until the last minute to make plans. But no-shows continue to be an issue – with 40% losing £50–£100 and 23% losing more than £100 per table of two that fails to show. When guests were asked why they wouldn’t return to a restaurant or bar, nearly half (45%) cited unreliable service. More broadly, 62% of workers reported that technology issues such as card machine outages or booking errors significantly impact customer satisfaction. Attentive and friendly staff is the key motivation for tipping (41%), followed by quality of food and dining experience (21%) and fast and reliable service (12%). 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a premium fitness brand looking for a high-end head of studio operations to drive the operations and guest experience. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “This role is about delivering an exceptional experience while always seeing the bigger picture and having an eagle-eye for detail at ground level. The role involves being in the venues every day; ensuring the team maintains the highest standards. The head of studio operations will create and manage daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual operations checklists, so everyone on the team is clear what needs to be done, by when and their clients have the budget allocated in order to deliver. Responsibilities will include leading the team, supporting it in priority setting and daily workflow management to ensure it is maximising its time/skills/output, ensure all studios are safe, legally compliant and all approved maintenance works are on track.” The salary is up to £60,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email david@corecruitment.com.

Azzurri Group acquired Boojum for £23.2m: Azzurri Group, the ASK Italian, Zizzi and Coco di Mama operator, paid £23.2m to acquire burrito brand Boojum. The Steve Holmes-led business, which acquired the then 14-strong brand in summer 2023, paid £19.5m in cash, with a further £2.5m by way of loan notes and £1.1m in costs. Azzurri made the investment to support Boojum’s expansion into Britain, with a debut mainland site opening in Leeds in April, alongside a significant investment in a central production kitchen in the UK. A second restaurant opened in Nottingham in September, while further sites have recently opened in Birmingham and Liverpool. The brand has also added two new sites in Ireland, in shopping centres Liffey Valley and Tallaght. Azzurri said the debt structure to support the acquisition of Boojum, put in place in June 2023 was partially refinanced with external debt in February 2024. Renatus Capital, a Dublin boutique private equity firm, held a 64% stake in Boojum, acquired when it backed Andy Maxwell in the purchase of the brand from its founders, John and Karen Blisard, in 2015. Renatus invested £1.25m in holding company Modern Restaurant Concepts by way of interest-bearing loan notes. The amount outstanding on the loan notes was £500,000 three months before the deal. Renatus’ share of the cash consideration paid by Azzurri was close to £14m. Boojum, which has an average spend per head of £12, plans to open 25 sites over the next five years in major UK student cities. In Azzurri’s recently filed accounts, the company said Boojum’s like-for-like sales, gross margins and earnings all increased since the completion of the deal in June last year and, despite dampened consumer confidence and economic uncertainty, were ahead of expectations. Azzurri chairman Harvey Smyth said of Boojum: “We are delighted with progress made by the Boojum team since we invested in the business.”

Soho Coffee CEO – regional expansion ‘super important’ to us, aim is to eventually flip the current corporate-equity store ratio on its head: Soho Coffee chief executive Sam Shutt has told Propel that regional expansion is “super important” to the business, and the aim is for it to eventually flip its current ratio of corporate to equity stores on its head. Shutt recently told Propel its three new formats will allow Soho Coffee to go into places it couldn’t before, and that his strategic goal is to get to 50 corporate stores, with further opportunity through a new franchising push. He said six new openings are fixed in for 2025 at the moment, four of which will be smaller format stores in travel locations, two being new international franchise. “Some of locations we’ll open in 2025 are very small formats, and all of those are travel locations, all our openings are a mixture of air and rail,” Shutt said. “Regional is also super important to us and our brands work very well regionally. We’re in the south west and Midlands, and the north west is a geographic target for us, and then from there, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire look good, for example. But in around our existing infrastructure in London, the Midlands and the south west, there is still so much potential. At the moment, we’re probably 75% corporate and 25% franchised. The short-term goal is to get that to 50-50, and long term, to flip it to 75% franchise and 25% company. We’re 100% looking to grow overseas too. We have some very good partners overseas and they’re all looking at additional locations. We’re in Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Qatar, and we will be in Hungary very soon too. Drive-thrus are not something we’ve thought about, but that doesn’t mean we won’t in the future. Corporately, it’s not something I have a desire to pursue, but from a franchise perspective, if franchisees within their network have a location, then we as a brand, will make it work.” Shutt said the brand will continue to roll out its partnership with Pieminister, while its most recent opening, in Westfield White City, saw the launch of a further partnership, with Snowflake Gelato. Last month, Propel reported that Soho Coffee’s turnover increased to a record £18,705,444 for the year ending 28 January 2024 compared with £16,168,162 the year before. Shutt said: “A bit of it was market recovery, plus we have done lots of work on the physical brand itself, along with strong product development, plus some things have just fallen towards us, like footfall coming back to some locations where it had fallen away.” In terms of the brand’s culture, Shutt added: “Culturally, as a business, where we have moved from since I joined (two years ago) – it’s like night and day in terms of collaborative work, creative thinking, wanting to hear ideas from the business and allowing people to run with ideas.”

