A CHEF has opened a new Turkish restaurant with his wife after missing the delicacies of his home country.

Emre and Heather Akmese have only recently moved to Blackburn after living in Turkey and Germany.

When they moved to Blackburn at the end of last year, they noticed a lack of Turkish cuisine in the area, with Emre really missing the food.

The pair decided to open their own restaurant, Anadolu, on Blackburn Road in Darwen, which opened on Friday.

Emre said: “I think when anyone moves to a new country they always search for something familiar.

“When Turkish food is done properly it’s easy to miss, so I’m really pleased that we’ll be able to offer authentic Turkish cuisine in Darwen and the surrounding areas, and that I’ll be able to have my fill too.”

Turkish chef Emre met Heather after she moved from Blackburn to Turkey and started working for the same diving school, where Emre worked as a diver and boat captain.

The couple got married in October 2016, then moved to Germany in 2017 when Emre was offered a job as a chef for an American restaurant.

Heather said: “We decided to move back to be closer to my family because I was lonely and it was difficult in Germany.

“He wanted to find good Turkish places to go to here and could not find authentic Turkish cuisine.

“I have to buy things from the Turkish supermarket in Manchester and then cook it at home.

“We wanted to be able to offer people in Blackburn and Darwen something different and introduce them to Turkish food.”

To give people the best of Turkish cuisine, all meat is prepared with traditional ingredients and cooked on a Turkish grill.

When the couple lived in Germany, they did not find it hard to find Turkish places to eat, as there was a huge Turkish community where they lived in Hanover.

Heather added: “The restaurant is based on a lot of what we eat at home.

“We are both really excited after a successful first opening, with a lot of people complimenting the home-made hummus and selection of Turkish wines.”

Anadolu is open from Wednesday to Sunday and welcomes walk ins from customers.