A much-loved restaurant which served up Mexican food with a Californian twist has been forced to close.

Husband and wife team Steven Georgiou and Christina Ketchum Georgiou made the difficult decision to shut The Saddlers in Faversham after costs rose "exponentially".

They launched California Cravings as a hobby, serving up grub at farmers markets and food festivals before they teamed up with craft brewery Boutilliers to launch the restaurant in 2021.

The duo turned the formerly-vacant Market Place premises into a ‘beer cafe’ offering Mexican food with a Californian twist, and kept the original name of the former steakhouse.

But following a difficult couple of months and the closure of the Boutilliers brewery last month, they have decided to close the restaurant

Christina Ketchum Georgiou told KentOnline she has noticed people feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis.

"We ended December at a loss but we needed it to end well so we could get through January and February," the 37-year-old said.

"The situation wasn’t going to change any time soon so we didn’t want to get in a situation where we have staff working but we struggle to pay them, which was very possible in January.

"The cost of everything we use has gone up exponentially and our rent was always high.

"With an old building, that costs money all the time. We always liked this building as it’s so cool and we wanted to take care of it.

"We planned to do restorative work when we first started, which we did, and we’ve been working on the building since we moved in.

"It sat empty and neglected for a few years, so there was a lot to do and more than we expected, including the electric, plumbing and woodwork."

She says the couple, who are both originally from the golden state, started California Cravings about four years ago as a hobby.

After the lockdown started, they began making ready meals in their kitchen and delivering them, before doing pop-up kitchens at places such as Macknade in Faversham and Coachworks in Ashford.

Christina added: "When the end of Covid was in sight, we started talking to Boutilliers and started thinking about finding a place where we could do the food and they could do the beer and drinks.

"My husband was always obsessed with this building and he chased it several times but he was always told there was an offer on it.

"So he spoke to the owner and told them about the concept.

"People did love it and we had non-stop five-star reviews and people would email me directly to say they really enjoyed the food or they had such a lovely time - and you can’t hear anything better than that.

"I am really sad because I want people to keep having this food but we can’t make it work in this climate.

"Since we announced it, there has been lots of comments that people are heartbroken.

"We were only open for a year and a half, so to have so many people speak so highly of it is really heartwarming."

Christina says she is not sure what her plans are for California Cravings or any future businesses yet.

She added: "I do wish I could keep offering my food somehow, but I don’t know how yet."

However, the couple plan to have a "last hurrah" this weekend so they can say goodbye to their loyal customers and sell their remaining stock.

"We still have some drinks and some food stock so we’ve started to say to people we’re going to be open this weekend on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night - if there’s anything left," Christina said.

"It’s only going to be my husband and myself serving so we’re going to go street food style."

Boutilliers brewery in Faversham closed its doors in December after eight years years supplying craft beers, ales and ciders to Kent pubs.

The cherished small-town brewery had earned a reputation for its unique brews such as the imperial raspberry brown stout and a pale ale named "Pomona Island - I am warning you with peace and love".

Co-manager Rich Bennett confirmed Boutilliers’ associated Ashford bar, Low Key Taproom, run by Drew Harris, would remain open but gave no indication about how the brewery itself had gone bust.

Meanwhile, The Yard in Faversham has also been forced to close, leaving its owner "heartbroken" and sparking hundreds of messages of disappointment and support.

Businesswoman Elenor Lambert had even taken a second job in a bid to keep the popular artisan café off Preston Street afloat.

It specialised in healthy, local home-cooked produce and drink, offering burgers, hot sandwiches and snacks.