Work begins next week to repair a Holmfirth restaurant hit by a devastating fire.
The Whippet and Pickle was one of several businesses affected by the blaze which broke out four weeks ago in a three-storey building in Towngate. Eight people were evacuated from various premises as firefighters from across West Yorkshire attended the scene.
Sunbed salon Daisey’s, where the blaze started, was gutted, while hair salon KuttingKrew, boutique Almond and the Whippet and Pickle all sustained damage.
Jane Harrop and Liam Malcolmson, who run the Whippet and Pickle, had been waiting for loss adjusters to assess the damage, which runs into several thousand pounds.
Now work to get the restaurant back up and running will begin next week – with the primary focus on repairing a burned-out floor in the ground floor seating area and restoring electricity to the building.
Said Jane: “Things are looking more positive and we are still looking to re-opening in early to mid-October.
“There has been so much waiting for the insurers, it’s good that something is finally happening.
“A large chunk of the floor is missing and there was damage to the walls in that area, too. We need the power back on. All the cables outside were burned.
Jane said the restaurant had been badly smoke damaged and would have to be completely redecorated. Some of the tables, chairs and sofas – along with ground floor carpets – could not be salvaged. Four weeks after the blaze, the premises still smelled of smoke.
The restaurant had been open less than a year when the fire hit – but had already received glowing reviews for its breakfast, lunch and evening menus.
Jane said the couple were already thinking ahead to their autumn menus and the traditionally busy Christmas period.
Jane and Liam have also been given a morale-booster this week with the news that the restaurant has been nominated in the best newcomer category of the Yorkshire Life Food and Drink Awards. The awards ceremony will be held on September 25 at Rudding Park, Harrogate.
Announcing the nomination on Facebook, Jane said: “To say we are proud is an understatement! As cliched as it sounds, it’s hard to explain just how much this means to us after recent events!”
