New Tanner brothers restaurant badly damaged in fire

A South-west restaurant run by two celebrity chefs has been badly damaged in a fire.

James Tanner and his brother Chris, stars of Ready, Steady, Cook and Saturday Kitchen, estimate the damage to their Barbican Kitchen restaurant in Plymouth could exceed £250,000.

Speaking to local press this the morning after the blaze Chris Tanner said: "The fire annihilated the kitchen and severely damaged a large section of roof. It is a devastating blow for us. But the most important thing is that no-one was hurt or killed.

"I understand that the kitchen is completely wrecked, but I won't be able to assess the damage or say how long we are likely to be closed until I've been allowed inside when it is safe enough."

An initial assessment by firefighters is that the fire broke out in the ducting of the kitchen's extractor system late in the afternoon yesterday (27 February).

A spokesman for the fire service in Plymouth said: "The fire is under investigation at the moment, and our team is working with the police."

The brothers have a second restaurant in the city, Tanners Restaurant, which was named AA Restaurant of the Year England 2007-2008.

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By Andrew Smith