United by a love of good ingredients and creative flavours, father and son have teamed up to create a new dining experience.

Steve Taylor and son, Rhys, have been working hard over the last few months to bring you what they hope will be one of the most sought-after dining experiences in Newark-on-Trent.  A family-run, fine-dining restaurant in the heart of Nottinghamshire.

Inside the relaxed, intimate restaurant you’ll find both traditional dishes and bold, exciting flavours, all expertly created with outstanding-quality ingredients.

Steve comments “When it comes to the food itself, we refuse to compromise. We’re a firm believer in locally sourced, seasonal produce and strive for a more sustainable approach to dining, with as little waste as possible. I lead my kitchen with passion and care, and hope this stands out in all I create”

Taylor’s accommodates 28 diners, with the largest available table seating eight. Offering two very different dining experiences. Choose the chef’s table area for a front-row seat in the preparation of six exquisite courses, or relax with a traditional fine-dining experience in more intimate yet leisurely surroundings.

Steve continued: “I’ve had a passion for food and cooking ever since being a pot washer at the age of thirteen. By the time I was fifteen I was running the starters and desserts at a local restaurant. Aged seventeen, having completed a hospitality and catering course at college, I moved to London.

“Over the years I’ve worked in London, Johannesburg and Nottingham, picking up new skills, experimenting with flavour and creating diverse dining experiences. Working in high-end hotels to village gastro pubs, conference and wedding venues to country house hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, I felt it was my time to set up alone and better still with my nineteen year old son, Rhys, who is a talented chef in his own right.

“In the past, you might have associated fine dining with fancy linen-draped tables and a rather stiff, formal setting. Nowadays the concept has evolved – it’s all about fresh, local food prepared in unique ways and served in a unique atmosphere.  We can’t wait to welcome you into our restaurant and experience our very own take on fine dining.”

Rhys added: “We believe good ingredients are a gift. We aim to use seasonal and locally sourced produce wherever we can – partly because it’s more sustainable, partly because it simply tastes better. We’re also proud of our efforts to reduce food waste. In a nod to the British rural tradition of thrifty eating, we make it our mission to find new and delicious ways to use every part of every ingredient.”

The combined value of Grantham’s housing market has fallen by £20,723,248 in the last 6 months, meaning the average value of a Grantham property has decreased in value by an average of £1,324.

This is great news for Grantham first time buyers and Grantham buy to let landlords, as there is a slight hesitation in the market because the uncertainty over Brexit. As I have always said, investing in Grantham property, be it for yourself to live in or as a buy to let investment, is a long-term game. This minor change in the whole scheme of things over the last 5 or 10 years is nothing.

The RICS’s  latest survey of its Chartered Surveyor members showed nationally the number of properties actually selling has dropped for the 16th month in a row. Locally in Grantham, certain sectors of the market are matching that trend, yet others aren’t. It really depends which price band and type of property you are looking for, as to whether it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market.

The RICS also said its members lettings data showed a lower number of rental properties coming on to the market. Anecdotal evidence suggests that (and this is born out in the recent English Housing Survey figures) that Grantham tenants over the last few years are stopping in their rental properties longer, meaning less are coming onto the market for rent. I have noticed locally, those Grantham properties where the landlord has gone the extra mile in terms of decoration and standard of finish, this has certainly helped push rents up (although those properties where the landlord has been remis with improvements and standard of finish are in fact seeing rents drop. Grantham tenants are getting pickier – but will pay top dollar for quality. So much so, I believe there will be a cumulative rise of around fourteen to sixteen per cent over the course of the next five years in private rents for the best properties on the market

Back the Grantham Property Values though …

This slight drop in Grantham property values doesn’t particularly concern me. The fact is over the last 6 months, 242 properties have sold, for a combined value of £44,692,318. You see, that drop must be seen in perspective that 6 months ago, the total value of Grantham property stood at £2,783,301,248 (£2.78bn), and today it stands at £2,762,578,000 (£2.76bn) .. this change is a drop in the ocean.

