The owner of one of the country's only rotisserie chicken shops has opened a new branch despite the challenges caused by lockdown.

Neil and Nadine Maynard, owners of Peckish, took the brave step of launching their new takeaway shop in Northwood Road in Ramsgate on November 4 - the day before month-long restrictions were brought in.

And now, in the face of even tougher rules, the couple are continuing to push on with their business, in spite of the difficulties they admit they are facing.

Mr Maynard, who opened his first Peckish shop in Deal three years ago, said: "We were supposed to open in March last year. We'd had 2,000 flyers made up.

"Then everything started to go wrong and we had to put the whole thing on ice.

"No-one knew what was going on at first, but we soon realised we could still open."

Mr Maynard admits it hasn't been easy expanding his business during a pandemic.

"Opening just before the second lockdown caused problems in itself," he said.

"There has been hardly any passing trade, the pub nearby is shut so we don't benefit from that custom - it's been a challenge.

"We rely on word of mouth, too, but people aren't seeing each other so not talking as much so this isn't happening."

Peckish offers customers roast chickens from a rotisserie, something more commonly seen on the continent.

"I think we're the only dedicated rotisserie shop like this in the country; although some supermarkets offer cooked chicken, they can’t offer the range of products and sides," said Mr Maynard.

"I worked up in London for 12 years and the commute from Kent was taking its toll and I was looking for a way out.

"We'd been on holiday and I'd seen rotisserie chicken and thought there was nothing like that over here, and so it came from there."

Mr Maynard says while his own background is not in food, he has a talented team of experienced chefs who have worked across the board, from cruise ships to fine dining.

He adds that the food they serve is not pretentious, but wholesome and healthy.

Dishes include roast chicken with all the trimmings, Peri-Peri and jerk chicken, loaded wraps, fajitas or just a whole or half roasted chicken.

"We have Grade A British chickens, fresh vegetables - we take as little stuff out of a packet as we can," he said.

"We have a few naughty bits, too, but it's mainly wholesome food.

"We're not a dine-in restaurant so we're not charging as though we are - we offer high quality food at reasonable prices."

He added: "We also use eco-friendly packaging and avoid using single-use plastic."

Mr Maynard says he has four chefs - two at each shop - and that they are opening five days a week, Wednesday to Saturday 4.30-8.30pm, and Sunday, 12.30-6.30pm, until they can return to seven-day trading.

He says they are also about to go live on Just Eat and have their own app.

To see the full menu visit www.peckish-deal.co.uk/

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet