A new restaurant which promises to offer a 'premier' and 'elegant' dining experience in a Saddleworth village is opening its doors this week.

Salt, which describes itself as a "culinary gem" in the heart of the picturesque village of Uppemill on High Street, is a premier fish restaurant which specialises in seafood dishes "crafted from the freshest catches".

The swanky restaurant has large dining booths and a refreshing interior throughout, including nautical-themed decor such as octopus lights and divers' helmets.

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It was due to open late last year but Chantelle and Matt John, who also run the popular Wagon Inn on the same road, said "many, many setbacks" stalled its grand opening.

The Oldham Times: The team have also successfully running the Wagon Inn for more than a decadeThe team have also successfully running the Wagon Inn for more than a decade (Image: Salt)

However, Salt opened its doors for a soft launch over the weekend (16 and 17 February) and announced it will be formally open to the public as of Thursday, February 22, this week.

Owner, Chantelle, said: "We have been part of the Uppermill community for 11 years since taking over the Waggon Inn in 2013, we have relished every moment and have loved seeing the village go from strength to strength.

"The village is full of amazing diverse eateries but we felt there was a gap in the market for a fish restaurant, and the space we had perfectly lent itself to a great restaurant space with a takeaway attached."

The venue vows to offer an "exquisite" dining experience of fresh fish, prepared to "perfection" by its talented chefs though customers can also opt for a takeaway.

The Oldham Times: Some of its fish dishes include oysters and mussels Some of its fish dishes include oysters and mussels (Image: Salt)

A sneak peek of its sample menu shows it has everything from oysters in a citrus and shallot dressing and mussels, to lobster, beer-battered fish, smoked haddock, monkfish, seabass, salmon gravadlax, tortellini of scallop and fillet of beef.

Chantelle continued: "Our restaurant will be offering a wide range of dishes from traditional fish and chips to lobster Thermidor, mussels, even offering a ‘salt’ menu on each table.

"The takeaway will be offering a traditional fish and chip shop menu with some weekly specials once we are up and running.

"We also have plans to turn our downstairs area into a private dining room which will seat up to 24 people and hope to complete this in March.

"We are using local suppliers and we have assembled a fantastic team, some of which have been with us a number of years.

The Oldham Times: Salt promises to bring an extensive menu of fish dishesSalt promises to bring an extensive menu of fish dishes (Image: Salt)

"People will see a familiar face as our operations manager Stephen will be managing both venues and has been a fantastic support to us over the last few months.

"Our soft launch was a great success and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces of customers who have supported us at the Waggon for over a decade, we are delighted to be opening a second venue in such a wonderful community."

Prices for main dishes range from £14 to £32 while desserts cost £8 to £9 and starters under £14.

In a post on social media, the Salt team added: "We would like to thank everyone for you patience and support, it has been a long time coming and we promise it will be worth the wait.

"We look forward to welcoming you to Salt." 

Got a restaurant you’d like us to review, a business shout-out or another story idea? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge