Restaurateur Ben Tunnicliffe has recruited a new head chef to work alongside him at The Tolcarne Inn.

Matt Smith joined the team in Newlyn at the start of the summer and has now taken day-to-day operational charge, working with Tunnicliffe to develop menus and events.

Tunnicliffe said: “I was really pleased to be able to bring Matt on board, having worked with him in the past. Not only is he a reliable pair of hands to help us maintain the highest levels of quality and consistency, he is also extremely creative and forward-thinking and we’ve already implemented some of his development ideas.”

The pair worked together during the launch of The Scarlet Hotel in Mawgan Porth in 2009; they found they had very similar approaches to food and have kept in touch ever since.

In the interim Smith was head chef at both The Gurnard’s Head in Zennor and The Old Coastguard in Mousehole.

He added: “Ben and I think in the same way about food, especially how to construct a great dish. Simple dishes, which highlight excellent ingredients – this is the best description of how we both like to cook.”