A TEACHER turned restaurateur hopes to entice French food fans from far and wide to the newly revamped after French Connection bistro.

The long-established eaterie in Coventry Street has been given a facelift and a new bar area created following a change of ownership.

Ross McElligott, who was head of geology at King Edward VI College, Stourbridge, and previously a chemistry teacher at High Arcal in Sedgley (now Beacon Hill Academy), took over the bistro in June 2018 after developing a passion for business and food.

He said: "We are so proud of what we have achieved. With the exception of electrician, we completed all the work ourselves, between family, friends and staff.

"We have now added a bar area to the restaurant where people can sit and have a drink before eating, or just sit in the window with a coffee and watch the world go by.

"We still do all of our French classics, good wines and now even have draught beer."

The bistro was established in 1986 by the owners of The French Delicatessen and the restaurant had been run by Christopher and Colette Hardwicke-Garner since 2000.

Mr McElligott, aged 34, who started his working life in Stourbridge at Johnson Poole and Bloomer mining consultants, took on the French Deli in 2017 and then the following year he bought the bistro - bringing both businesses back under one ownership.