AN ambitious chef is hoping to bring 'haute cuisine' to Darwen. Mark Lord, 32, is the new chef at The Circus pub and has high hopes for his new post.

Mark, who is originally from Burnley, has moved up to Darwen from Penzance to take up his new position.

He said: "Darwen is not renowned for its food but I would like to change that. It's a big challenge for me and I'm hoping to bring something new to Darwen."

The Circus will be serving food from noon to 7pm, Wednesday to Sunday.