Belfast hotel and bar operator aiming to tripe its hotel business to six locations: Belfast hotel and bar operator Ringland Group has said it is aiming to tripe its hotel business to six locations. The Ringland Group includes two hotels, The Flint and The 1852 Hotel, as well as three bars – Amelia Hall, Town Square and Southside Social. Founded by brothers Peter and Ben Ringland in 2008, the group also has a property development business. “Our ambition is to develop and operate at least six hotels over the next 20 years,” Peter Ringland, managing director, told Ulster Business. “We have 160 staff – more than 70 have been employed for our latest development Amelia Hall. We have invested £5m over the past three years and have plans to invest a further £10m over the next three years. We are currently in the planning process for an additional 60 hotel rooms and a new rooftop bar for The Flint hotel. We are also actively looking for a new renovation project in The Linen Quarter.” In September, Ringland Group secured a £4.75m refinancing to support its future growth, including the development of Amelia Hall. The funding, from Ulster Bank, will also support the continued expansion of the group’s nearby The Flint hotel, with a second The Flint hotel planned for the city’s Cathedral Quarter.

Honi Poke secures what is believed to be the last remaining Benjys site: Hawaiian poké specialist Honi Poké, which is looking to add a further 15 sites to its UK estate over the next 12 months, has secured what is believed to be the last site from the Benjys chain of sandwich shops, in the City of London. Honi Poké, which was founded by Vladimir Martynov and Kosta Varesko in 2017, has secured the site at 54-55 Cornhill, for an opening next year. Benjys was described as the first low-priced chain of sandwich shops in the UK. The first Benjys was opened in 1989 in Islington by Paul Benjamin. By 2006, the chain had circa 60 stores in London and the south east employing more than 650 people, before it collapsed, with 46 sites being shuttered in summer 2012. Honi Poké currently operates 22 sites across London and three regionally, in Bristol, Leeds and Manchester. Earlier this month, the company told Propel it was ahead of its opening schedule as it plans to enhance its regional presence in 2025. The company opened two new sites in London on the same day last Wednesday (18 December) – on the former Veggie Pret site in St Mary Axe and on the ex-Veggie Pret in King William Street. Martynov told Propel: “We are now looking to expand into Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge. We also plan to open a site in Baker Street in London next month, with a site in Cornhill opening in February. We have a few more sites coming in March/April.” Propel previously revealed that Honi Poké had secured the ex-Tamarind Tiger site at 13 Baker Street, between Itsu and a Joe & The Juice. Brandon Elmon, of Genius1 Group, acts on behalf of Honi Poké.

Manchester diner and takeaway concept set to make Welsh debut: Manchester diner and takeaway concept Luckys is set to make its Welsh debut. Luckys is gearing up to launch within the Deiniol shopping centre in Bangor, North Wales. Established in 2018 by Hasan Habib, the franchise business currently had seven sites within Greater Manchester – in Oldham, Openshaw, Stockport, Fallowfield, Wythenshawe, Ardwick and Old Trafford – and one in London, in Holloway Road. Luckys has further sites “coming soon” in Derby, South Shields and Wokingham.

