CELEBRITY chef Matt Tebbutt has placed one of Gwent’s most famous restaurants for sale at nearly £500,000, citing increased television commitments as the main reason.

The Foxhunter in Nantyderry, Monmouthshire is named after the horse local man Sir Harry Llewellyn rode to victory in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Mr Tebbutt has run the Grade Two-listed eatery for nine years, but with increasing television commitments, he feels he is unable to dedicate the time he would like to the business.

He has appeared recently on television shows such as The Great British Menu, Market Kitchen and guest presented BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen.

Mr Tebbutt currently juggles filming in London during the week and working at the restaurant on weekends.

A spokesman for estate agent Colliers International said: "These commitments have taken Matt out of the area so much that he is no longer able to dedicate the time he would like to the Foxhunter, presenting this opportunity for a new owner to take on a well-established business with an excellent reputation."

Mr Tebbutt has run the restaurant with wife Lisa, since returning to Wales in 2001 after training in London with leading chef Marco Pierre White.

The couple live near the restaurant with children Jessie, eight and Harry, six, and may now explore other business opportunities in the area.

The Foxhunter is a former station master’s house and was completely renovated when Mr Tebbutt took it on, with restored Welsh flagstone floors and log-burning stoves.

It was an AA Restaurant of the Year and serves locally-sourced dishes such as suckling pig and longhorn ribeye steak.

The restaurant, including a three-bedroom flat for the new owner, is on the market at £475,000.