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Durham solicitors help restaurant group expansion...

TWO COUNTY Durham restaurateurs have extended their commitment to shopping local by using a leading firm of solicitors to help drive their plans for growth.

Business partners Patrick Clark and Peter Anglesea successfully set up Flat White Café, their first venture in Durham in 2010, before opening the equally popular Flat White Kitchen three years later.

And now the pair are celebrating their success, after transforming the former New Inn at Church Street into pub bistro, Whitechurch.

Patrick and Peter engaged the services of solicitor Gwen Jones of EMG Solicitors at Abbeywood Business Park to help them in the negotiations for the building and transferring the licence.

“EMG was recommended to us and Gwen has been absolutely brilliant, we certainly couldn’t have done it without her,” said Peter.

“And we are very committed to using local suppliers for our food, it made sense to also use someone local to help and support us from a legal point of view.” Gwen in turn said it had been a real pleasure working with the business.

“Patrick and Peter are really dynamic and it was fantastic to be able to play a part in ensuring that their new venture went smoothly,” she said.

“It has been very exciting to be part of this and I’m sure this will be another huge success for them.”

Patrick and Peter launched Whitechurch earlier this year with a focus on dining, hiring some of the most notable regional chefs which has led to the creation of the equivalent to 40 full time jobs.

The 300 year-old building, formerly the New Inn, has been stripped back and modernised to reveal many of its original features.

Peter and Patrick are former school friends who both worked at the city’s Gala Theatre before deciding to embark on their culinary adventure. Having spent time in Australia, their aim initially was to bring some of their food trends to the UK.

“We wanted our next venture to be a destination, so we were grateful of the assistance provided by EMG in the negotiation stages for Whitechurch,” said Peter.

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