North west padel club gets go-ahead to open site in Leeds: North west padel club business Pure Padel has been given the go-ahead to open a site in Leeds. The company submitted plans to Leeds City Council earlier this year for the development on a disused bowling green within the grounds of Moor Allerton Golf Club. The plans cover the creation of four padel courts, together with an outdoor seating and social area, and cycle parking. A proposed reception kiosk would contain a servery for basic vending machine goods, with a retail area offering padel-related equipment. The council has now granted approval for the development, subject to conditions, under delegated powers, reports Insider Media. Pure Padel, which was co-founded by Sammy Arora, opened its first padel club in Alderley Park in 2023. In June this year the club announced that it was set to open a new indoor venue in Manchester in late 2024, amid wider expansion plans to build another 30 in the next five years. A new report has been produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector. The report profiles the current shape of the experiential leisure market – including brands, estate size, trading type and geographical location and future trends. It provides a detailed list of UK experiential leisure companies including key staff and Companies House information. The report includes more than 180 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. The report is available to Premium Club members. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

The Revel Collective appoints non-executive director: The Revel Collective – the operator of 65 venues trading predominantly under the Revolution, Revolución de Cuba and Peach Pubs brands – has appointed Paul O'Leary as a non-executive director with immediate effect. The group said O'Leary has extensive financial and management role experience in the consumer sector, having served as chief financial officer at clothing company Boden between 2000 and 2019, and then as chief operating officer between 2019 and 2024. He now sites on its board as a non-executive director and audit committee chair. It is intended that O’Leary will also chair The Revel Collective’s audit committee. Group chair Luke Johnson said: “Paul has deep experience of the UK retail sector and we look forward to taking advantage of his advice and knowledge as we navigate the challenging conditions ahead.”

Hotel operator Axcel Group reports profit up to £11.8m as turnover hits record £42m: Hotel operator Axcel Group, which operates 13 sites, has reported turnover increased 17% to a record £42,043,887 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £35,838,178 the previous year. Pre-tax profit grew to £11,755,025 from £9,048,399 the year before. The company, which employs around 400 staff, did not receive any government grants (2022: £6,000). No dividend was paid (2022: nil). The group’s hotels include the Mercure Haymarket in Edinburgh, the Holiday Inn York and Radisson Red at Gatwick airport.

Manorview submits plans to revamp Glasgow hotel as it taps into well-being market: Scottish independent hotel group Manorview has submitted plans to redevelop its Bothwell hotel in Glasgow as it taps into the well-being market. The group purchased the property in summer 2022, and have grand plans for the building. Previously housing bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, conservatory and function spaces, the property will undergo a comprehensive refurbishment. For the hotel aspect, plans submitted include 70 bedrooms, a 175-cover brasserie style dining space, and a relaxed lounge area. Manorview is also planning for the property to have a large wedding and function suite, with another celebration space to the rear of the property, as well as private dining facilities. The plans also include the addition of a spa, which will feature a rooftop hydrotherapy pool and plunge pool, seven treatment rooms, experience showers, sauna, and lounge. In addition, plans also include on-site gym facilities. Managing director David Tracey said: “We are excited at the prospect of bringing Bothwell Bridge to life in a new way. We recognise that the hospitality market has shifted in recent times, with relaxation and well-being high on the agenda.” Manorview, which operates 12 sites, is hoping to start work in 2025. 

Admiral Taverns’ Proper Pubs division invests almost £800,000 in three sites: Proper Pubs, the community-wet led operator division of Admiral Taverns, has invested almost £800,000 across three pubs in the lead up to Christmas. The pubs are The Silkstone in Sheffield, The Eagle in Braintree in Essex and The Wonder in Oldbury in the West Midlands. Almost £220,000 has been invested in The Silkstone while in excess of £255,000 has been spent at The Wonder with both pubs being transformed inside and also having their external areas renovated. Meanwhile, The Eagle, where almost £300,000 has been invested, has been divided into two main areas – the bar and games zone. Proper Pubs operates more than 200 sites across England, Scotland and Wales.

Lincolnshire holiday park operator sees profit more than halve as turnover falls: Lincolnshire holiday park operator Coastfields Leisure has reported turnover fell to £22,798,211 for the year ending 30 November 2023 compared with £23,769,495 the year before. The company, which operates seven holiday parks as well as a pub and hotel and a golf and country club, saw pre-tax profit more than halve to £1,438,960 from £3,540,153 the previous year. Gross profit margin was down to 27.4% from 30.2% the year before. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The 2023 season has seen a strong year in the holiday fleet side of the business despite the challenging economic conditions due to increased energy costs and other inflationary pressures. The company has continued to invest in both expanding its holiday fleet capacity and in further developing other infrastructure around its parks to capitalise on this over the coming years.” The group, which employs around 250 staff, did not receive any government grants (2022: £61,335). No dividend was paid (2022: £555,000).

