TV Personality opens Italian Restaurant in Framlingham

In spite of the turbulence currently being experienced by the hospitality industry, TV hotelier Ruth Watson has opened an Italian restaurant in Framlingham.

Last Thursday, Mrs Watson – best known for her work on Channel 5’s The Hotel Inspector – opened Watson and Walpole, in Church Street.

The restaurant, which is fully booked for this weekend, is a joint venture with head chef Rob Walpole.

“We started thinking about opening a restaurant a year ago,” said Mrs Watson, 70.

“Framlingham’s a great location, and it’s only about 15 miles from where I live.

“We felt there’s some great pubs, but there’s not really a proper restaurant in the area. We’re really thrilled by how excited the residents around here have been.”

The restaurant will boast a dedicated pasta room and an exclusively Italian wine list, but Mrs Watson added that any food which can be sourced locally will be.

She added: “Where we can, we’ll buy British-produced ingredients that are as good as Italian. We’ve tried to source local produce where we can, but olive oil, olives and rice will come from Italy.”

Had it not been for lockdown, the restaurant would have opened its doors in April.

“It was an utter disaster – we were days away from opening when the lockdown began,” said Mrs Watson.

“We’re still very concerned about the virus; we’ve moved a lot of things around; but we’re also trying to make sure it doesn’t feel like a hospital.”

To book a table at Watson and Walpole, visit watsonandwalpole.com.