Andrew Birch buys Checkers restaurant with rooms in Powys
Chef Andrew Birch and his wife Rachel have bought the Checkers restaurant with rooms in Powys and plan to relaunch the venue this spring.
Checkers, in the Welsh border town of Montgomery, held a Michelin star from 2011-18 when its previous owners decided to hand back the award to take a more informal direction.
Andrew, who left his role as head chef at Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill in London last year, discovered Checkers in 2016 when researching Welsh produce for his appearance representing Wales on BBC's Great British Menu and said he "always dreamed" of buying it.
In March 2021 he approached the owners on social media to ask if they were interested in selling, but they had signed a contract to run the building as a holiday let during the pandemic so the process was delayed.
The sale, which completed this month, will see Andrew move back to Wales after more than 20 years. The chef trained at catering college in Port Talbot.
Rachel was formerly head pastry chef at Galvin at Windows and worked at the Montagu Arms hotel in Brockenhurst while it held a Michelin star.
Andrew told The Caterer: "Being part of the community in Montgomery, which is a lovely small town, appeals to me more than the big city."
The restaurant will seat around 30 covers and the couple plan to offer a menu "for the locals and regulars" as well as a tasting menu. Lunch will be served Thursday to Sunday with an a la carte evening menu Wednesday to Saturday.
"We are going to give [Checkers] a lick of paint, get new tables and chairs and maybe new curtains and put our own stamp on it," said Andrew.
"There are five letting bedrooms, we will rename them and decorate but won't move it too far away from what it is. It is such a lovely building that we fell in love with."
Checkers was previously owned by chef Stéphane Borie, Sarah Francis and her sister Kathryn Francis.
Kathryn said in a statement: "The Checkers are superb premises and the location, on the square of one of the prettiest towns on the border, is second to none.
"We are thrilled that Andrew and Rachel have taken on the leasehold, and very excited to see the Checkers on its next journey."
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