Padel concept Club de Padel to open Sheffield site: Padel concept Club de Padel is set to open a site in Sheffield. The company, which opened Manchester’s first padel club last year, is planning to open the venue at Capital&Centric’s development of the former Cannon Brewery site in Sheffield. The city’s first dedicated indoor padel club will feature five panoramic padel courts alongside a club shop, coffee and juice bar, and additional social and wellness space. David Blake, co-founder of Club de Padel, said: "We’re excited to bring Club de Padel to Sheffield and have the chance to breathe new life into this incredible space. We’ve had some fantastic times in this city over the years, as both kids and adults, so we can’t wait to bring Club de Padel here.” Having opened in Manchester’s New Jackson district, Club de Padel hosted nearly 20,000 padel matches in its first year. Co-founder James Wigglesworth added: “We've tried to lower the barriers to entry at every point to ensure we are building a diverse and highly engaged community. We feel that padel in the UK is just getting started and it's great to be able to contribute to its continued growth in the north of England.” Capital&Centric is working with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and Sheffield City Council to bring Cannon Brewery forward. The developer is set to start on site in spring 2025 with phase one, which includes 270 homes and 20,000 square-foot of commercial space for independent food outlets, leisure and workspace – due in the summer. A planning application has now been submitted for the padel courts on the land that is to be developed in the second phase of the project.

Birmingham craft beer and Indian street food concept opens new beer hall: Birmingham craft beer and Indian street food concept Indian Brewery has opened its new beer hall. The business, which already operates a venue serving its beer alongside Indian food at Snow Hill, has opened at the site of the old Brook Welding warehouse in the city’s Jewellery Quarter. The venue, situated just off St Pauls Square, serves a range of beer from the keg and cask as well as keg cider and collaborative brews, and its own merchandise. The brewery is known for putting an Indian spin on classic pub favourites such as fish and chips, and at the new taproom, it serves pizza with an Indian twist. Owner Jaspal Purewal told Birmingham Live: “We will do brewery tours, corporate events and private events. We’re going to pave the way. We will always give everybody that experience where anybody who walks through our doors will want to come back.”

Surrey operator reports turnover boost but revenue still down more than 70% on pre-covid levels: Surrey operator Bob Potter Leisure has reported turnover increased to £5,048,955 for the year ending 31 July 2023 compared with £3,499,845 22 the previous year as the company continues to build back from the covid pandemic. However, revenue remained more than 70% down on the £17,130,888 reported for the year ending 31 July 2019 – the last full year before the pandemic. The company – which operates the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley along with three hotels and a caravan site – saw pre-tax profit rise to £1,603,904 from £254,879 the year before (2019: profit of £11,006,267). In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “Lakeside Country Club continued to generate its revenue due to the filming of The Regime, which has continued into the next year. The main two hotels – Potters International and Lakeside Continental – have continued their Home Office contracts. The directors have continued to invest in upgrading both the group's hotels and leisure facilities and they believe they will continue to remain competitive in the leisure industry and will continue to attract new and repeat customers to their leisure facilities.” The company, which employs around 50 staff, received government grants of £117,964 (2022: £254,039). No dividend was paid (2022: nil).

Hambledon Wine Estate to open restaurant and bar: Award-winning English winemakers, Hambledon Wine Estate, now under the stewardship of Berry Bros. & Rudd and Symington Family Estates, is to open a 40-cover restaurant and tasting room set within Hambledon Wine Estate in Hampshire. The restaurant, which will be overseen by managing director James Osborn and head chef Nick Edgar, will champion seasonal produce and the best ingredients from the kitchen garden and local surroundings. The bar will include a selection of Symington’s and Berry Bros & Rudd’s own wine as well as a short classic cocktail list. Osborn said: “As we continue to grow and share our passion for exceptional English sparkling wine, opening a new restaurant at Hambledon Wine Estate is an exciting opportunity to offer our guests a complete dining experience, where they can enjoy the best of local produce paired with our wines in a beautiful, relaxed setting. This is just the beginning of plans for Hambledon and the estate, which we will be announcing early next year.”

