Lakeland chef Ryan Blackburn is closing his Ambleside restaurant Kysty tonight – but will open two new venues in town next month. He launched Kysty, a more casual version of his flagship The Old Stamp House, six years ago, but the lease was up for renewal and he decided to rejig his operations.

Both new venues will be set next to the Old Stamp House: The Schelly, named after a fish that only lives in the Lake District, will be a small-plates casual spot directly above the Old Stamp House, with room for 24 walk-in guests and another six at a bookable table close to the pass. The second is in the courtyard and will be called The Workshop, operating as a test kitchen and private dining room seating eight guests. The pair will be staffed by the Kysty team supplemented by new recruits.

The 2024 Harden’s Guide praises Kysty for its “delicious food, beautifully presented in a relaxed environment” and at “good value” prices.

Ryan said: ‘’We’re proud of what we as a team have achieved at Kysty since we opened the doors in the summer of 2018, but the time was right to examine the direction we wanted to take.

“As a result, we’ve taken what some people might think is a bold decision to close the restaurant, but the reality is it was the right time. With the renewal of the lease and the prospect of investing heavily to transform the space further, it simply wasn’t viable.”

He added that his team had been “quietly getting on with” the process of setting up the new ventures, which would be fully revealed in late August.