A YORK bistro has been awarded the tender to partner with the city's Art Gallery as part of its £8 million redevelopment.

Café No 8, in Gillygate, run by chef Chris Pragnell and Martin Gore, will be recreating the business they have managed for 13 years, to feature as part of York Art Gallery when it reopens this summer.

Named ‘Café No 8 at York Art Gallery’, Mr Pragnell’s team fought off stiff competition to win the contract, and will spend the next six months working with York Museums Trust, designers and architects to put the finishing touches to a state-of-the-art kitchen and seating area at the heart of the new building.

Managed by the Café No8 assistant manager Gemma Anderson and chef Bee Tegetmeir, the new café will have “the stamp of Café No8".

Mr Pragnell said: "We were surprised and completely delighted to win the tender for the café, particularly as we thought it might go to a bigger chain, but we soon realized the Trust was looking for a local, family business.

"As the first venture of this kind that we've ever embarked on, and being part of a world-class multi-million pound development, it is incredibly exciting, challenging and daunting in equal measure.

"However, we are passionate about the gallery, the city of York and the people who live and work here, so it will be a real thrill for us to take the Café No 8 philosophy and food into a new arena."