A TRADITIONAL Winchester tea room has been taken over by a young couple with an aim of giving it a new lease of life.

Naomi Beamish and Olly Biggs, who met while working at a kitchen in Brighton, took over the lease on Forte Tea Rooms in Parchment Street in November, and have reopened following its refurbishment.

Miss Beamish, 27, will run the accounts and front of house while 29-year-old chef Mr Biggs will run the kitchen.

"This was something we have long thought of doing, but it was just pillow talk," former Peter Symonds student Miss Beamish said. "Winchester is quite formal as a place to eat. We love the cafe culture, we love breakfast and we love sitting and enjoying the company of our friends and we wanted to combine these things. We want to give a personal service where you can enjoy some rustic English food."

Since taking it on last year the duo have managed to bring the restaurant down from last in the list of Winchester restaurants on TripAdvisor to within the top 20.

Renamed Forte Kitchen, meals will be served seven days a week, offering breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. They will continue serving the popular afternoon tea, which Mr Biggs makes completely from scratch using locally-sourced produce.

As well as employing eight members of staff, which the pair describe as "excited and dedicated", they have been very keen to meet with local independent competitors in a bid to show unity against what they call "the rise of the national chains."

"Winchester has always loved the quirky places," Miss Beamish added.

Mr Biggs said: "It's nice to have that companionship with our business competitors. It's massively important to work together and there's enough space for us to work alongside."