Jamaican restaurant Up A Yard has opened in rural north Wales, as the culmination of a successful lockdown project from Charlotte Stanley, ex head chef of 1891 Restaurant and Bar at the Pavilion Theatre in Rhyl.

Up A Yard occupies the site of the former cafe at Holywell Art and Craft Mill in Flintshire. Charlotte, 25, began preparing meals reflecting her Caribbean heritage for takeaway and delivery from her home in nearby Ffynnongroyw during last year’s Covid lockdown — and was delighted at the enthusiastic reception from diners.

She said: “I’ve always loved Jamaican cuisine, it’s in my family. I saw no-one else was doing this in north Wales, so I thought that maybe it wouldn’t work here, but the takeaway took off straight away. I think there’s a gap in the market for authentic Jamaican food.”

In the longer term, Charlotte is ambitious to launch a string of franchise Up A Yard restaurants across Wales.