In the short term, say over the six months and assuming nothing silly happens in Korea, the Middle East or Brexit negotiations, it will be more of the same until the end of the year. In the meantime, the on-going challenges around ensuring we as a Country build more homes, (although the Office of National Statistics figures released in July ) showed nationally the number of new homes started to be built over the second Quarter of 2018 had dropped dramatically, it makes me think that Grantham (and Nationally)  property values are likely to recommence an upward trajectory as we go into 2019.

One final thought is for all the buy to let landlords in Grantham (and indirectly this does affect all you Grantham homeowners too). I do hope the recent tax changes towards buy to let landlords doesn’t bite as deep as its possibly is starting to with certain landlords I know.  We talked about this in an article a few weeks ago and I know why the Government wanted to change the balance by taxing landlords and providing a lift for first time buyers .. however, this may well come at the expense of higher rents for those Grantham tenants that don’t become first time buyers ,as the appeal of buy to let potentially weakens.

Whether you are a Grantham landlord looking to liquidate your buy to let investment or a homeowner looking to sell your home, finding a buyer and selling your property can take an annoyingly long time. It is a step by step process that can take months and months. In fact, one of the worst parts of the house selling process is not knowing how long you might be stuck at each step. At the moment, looking at every estate agent in Grantham, independent research shows it is taking on average 49 days from the property coming on the market for it to be sold subject to contract.

But trust me … that is just the start of a long journey on the house selling/buying process. The journey has many steps and therefore, in this article, I want to take you through the standard itinerary for each step of the house selling procedure in Grantham.

Step 1 – find the Buyer

You need to instruct an estate agent (of course we can help you with that) who will talk through a marketing strategy and pricing strategy to enable you to find a buyer that fit your circumstances. Again, looking at  that independent research, looking only at Grantham, these are the average number of days it takes to find a buyer for a property in Grantham, split down into price bands

Interestingly, I thought I would see which price band had the highest proportion of properties sold .. again – fascinating!

There are a variety of distinctive issues at play when selling a home, together with the involvement of a wide and varied range professionals involved, meaning there is enormous differences in how long it takes from one property to another. These are average length of time it takes for each step to give you some idea of what to expect.

Step 2  – Sort Solicitors (and Mortgage)

Again, something we can point you in the right direction to, but it will take a good few weeks for your buyer to apply and sort their mortgage and for your lawyers to prepare the legal paper work to  send to the buyer

Step 3 – Legal Work and Survey

Then your buyer applies for local searches from the local authority (to ensure no Motorways etc are being going to built in the back garden etc) are , these can take a number weeks to be returned to the buyer solicitors, from which questions will be asked by the buyers solicitor to your solicitor (trust me – you don’t see a tenth of the work that goes on behind closed doors to get the sale through to completion) . Meanwhile, the surveyor will check the property to ensure it is worth the money and structurally sound. Overall, this step can take between 3 and 6 weeks.

Step 4 – Exchange of Contracts

Assuming all the mortgage, survey and legal work comes back ok, , contracts are signed by both parties. When contracts are exchanged, this is the first time both buyer and seller  are tied in. Before then, they can walk away .. and we are probably 4 or 5 months down the line from putting up the for sale board – this isn’t quick! .. BUT hold on .. we aren’t there yet!

Step  5 – Completion

Between a week and month after exchange of contracts, the buyer solicitor sends the money to the sellers solicitor, and once that arrives, the keys will be given to the buyer … phew!

To conclude, all in all, you are looking at a good four, five even six months from putting the for-sale board to moving out.

If you are thinking of selling your Grantham home or if you are a Grantham landlord, hoping to sell your buy to let property (with tenants in) .. either way .. if you want a  chat to ensure you get a decent price with minimal fuss .. drop me a message or pick up the phone