AN award-winning restaurateur and chef from Devon who moved to new premises at the beginning of 2024 is hoping to get more people through the door as he reveals he is struggling.

Nestled within Seale Hayne's grandiose quadrangle, the Creeping Thyme is the restaurant and passion project of Devon chef Louis Bennett.

Having first opened at an small, intimate venue in Bovey Tracey in 2021, Louis took a gamble on premises at the historic Newton Abbot site, but the talented young chef needs more people through the door and more bums on seats.

‘We only had 20 seats in Bovey - the kitchen was ridiculous, that was one of the reasons I moved, we have better access for disabled people at Seale Hayne’ Louis said.

‘My rent was going up every month at Bovey, so I thought it was with the gamble moving here’ he added.

But since opening in March, the Creeping Thyme has not seen the flow of customers Louis had hoped for.

‘Each month we are just about covering the bills - it is just not sustainable’ Louis said.

‘I’d like to try and get to a year before deciding that I can't do it anymore.

‘My aim is to get to a year, but at the minute I don't know if we will make it that far.

‘I hope we can make it through the summer, but like I said we are one bill away from everything going under’ he added.

Open Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm to unite late, with last food orders being at 8.45pm, and on Sunday from 12pm to 3pm, the Creeping Thyme is a two man operation with Louis being helped by cousin Tom, as well as other members of his family.

The number of people coming for dinner can vary a lot from one day to the next - 20 covers on the Friday, but only three on the Saturday.

‘It is really difficult to organise for that - for a chef it is really hard anyway for that sort of thing, but here it is really difficult when you don't now how many covers you are going to do’ Louis said.