Owning her own restaurant has been a long-held dream for Petra Edwards. And now she has realised that ambition, opening The Olive Tree on Sadler Street in Wells a little over three weeks ago.

"It has been going well and we have had some great feedback on our food," said Petra. "So, so far, so good!"

"My background is in hospitality, but then when I had my son I took a break from the industry, but office work bored me – I missed interacting with customers – and I was always wanting to go back to the industry. I saw that Goodfellows was up for sale, so I thought I would take a chance, and I am very happy to be back doing a job that I love."

The Olive Tree is in the premises formerly occupied by Goodfellows. A fixture on the Wells food scene for 18 years, and with a glowing reputation, it's big shoes to fill for Petra - but she's not phased by the challenge and is confident that The Olive Tree will soon gain a great reputation in its own right.

"I've done a lot to the place with new décor. I wanted to put my stamp on it and make it mine," said Petra. "We're not Goodfellows – we're doing our own food, and we're not trying to do the same thing so we're not going to compare ourselves."

Running the kitchen is chef Jason Porter, who hails for Wells originally, and comes with an enviable culinary career working with the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver. Jason's specialities are Modern British and French cuisine, and he and Petra have worked together to devise a menu based largely around Mediterranean flavours, with more than just a nod to French cuisine with dishes such as coq au vin and tarte tatin. All the suppliers are local, and all the food is freshly prepared.

Petra and Jason are hoping to grow the kitchen team, and are in talks with Strode College about the possibility of taking on an apprentice.

"I think that Wells was missing something like The Olive Tree," said Petra. "I think we will stand out among the other restaurants in the city. We want to help attract people to Wells – the more people who come here the better it is for all the businesses in the city."