James Sommerin opens The Shed in Barry

Based in the town's Goodsheds development, The Shed by James Sommerin is a 30 cover restaurant owned and managed by Head in the Shed Limited; a newly formed business set-up by James and his wife Louise, along with investors Liam Murphy and Sarah Weaver.

Designed as 'a modern and contemporary eating destination', the philosophy of the new restaurant is 'centred on Barry’s proud industrial heritage'.

Alongside the main restaurant, Sommerin will also operate a takeaway and delivery service with dishes including salmon and hake fish cakes with a herb butter.

The opening has been backed by the Development Bank of Wales, as well as tourism authority Visit Wales.

“These are uncertain times for everyone but the hospitality and leisure industry has been hit particularly badly by the pandemic," says Sommerin.

"However, we’ve got to keep moving forward and with the help of the Development Bank of Wales and Visit Wales we have now opened our next venture with contingency plans to ensure that we can adapt to social distancing measures as they evolve.

“With the support of our funders, we’ve got the confidence to invest and look forward to a successful future, whatever the coming months bring for us all.”

Back in July, Sommerin was forced to close​​ his eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant in Penarth after the landlord told the chef to vacate the premises.

The restaurant, which Sommerin ran with his wife Louise, opened in 2014 and was the chef's first solo venture, having previously spent more than a decade cooking at the Michelin-starred Crown at Whitebrook in South East Wales (now simply known as The Whitebrook) - first as a sous chef, and later as head chef.

It was awarded its first Michelin star in the 2017 Guide, which it held until it closed this year.