A popular restaurant has reopened after its sudden closure last year.

The Boathouse is back in business thanks to restaurateur Ryan Barrie and his wife, model and former Miss Scotland Aisling Friel.

The Kilsyth venue closed in October, with the loss of 36 jobs.

Ryan was recently brought in as consultant to the revamp of the legendary Kinema venue in Dunfermline, which once played host to the Rolling Stones, Elton John and The Supremes, but famously gave The Beatles a knockback.

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He is also the vision behind a number of Glasgow city venues, including the Spiritualist and Citation.

With The Boathouse, Ryan said he had brought a “city centre dining experience” to the community of Kilsyth.

The boutique hotel and restaurant was a popular venue for locals and visitors to the Auchinstarry marina, and Ryan said that since work began on the reopening, members of the community had shown a huge deal of interest in the next chapter in The Boathouse’s life.

He added: "We regularly had people knocking on our doors asking what was happening to the place, and when we were opening.

"People were upset about its closure, and excited to know it was opening up again."

The owner has brought in chef Mark Stocks, cementing his intention to make The Boathouse "renowned for its superb food, range of drinks and quality service".

Ryan confirmed that 30 new jobs had been created, adding: “We are forecasting to grow our core team as the business develops.”

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“It’s always an exciting challenge opening venues like this. The team has worked immensely hard to get The Boathouse reopened so quickly and new jobs filled. The Boathouse was always a popular venue, and I hope this revamp will excite a whole new generation of customers.”

Mark Smith, Head of Destinations and Tourism at Scottish Canals, said: “Auchinstarry is one of Forth & Clyde Canal’s key tourism destinations and The Boathouse has been a popular fixture there for a number of years. It’s fantastic to see the restaurant reopened and we wish the team all the success in the future.”