Bryan Webb to hang up chef whites and sell Tyddyn Llan

Tyddyn Llan restaurant with rooms in Llandrillo, Denbighshire, has been put up for sale by owners Bryan and Susan Webb after 20 years.

The property is listed with Hart and Co Residential with a price tag of £1.8m.

Co-owner and head chef Bryan Webb said: “When we left Hilaire in London’s Kensington back in 2002, we knew that we were taking on a huge challenge, but we have really enjoyed our time here and have made many friends and have lots of loyal, regular diners.

“But we aren’t getting any younger and anyone who has worked in a restaurant knows how much hard work is involved and the long hours, though I will miss the reward of people saying how much they enjoy my cooking.”

The 13-bedroom property was built in 1742 and more recently was the private shooting lodge of the Duke of Westminster. Under the Webbs, with Bryan in the kitchen and Susan overseeing front of house, it won and held a Michelin star between 2010 and 2020.

Bryan Webb took his first head chef's post at Café Rouge (unrelated to the chain of the same name) near the Barbican in London before moving to Hilaire in Old Brompton Road in 1987, which established his name on the London food scene. He took over the kitchen from one of his food heroes, Simon Hopkinson and, in his own words, found his feet. He honed the style of food that he still cooks today – "simple, clean and tasty food, not mucked around with too much, food that you want to eat".

He took over Hilaire as chef-patron in 1990 and met Susan, who preciously worked at Antony Worrall Thompson's Ménage Á Trois, when she came to help out in 1992. The pair have worked together ever since.

The couple married in 1995 and sold Hilaire in 2001 due to rent rises. They then took a year off and travelled the world with a view to returning to Wales. When a deal for a pub near Monmouth fell through, fate intervened and they stayed a night at Tyddyn Llan. They knew the owners, who announced they were selling, and suggested the Webbs take over.