A classically-trained French chef who ran a string of restaurants in Suffolk before selling up has launched a new business in Cambridgeshire.

Régis Crépy - who used to run the Great House in Lavenham - has run the Amélie restaurant brand since 2018 with chef son Alex.

The pair started with a "fast-food" Flammekueche outlet at the Grafton Centre in Cambridge and have since opened another café in the city. They have now launched a new and bigger business in Ely.

Amélie Restaurant and Amélie Café & Bakehouse is based at Ben’s Yard, an independent retail village in the town.

Dishes at the restaurant (Image: Amélie Restaurants) Régis - who lives in Lavenham - has carried on working since selling up the trio of fine dining Suffolk restaurants he ran for about 32 years - the Great House, Mariners in Ipswich and Maison Bleue in Bury St Edmunds.

In February this year, he co-launched the Blue Fig restaurant in Bury St Edmunds with fellow Suffolk-based restaurateur Lamen Reddy.

Régis and Alex's latest venture is based on the Stuntney Estate. Ben’s Yard - which opened last year  - houses fashion, homeware and lifestyle indie shops.

Amelie Cafe and Bakehouse (Image: Amélie Restaurants) It is also home to a butcher's shop, family friendly activities with adventure playground and wildlife trails as well as hosting festivals. markets and seasonal events.

The 50-cover café and 150-cover restaurant was run by the owners of the site but after nine months in charge they decided to take a back seat and let someone else manage it, explained Régis.

Since taking over the restaurant space at Ben's Yard in May this year, the pair have changed "quite a lot of things" and worked on the menu, said Régis.

He felt the location demanded something more feminine. "They have a lot of ladies coming to lunch," explained Régis. "They don't all want burgers - they want light things."

In the café, they looked to create French-style gâteau, quiche and more elaborate sandwiches, he said.

"It has gone down very well. We have a comment card and we are very pleased with the comments."

They were feeling "very optimistic" and "very excited" about their latest venture, he added.

It was in a "stunning position", he said with a great team - and as with his other businesses, the emphasis was on "quality, quality, quality".

Ben's Yard (Image: Amélie Restaurants) Meanwhile, the Blue Fig has been expanding with breakfast and moving into the upstairs area, he said.

"What we do really is the main thing is to have the right people at the right location and thinking of one thing - which is the customers.

"It sounds very corny but it's exactly that.  We need too see what the customers want and sell what they want. Our aim is to keep our reputation going," he added.

Hospitality was a way of life, he said, which made recruitment hard. "It's not just a job - they have to fully invest in it," he said. "It's not easy - it's never been easy by the way."

He believed that people still wanted to go out and eat. "There's no reason restaurants don't work. We have to make sure customers get the value they want."