A NEW venue opened this month, aimed at providing a different experience for people in Workington to enjoy.

The Garden, bar and restaurant has opened in the town centre to add a ‘city’ flavour to Workington’s hospitality scene.

The restaurant has been opened by local husband and wife business partners, Paul and Ashleigh Mcgee, and is already proving a hit with the locals.

Ashleigh said: “It’s been brilliant. We have just been inundated with people wanting to book. We have found that we have a lot of really large parties wanting to book in but I think that’s with it being completely different from anywhere else locally.”

Talking about what sets The Garden aside from other venue’s in the town, Ashleigh said: “We wanted to create somewhere where everybody would feel comfortable and like that they were getting a nice treat when they were inside. A lot of people go off to cities and it’s all the kind of things you would find in a city.

“During lockdown it’s been quite difficult to go anywhere and it has been quite expensive for people to go away if they are having a staycation, so Paul and I wanted to drive business into Workington and keep it local, but also have somewhere that is really aesthetically pleasing and just a nice environment.”

“It’s not really like anything people have seen before, so they have been quite shocked. We have had nothing but good feedback about it though. I do think that people appreciate the work that we have put into it.

“The feedback has been amazing from the community, especially on how it looks.”

The couple have owned The Hungry Caterpillar in the town for a number of years and have praised their loyal customers who have followed them to their latest venture.

She said: “Because we have The Hungry Caterpillar and that does that well and it’s established, we’ve got a great following from that and we have had a lot of support from our Hungry Caterpillar supporters.

Through the day the couple have brought in the menu from the Hungry Caterpillar and recruited a chef to create a menu which includes entrees, mains and desserts for in the evenings.

The restaurant will also provide an array of cocktails, which would be on offer in popular city destinations.such as Manchester or Liverpool.