Carpenter’s Arms Italian Kitchen, Walesby, ranked on Tripadvisor as top Italian restaurant in Nottinghamshire and top restaurant in Newark

A restaurant with a ‘warm friendly service and relaxed environment’ was nominated the best Italian cuisine in the county for the second year in a row.

The Carpenters Arms Italian Kitchen, on Boughton Road, Walesby, was opened in March 2022 by a husband-and-wife John and Louise Boddie, and close friend Christian Colarietti.

Despite some scepticism over their decision to open a restaurant at a time when the economy was struggling, the team have secured the title of best Italian restaurant in Nottinghamshire for the second time, as well as being ranked as the best in the Newark area and fifth in the whole of the county.

John said: “I love everything about the restaurant business, the food is my happy place and I love the history of the dishes whether it’s a personal connection or a classic with deep rooted tradition.

“We grow loads of ingredients ourselves so we keep the menu super seasonal, we cook food here that we would cook for friends and family, everything is the best quality with no corners cut.

“We think everyone deserves the best we can provide.

“There are no frills or gimmicks, nothing superfluous, just honest food.”

The owners, who are from Mansfield, Newark, and Rome, have worked in the industry for many years.

John and Christian have worked together for the past 24 years, and are the chefs of the business, while Louise, with experience of 20 years in hospitality, takes on a more customer-facing role.

John is from a mining family which always had allotments so home cooking, pickling, preserving and growing were always present in his life, while Christian’s family had restaurants for over 30 years before they retired, which influenced his passion for hospitality and the kitchen.

They had been looking for the right place for five years before opening but nothing ever ticked all their criteria — until they viewed the Carpenters Arms, which was the right size, had a good kitchen, decent car park, and on a good road, near tourist attractions and holiday homes.

John added: “I think our popularity comes from our holistic approach to our business. We look after our team, so they can take care of our guests.

“Our food is the best quality and sourced responsibly.

“We give warm friendly service and a relaxed environment, our service is brilliant but not formal.

“We honestly just want to make our guests happy.”

The restaurant’s most popular items are the focaccia, which takes four days to make and the beef ragu, a three-day affair.

The future plans for the restaurant include maintaining its standards, securing the future of the business, and expanding its reputation.

John concluded: “We judge our success on our guests responses, return visits and support.

“We couldn’t be happier with the positive feedback we get from our guests.

“We owe it to our guests to look after them, they invest time and money visiting us and we have a responsibility to meet their expectations.”