THE CUSTOM House restaurant on the Strand in Barnstaple is set to reopen soon, with a new look and menu.

Matt Spencer, 29, from Barnstaple, has taken over the lease and hopes to reopen the restaurant in March.

It will be the first time Matt, who has worked in pubs and restaurants for years, has run his own business.

Matt said the restaurant will focus on British and American classics, and use locally and responsibly-sourced ingredients. He said: "We're completely redecorating the place. We've kept the name, but lost the 'old' part and we're just calling it The Custom House, as opposed to the Old Custom House."

The restaurant closed last summer when chef James Duckett left to pursue another venture at the Highbullen Hotel.

The project fell through, and James Duckett has since taken a post as the chef at The Kennels, in Goodwood, Chichester.