Koala Kitchen set to cease trade from The Rutland Arms, Newark as they head to Asia for the new year

A couple who combined ‘love, food, and adventure’ is to stop trading from a town centre’s pub to embark on a new venture.

Andrew Scott and Cherry Cheng opened Koala Kitchen last February, starting with a small van at Newark Market Place, and started running the kitchen from The Rutland Arms, on Barnbygate in September this year.

The couple, which focuses on homemade Asian street food, has announced on their social media that they will leave the pub’s kitchen on Sunday (December 22).

They will head to Asia in January to learn “new and unique dishes, and return with exciting creations”.

Andrew, originally of Norfolk, and Cherr,y of Taiwan, met while working on a raspberry farm in Tasmania, Australia in 2010, and stayed in Australia for over 10 years.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic they were forced to leave and as Taiwan wasn’t accepting any foreign nationals at the time, they moved to Lincoln where Andrew’s sister lived.

As a former pastry chef and baker in Taiwan, Cherry started working at Bakkavor Desserts in Newark, where she started considering selling her homemade food in a market.

With no business background, they took a shot in the dark and bought an old ice cream van to get Koala Kitchen started, with the name of their venture inspired by their years in Australia.

As February was the wrong dessert time, the duo, inspired by the market traders’ love for their food, started selling Asian street food in the van, such as egg and bacon rolls and dumplings.

They wrote on the Koala Kitchen Facebook page: “Two years ago, we had a simple idea and a dream: to bring good-quality homemade food to the people of Lincoln.

“What started as a leap of faith turned into an incredible journey. Since launching Koala Kitchen, we’ve experienced so much more than we ever expected.

“We’ve met countless amazing people—many of whom we now proudly call friends.

“From bustling markets and school events to fairs, online deliveries, and even running a pub kitchen, it’s been an adventure full of learning, growth, and delicious moments.

“As we look ahead to 2025, we aim to bring our homemade Asian street food to more of the country so if you have an event or somewhere you would like to see us, drop us a message.

“We look forward to seeing you soon.”

For their final week at The Rutland Arms, Newark, they will be open on Wednesday from 4pm to 8pm, Thursday from 3pm to 8pm, Saturday from 4pm to 8pm and Sunday will be their final day from 12noon to 5pm.