Jerichos at The Waverley

The driving force behind the new venture is husband and wife Chris and Jo Blaydes whose combined Christian names (Chris and Jo-e) were the inspiration for the eatery they opened in Birch Street ten years ago.

Much has happened since - not least accolades aplenty for Chris, former head chef at Miller Howe - and mentions in all the good guides, including Egon Ronay's Top 200 Restaurants in the UK.

But it was the arrival of the Blaydes' two children - Billy, now four years old, and Freddy, two - which forced Chris and Jo to concentrate minds on their culinary future.

As we chat in the kitchen about the change of direction, Chris prepares two of his dishes for our photographer.

He's no stranger to being watched while he works, for it was the open' kitchen at Birch Street which first attracted Chris to the premises. He had previously toured the country with his boss John Tovey, the former proprietor of Miller Howe, on his Sainsburys roadshow', so performing food' was second nature. But Chris yearned for a place of his own and when Tovey's decision to sell up coincided with the availability of the premises in Birch Street, Chris and Jo's fates were sealed.

"We had a fantastic little business in Birch Street," said Chris. "And people liked Jo's personal touch out front in the restaurant. But when the kids came along Jo was out of the equation because she was with Billy and Freddy."

Taking on a guesthouse seemed the obvious solution to the Blaydes' resolve to remain in Windermere - for it meant they could be together as a family, and live on the premises, but they would also be able to continue with the restaurant which had made their name.

They took over The Waverley at the end of February and worked flat out to get Jerichos at The Waverley' as they wanted it in time for the Easter break.

Chris and Jo succeeded, but it nearly killed them in the process.

The kitchen at Birch Street - and that includes the sink - was transported lock, stock and barrel to College Road, where one of the first tasks was to give the dining area a makeover. The end result is a veritable forest' of wood, and light, bright walls, which are in marked contrast to the womb-like aubergine hues of Birch Street.

(The music-themed wall art at The Waverley is the only reminder of the Jerichos that was.) As the Easter weekend approached, all 11 letting rooms were quickly snapped up; bookings for the restaurant positively rolled in.

And then the oven blew a fuse in the middle of Saturday night service; the dishwasher decided to call it a day; the printer (for the menus) wouldn't work; and, the most cruel blow of all, bearing in mind the blizzard-like conditions at the time, the central heating boiler packed up.

Lesser mortals would have thrown in the towel - and I include myself in that bracket.

But Chris and Jo didn't get where they are today without being "driven" (Jo's words). So the pair battled on, quite literally weathering the storm of failed appliances to reflect on an extremely successful opening weekend.

Jerichos' regulars - of which there are a considerable number - have been filled with nothing but admiration for the couple's decision to branch out.

"I can't believe how kind people have been," said Chris, who fears that a hint of madness might be closer to the mark.

"The world's in financial turmoil and we have borrowed all this money. But the reception over what we want to do here has been excellent."

At the moment, The Waverley is attracting guests who book B&B accommodation - and then realise their good fortune at being under the same roof as Jerichos. Chris hopes that the emphasis will eventually change to people who want to eat at Jerichos first and foremost, and then collapse in one of the rooms upstairs at the end of what has been a truly delicious evening thanks to Chris's endeavours in search of perfection.

While the official restaurant inspection brigade has moved its goalposts in terms of what it wants on the plate, Chris has stayed true to himself.

"I cook what I want to cook."

And what you see on the menu is what you get after all, the chef has constructed his dish with every ingredient in mind.

Chris lets the flavours speak for themselves.

Of his 41 years, Chris has cooked for 24 of them. He continues to be a stickler for detail.

"Every dish has to be perfect," he tells me. "You are only as good as your last meal."

To that end, the philosophy which steered his restaurant through the trials and tribulations of foot-and-mouth, and then the petrol strike, remains the same at Jerichos' new location.

"The food will still be the same quality," said Chris, who has done up two houses in order to help fund the purchase of The Waverley.

"He does everything, he's so very handy," Jo chips in. "The problem is that he just never stops."

Neither does she!

Both Jo and Chris have fallen in love with the building that is their new home as well as their business.

"I do like the feel of the place," said Chris. "You just want to hug it," added Jo. "It just naturally has an atmosphere, its such a fantastic building."

Billy - who does a commendable impression of Freddie Mercury, by all accounts - and his brother love it too.

It is a brave new world in which the Blaydes family finds itself but this is one driving force which more than deserves to succeed.