The Smugglers Restaurant at Newlyn has been sold in a swift off-market deal - even before sale details had been prepared. New owners Stephen and Barbara Turner, from Chadwell Heath, in Essex, have taken over from Allen and Mary Owen who bought the restaurant just over three years ago through Christie & Co as their first restaurant after relocating from Welshpool, Powys.

Allen Owen had extensive catering experience and Mary had formerly worked for a firm of solicitors.

Aware that they were looking to sell the business in order to move back to Wales, Christie & Co approached the Owens with the Turners already in mind as potential buyers. A deal was quickly agreed for an undisclosed sum from an asking price of £365,000, and the restaurant changed hands even before the preparation of sales details.

This is a first-time restaurant for Stephen and Barbara Turner, although Stephen has plenty of catering experience, having been the executive chef at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden since 1999. The couple had been looking for a suitable opportunity in Cornwall and 'jumped' at the chance to acquire the Smugglers, said a Christie & Co spokesman.

Article copyright THE CORNISHMAN 

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