Two high-profile rural restaurants have changed hands this week – Tyddyn Llan in north Wales and The Cottage in the Wood near Keswick – with a new guard of chef operators taking over in each case.

At Tyddyn Llan in Llandrillo, Denbighshire, veteran chef Bryan Webb and his wife Susan are retiring after 22 years, having announced their decision to sell up last year. The new chef-patron is Gareth Stevenson, who made his name cooking at Palé Hall and spent last year at Docket in Whitchurch.

He said: “Having lived in the village for eight years, I have often dreamed about having the opportunity to run a restaurant such as Tyddyn Llan. It is housed in a beautiful Georgian building – once the private shooting lodge of the Duke of Westminster – and the opportunity to lead it into its new chapter is both a massive honour and tremendously exciting.”

Gareth and his team will take over from 18 July, with the Webbs staying on to the end of the month to ease the transition. Changes will be introduced incrementally, with Gareth offering a tasting menu prepared on sustainable principles.

Bryan Webb comments: “With Gareth as the new chef patron and Maria the face of the front of house, together with their highly talented team, they will keep Tyddyn Llan at the top of the restaurant business and ensure that it continues as one of the finest restaurants in Wales, and the wider UK. We wish them every success.”

Meanwhile, chef Jack Bond and his sommelier wife Beth have purchased The Cottage in the Wood, a converted coaching inn in the Lake District’s Whinlatter Forest, from Liam and Kath Berney, who are retiring after 22 years. The Bonds joined the Cottage staff at the beginning of the year.