A NEW dining experience has been brought to Salisbury with the opening of Allium.

Formerly Charter 1227, Allium is located in market place, on the first floor, above Costa.

It is the first venture for head chef Tim Tonkin, 32, and his wife Gemma.

They said: “We are very excited to have this opportunity to open our first restaurant, we couldn’t have asked for a better location. We have a great young team, and look forward to bringing a new dining experience to Salisbury.”

Tim brings years of experience in the catering industry, having worked in restaurants all over the south of England, most recently the Silver Plough in Pitton, where he was head chef until August.

Offering fine dining, the restaurant, opened its doors under the new name and new management in October.

Tim, who attended Ringwood School, trained as a chef at Canterbury College and has had experience working in many restaurants, including a stint for Harbour Hotels.

His big push into restaurant ownership came after previous owner Danny Bozic, who Tim worked with at The Bridge in Woodford, decided to move the Charter 1227 business to outside catering.

Tim said: “It seemed like the natural progression to take over the restaurant myself.”

“The big thing for me is cooking food that I would want to eat and not making it too complicated,” he added.

Tim has previously achieved a “Best Restaurant in Hampshire” award from Opentable.

The new business is a real family affair with Gemma working on the marketing and Tim’s mum taking care of the accounts, leaving Tim to focus on the kitchen and creating an inspiring menu.

Allium is open six days a week.

Tim prides himself on using the best fresh seasonal produce, and to deliver creativity and passion in every dish.

He has a new team with whom he will “devise and present innovative menus that evolve with the seasons, with a focus on variety, perfectly balanced flavours, and beautiful presentation”.

For more details go to alliumsalisbury.restaurant