Member Article

New lease of life for The Old Boat House at Amble

More people than ever can enjoy the award-winning experience of dining at the Old Boat House in Amble, thanks to a £210,000 refurbishment and extension project.

The popular fish restaurant, which invites guests to take in the panoramic harbour views while feasting on the catches of the day, has more than doubled its indoor capacity following the ambitious renovation, which includes a new £80,000 kitchen.

Meanwhile a new café/bar area, incorporating an eye-catching shellfish display means the Old Boat House is now also somewhere to enjoy a freshly brewed coffee or a glass of wine, as well as the freshest of seafood dishes.

Crowned Coastal Fish Restaurant of the Year in the 2016 and 2017 Fishing News Awards, The Old Boat House can now serve 80 diners inside and around 50 outside.

Chef and managing director, Martin Charlton said: “We’ve been considering expanding The Old Boat House for some time but it was just finding that time.

“The expansion of the seating area was fairly seamless. There was the odd afternoon that we needed to close but on the whole, we kept The Old Boat House operating as normal during the refurbishment.

“We spent £80,000 on the new kitchen and sourced the equipment from all over the world. The main console was specially made in Italy and shipped over here.

“The biggest difference is the efficiency. The new equipment allows us to meet our usual standards across the board but we can serve more customers more often.”

The refurbishment and investment marks the start of a new phase for the Old Boat House and its neighbouring Fish Shack, which Martin runs with his wife, Ruth. It also signals the end of the couple’s involvement with two other restaurants they had been managing: The Boat House in Blyth and La Famiglia in Amble.

Staff from both restaurants will be re-employed at the Old Boat House and Fish Shack, bringing their collective staff numbers up to 50.

Martin said: “We have been managing four restaurants and we decided that, in order to find the time to develop The Old Boat House, we would need to sell our Italian restaurant in Amble and the Boat House in Blyth.

“We’ve worked closely with the harbour office in Amble and we’re continuing to do so. There’s been so much positive redevelopment here in the last few years and there’s more to come.”

Primarily a fish restaurant, The Old Boat House also serves a selection of meat dishes and boasts a wood fired pizza oven too. In addition, vegetarian and vegan diets are also catered for.

Martin said: “We like to educate our customers on what’s so good about eating locally sourced, sustainable fish but we accept it’s not for everyone and we’ll look after anyone here. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff or the lads in the kitchen.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Wonfor .