Foodie heaven in high street

The village now boasts 14 eateries, with the latest - Pudding Lab - opening its doors last month.

Anne Watts of Anne Watts Four Gables B&B and Holiday Cottages, said: “Anyone who hasn’t visited Boston Spa for the last couple of years would be surprised to see what a foodie hub it has become, with restaurants, bistros, and bars springing up just as fast as retail space becomes available.

“There are now 14, yes 14, places in Boston Spa to sit down and eat (plus two take-aways).”

Four Gables co-owner David Watts thinks the change is due to the number of developments in the village over recent years.

“The change seemed to come about as the result of a number of developments, some of which are to do with the structural changes to the village and others, possibly related, that have encouraged more outsiders to visit.

“The building of Church Fields and the development off Green Lane, introduced a number of younger families to the village.

“Also additional parking at Church Fields and Stables Lane and the Millennium Square provides a bit of a focal point to the village.”

He thinks that village events such as the gala and festival have helped, along with a number of chains, such as Stew and Oyster, coming in.

“This in turn gave smaller operators the confidence to open, for example Harts and Pudding Lab.

“The next phase, which will see Boston come alive even more, are the plans to create a people-friendly centre.

“Work will start in January and will see the centre of the village take on a plaza like appearance.”

David added: “There will be more seating, trees, traffic calming and block paving to the road and pavements.”

Pudding Lab owners Kian Lian and Ashley Close, of Boston Spa, recently opened their patisserie in the former Little Gifted Shop on High Street, which they renovated for three months.

The new venture comes after 35 years working as chefs but the pair expect challenges.

“It has always been our dream to open a patisserie,” said Kian who attended school in Boston Spa.

“The chef side is the easy bit but the business side will be a learning curve for us.”

The Pudding Lab follows the arrival of Cora, owned by chefs Liz Cottam and Mark Owens and the reopening of The Crown Hotel.