A new pizza and Mediterranean foods take-away business has opened in the centre of York.

Omer Serkan Kandemir and Hande Celikyay have created ‘The Biga Coffee and Pizza Al Taglio and More’ at 67 Walmgate.

The couple arrived from Turkey two years ago and today live in Clifton.

Omer is a trained chef with 20 years of industry experience. He has also ran a catering business, is a business consultant and has taught at the Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus.

He said: “We make everything from scratch. Everyday we use fresh ingredients and local products. Everyday we do it here. Everything is fresh and home made.”

Where ingredients are sourced from elsewhere, they are genuine artisan products, such as a special pepper, truffle oil, or spicy sausage from Italy.

The venue, in a former CCTV shop, was chosen because the couple would often visit Walmgate.

“We saw the boutique, artisan, unique businesses in Walmgate. We feel at home here. We love it here and are very happy with the neighbours.”

Since the business opened last week, Omer said mushroom pizza has been a sell-out best seller, with spinach and artichoke pizza another best-seller. Home-made tiramisu is also proving popular.