A fresh focus on fine food is top of the menu for the new owner of one of Falmouth's most popular hotels.

Keith Richardson has just taken over the Falmouth Hotel with his wife Ann, after paying £5.79 million.

Mr Richardson, who also owns another five hotels, told the Packet in an exclusive interview that one of the first things he plans to target is the quality of the food.

He said: "We have a new head chef, a new sous chef and we're looking for a pastry chef. The Richardson Group has got good food in all the hotels. We take a pride in our food."

Mr Richardson currently holds eight AA rosettes between his four hotels and he aims to have achieved at least one rosette for the Falmouth Hotel in the next 12 months.

He also plans to work towards a Michelin star over the next three years.

"I feel by giving people good food you can sell your rooms," he added.

To achieve this one of the main things will be reducing the current 71-item menu to a more manageable 25 items, concentrating on quality and freshness rather than quantity.

Also in the pipeline is a desire to have two restaurants - one for basic dining and one for fine dining, catering for smaller amounts of people, so they offer two kinds of food.

"I think what is very important in Cornwall is that quality sells. Quality equals success," he said.

Next on the agenda is the conversion of some of the conference rooms into additional guest bedrooms, focussing on leisure rather than business clientele.

Mr Richardson said: "It's bringing customers down from up-country. Our bread and butter is our leisure market." He hopes to encourage dual holidays, where people divide their week up staying a few nights at each of his hotels. Whilst he is fairly satisfied with the leisure facilities already on offer, he is contemplating restoring the outside swimming pool - currently being used as an ornamental pond - back to its former glory. However, in the short term he is working on providing first class service to customers and improving the overall quality.

General manager Greg Henry said: "We're obviously delighted to have this wonderful hotel and for the Richardson Group to take it on board. It's an exciting time for us in the hotel."

The 70-bedroom listed building is now the third in a line of hotels managed by Mr Richardson's company Richardson Hotels Limited, which already runs the Grand Hotel in Torquay and the Metropole Hotel in Padstow. The couple also privately own three further hotels - the Fowey Hotel in Fowey, the Idle Rocks Hotel in St Mawes and the Beech Hill Hotel on Lake Windermere.

The Falmouth Hotel was built in 1865 and until this year was owned by the same company, with Graham Field as managing director.