Food by Breda Murphy, Station Road, Whalley

RESTAURANTS, they say, are the riskiest of all new businesses with more first year failures than in any other venture. But Whalley's latest, Food by Breda Murphy, was always going to be a safe bet.Last September its proprietor Breda Murphy opened the doors on what is a delicatessen, as well as a day-time restaurant, soon to be cookery school and the kitchen for her off-site catering arm.Demand has been so strong that plans to open the restaurant in the evenings have been put on hold. Says Breda, whose kitchen brigade includes former young chef of the year Gareth Bevan: 'We are not about compromising on the quality of what we do for profit and at the moment, we are finding that our day-time business and the demand for our off-site catering service are keeping us busy enough.'Having trained and taught at the world-renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in her native Ireland, Breda achieved a stellar reputation as head chef at the Inn at Whitewell. During her six year tenure she collected a host of local, national and international award awards. She left to travel, returning to the Ribble Valley to found Food by Breda Murphy.When long-standing Whalley restaurateurs Maurice and Monica Camm retired from running Abbots Court opposite the railway station, taking over the premises was, as Breda says, 'too good an opportunity to miss'.It seats up to 50 diners and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to last food orders served at 4-30 p.m. Reservations are required for parties of six or more. The deli, which is managed by Jedda Jauncey, an Australian chef now living in Mellor, stays open to 6p.m.Across its counter you can buy salads, terrines, home-made cakes, Breda's own label range of jams, marmalades, chutneys, boxed teas and ground coffee, as well as her home-cooked ready meals. Among these are her famous fish pie, beef stroganoff and 'Dingle Pie', which ismade from leg of lamb seasoned with cumin.

For reservations and further information, including the cookeryschool, w hich launches in the autumn, evening private hire and offsitecatering, telephone 01254 823446.Food by Breda Murphy, Station Road, Whalleywww.foodbybredamurphy.com