For Matt Rayson running his own restaurant was a childhood dream.

"I've wanted to own a restaurant since I was about five or six years old,” he says.

“It was just the sheer buzz of watching a kitchen working and seeing a restaurant work which made me want to do it. It’s always been a path for me to take.

“Sometimes I think about what I would do if I didn't do this and I don't think I would know what to do.

“It’s just something that I love doing and I love seeing people’s faces when they dine here and say how good it is.”

Carlisle born and bred, Matt studied a degree in catering at Carlisle College, meeting restaurateur and chef James Hill and working for his fine dining restaurant, Bijou, located in the city’s Historic Quarter.

"That's where I learned a lot of my trade from,” says Matt.

“He had a fine dining background. I took a lot from him and fine dining was everything that I knew and we've come here and put a casual spin on that.”

In Cumbria:

Bijou changed its name to Number 34 and Matt bought it from James in June 2016 to create the Old Bank.

The restaurant employs a team of around 12, with capacity for 15 covers, plus 12 more in a private dining area.

The building was formerly the home of the Bank of Carlisle and Cumberland in the 1800s and home to various businesses before becoming a restaurant.

Matt describes the Old Bank as gastropub-style, casual dining but with a fine dining influence in a relaxed atmosphere.  Dishes on the menu currently include the ever-popular thick cut gammon steak, fried in butter and covered in maple syrup as well as the array of local, seasonal produce on its 1833 tasting menu.

"The food is my take on different kinds of classic dishes really, childhood influences from growing up with my fine dining background stamp on it," says Matt.  “People can come and choose from something a bit more casual to eat or they can have a seven-course taster menu as well. I wanted it to be affordable so that people can come more often. My pleasure in doing this is obviously having my own business but also seeing and hearing what people say about it, that's where I get my drive from.”

Since he entered the restaurant trade, Matt says the diversity of food on offer in Carlisle has grown massively. “There is a range of different restaurants these days and the scene has increased five or 10-fold,” he says.  “If you can cement yourself with a good name and produce good service and good food that people want to come back for then you will do well.

“You’ve just got to be consistent and that’s the thing that James taught me, that you have to be consistent.

“Unless you’re consistent in what you do you’re not going to be able to continue. You want that repeat business constantly. When we put a plate out it has to be perfect every time.”