Meze, a start-up restaurant run by a mother and daughter in Ellesmere, is set to fly in 2018 after exceeding original sales expectations.

The restaurant serves a range of responsibly-sourced traditional dishes from Greece and Cyprus, including Souvlaki, Moussaka, Stifado and Papoutsakia – all made using genuine Greek produce combined with local fresh and healthy ingredients.

Inspired by a love for Greek cuisine, Deborah Melkis, 57, and daughter Elena, 34, founded Meze in February last year after realising there was a demand for authentic Greek food only typically found in bigger cities further afield.

Self-taught chef, Deborah lived in Cyprus for 30 years and during this time developed a real passion for cooking authentic feel-good food. She mastered the art of crafting traditional recipes packed with different flavours and fresh ingredients. On her return to the UK, Deborah wanted to bring a taste of the Mediterranean to her home-town by launching her own restaurant.

Deborah Melkis, co-founder of Meze, said: “We are not only celebrating the first-year anniversary of our business, but the fact that my daughter and I have been given such a fantastic opportunity to work together doing something we both love.

“After spending 30 years in Cyprus, I developed a real love for cooking authentic and healthy Greek food. Plus, when I moved back to the UK I wanted to spend as much time with my daughter as possible. Embarking on a business venture that we are both passionate about has allowed us to build something that supports us financially, whilst allowing us to spend our days together.

“After a successful year, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of 2018 which started with our first marriage proposal at the restaurant this Valentines Day! We take enormous pride in having created an environment where our guests choose to come for the landmark events in their lives, that was always our aim and it feels great to have achieved that”.

Meze can be contacted on 01691 623554 or info@mezeellesmere.co.uk.