Michelin starred restaurant the Abbey sold

Penzance's Michelin-starred restaurant, the Abbey, has been sold by its chef-proprietor Ben Tunnicliffe, to Bill Treloar the owner of Mousehole's Old Coastguard hotel, Cornwall.

The sale went through last month, with Treloar setting up the restaurant's new chef-patron Michael Riemenschneider in the restaurant's kitchen at the beginning of January.

Swiss-born Riemenschneider has been based in Cornwall since last year, after joining the Old Coastguard as head chef for the 2007 summer season.

He has recruited a team of seven chefs for the Abbey kitchen and is offering three menus, including two tasting menus, one at £59 and one at £89 with flights of wine.

Tunnicliffe, 37, told Caterersearch that the stresses of operating a fine-dining restaurant in the very seasonal market at the western tip of Cornwall contributed to his decision to call it a day.

Tunnicliffe is in talks to head up the kitchen of a new hotel in Cornwall, currently in the development stage.

2008 - the year the Michelin stars stood still >>

No top awards for restaurants in this year's Michelin guide >>

Cornwall the beautiful South-west >>

By Joanna Wood

E-mail your comments to Joanna Wood here.