SACRE bleu! Fine food connoisseurs visiting a Skipton restaurant will soon be shouting for l'addition rather than the bill.
For the owner of Napier's restaurant wants to bring a taste of Provence to his picturesque corner of the town on Chapel Hill, where al fresco eating is already a big feature of summer.
But now he has stepped up a gear by recently hiring three French staff.
With a name like Ian Ackroyd, the eatery's successful owner feels his flair isn't enough to add a certain je ne sais quoi.
So he has enlisted the help of head chef Luke Daguzan, manager Jean-Phillipe Baudey and sous chef Thierry Cordeau to lift the already popular restaurant into a different sphere, introducing new dishes and wines mainly from the South of France.
All three new arrivals have a passion for fine food and wine, Luke's dedication meant he left a promising career as a barrister to come to Britain to indulge in his love of top cuisine.
And with a background that includes stints at the Dorchester and Claridges, in London, Jean-Phillipe, from the Loire Valley, proved to be a real coup for Ian, who will be staying in the background and 'letting the experts do what they do best' from now on.
The French visitors all intend to settle down right here in Skipton. They have no intention of leaving Yorkshire, putting their love of the region down to its people.
But what about all that marvellous weather they will miss out on back home?
As Luke said poetically: 'Better to have the cold weather and warm people, rather than the other way around, huh?'
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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