Searcys to launch chef’s counter experience at London brasserie and bar: Restaurateur and events caterer Searcys is to launch a chef’s counter experience at its St Pancras Brasserie & Bar site in London. Opening in February, Kitchen Bar will see executive chef Thomas Piat create a raw menu drawing on his French expertise, honed at the École Hôtelière de Paris and through his experience working at Michelin-starred establishments such as Jòia with Hélène Darroze. The dinner menu will include Champagne and Sturia Oscietra caviar with warm blinis and Pâté en croûte with pistachio and brandy cherries. 

Independent Leeds restaurant to evolve as it moves to larger premises: Independent Leeds restaurant Swine Bistro, previously Swine that Dines, is to evolve as it moves to bigger premises. The concept, run by chef couple, Jo and Stu Myers, will head from North Street to Otley Road in Headingley, in the space previously occupied by Jam hairdressers, in January. The restaurant, which opened as the Greedy Pig cafe in 2012 before being transformed into a restaurant in 2014, smashed its crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, raising £42,000 to help fund its move to a bigger venue. Jo Myers said: “We are excited about finally moving into a bigger restaurant with a kitchen that has space we can actually move in. Headingley is a vibrant suburb full of brilliant independent bars, restaurants, cafes and shops and we’re proud to be joining them. Rest assured, we won’t be fundamentally changing our menu, but the new space allows us to be more creative with our dishes as well as offer a fuller wine list, and even cocktails.” The new restaurant will double its covers to 35 as well as include a private dining room with an additional 12 covers. The restaurant will stay true to its roots with a seasonal menu of bistro dishes using local produce with wine pairings. Kirsty Cheetham, who won Observer Food Monthly’s best Sunday lunch award in 2018 and 2022 when she ran The Queen o’t owd Thatch in South Milford, Leeds, is also joining as the restaurant’s first executive chef.

 

New York-style cookie concept that started as delivery service opens first bricks-and-mortar site: New York-style cookie concept Sablé, which started as a delivery service, has opened its first bricks-and-mortar site. Sablé is the brainchild of Ratika Arora, a self-taught baker who started baking during lockdown, and Andrew Scott, a pizza chef with more than ten years’ experience. The duo told Hot Dinners they originally planned to open a pizzeria “but after the overwhelming response to our cookies, sold from a small dark kitchen, we realised this was the path we were meant to take”. Arora and Scott have now opened the site in Wandsworth Bridge Road in Fulham, south west London. Signature flavours include chocolate chip, birthday cake, matcha matcha, coconut caramel, and pistachio kunafa. The idea came from the pair’s regular trips to New York where they fell in love with the city's cookies and couldn't find anything in London that was similar. There is also a selection of coffee and matcha options on the drinks menu.

 

TV chef and Hairy Biker Si King opens grab-and-go restaurant in Sunderland: TV chef and Hairy Biker, Si King, has opened his grab-and-go restaurant in Sunderland, serving up British comfort food with a gourmet twist. Propa! is located in Sheepfolds Stables at Riverside Sunderland and offers a menu that “reflects and promotes the food culture in the region”. King said: “It's a great way to take our customers back to the tastes and smells that they grew up with and that is part of our north east identity – a food culture to be celebrated and embraced. We're using only the very best of ingredients that the region has to offer, all sourced from producers that the team knows and this ethos underpins everything that we want to achieve with the food that we produce.”

 

MasterChef The Professionals champion opens Nottinghamshire country pub: MasterChef The Professionals champion Laurence Henry has opened a Nottinghamshire country pub. The chef and his wife Sera have relaunched the Martin’s Arms in Colston Bassett having acquired the lease of the School Lane property in October. Henry had been a sous chef at two Michelin-starred restaurant Sat Bains, in Lenton Lane, when he won the BBC culinary competition in 2018. He went on to become the chef patron at Nottingham’s Cleaver & Wake, at the Island Quarter. He was a key figure in the development and opening of the fine dining restaurant but he left last November – three months after becoming a dad for the first time – to “work on his own new projects”. The pub, a grade-II listed Elizabethan farmhouse, was run by Lynne Strafford Bryan and her partner Jack Inguanta for more than 30 years until their retirement last year, with head chef Lewis Turner leading the kitchen.