A fine dining restaurant in Masham has been sold to a former head chef at the Tate Modern in London.

Vennell’s, which is based in a Grade-II listed Georgian building on Silver Street, has featured in the Michelin guide, the Good Food guide and the AA Restaurant Guide for the last 14 years.

It was opened in 2005 by by Jon and Laura Vennell and has recently been renovated.

After confirming their decision to sell the property, the couple said in a statement it was “time to pursue our next adventure”.

Now, it has been sold for an undisclosed fee to experienced chef, Jon Atashroo, who is relocating to Yorkshire with his wife Arlette.

Mr Atashroo has rebranded the restaurant as Where There’s Smoke. It opened on July 7.

David Cash, director in Christie & Co’s hospitality team, which handled the sale, said:

“It is a pleasure to have acted for Jon and Laura in the sale of their business and family home. We always discussed that the most likely buyer would be a couple who could step in to Jon and Laura’s shoes and make the business their own.

“We are still seeing lots of demand for hospitality businesses, particularly where the property is freehold.”

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