A couple has said that while it has been “magical”, it hasn’t come without its challenges
Gayan Warnakulasuriya and Shanika Fernando have made Wirral their home(Image: Gayan Warnakulasuriya)
A couple have been living their dream after they established a restaurant in the Wirral. Gayan Warnakulasuriya and Shanika Fernando, who live in Moreton, launched The Hut in Hoylake over a year ago.
Since then, they have prided themselves on introducing Sri Lankan cuisine to the area. The pair relocated to the peninsula with their three children, Chloe, 7, Kane, 5 and Kain, 3, in 2021 and had their hearts set on opening their own eatery.
Previously living in London, Shanika’s Sri Lankan culinary skills gained significant popularity. Initially, she prepared meals from home for catering contracts before serving up dishes for the wealthy residents of Bishops Avenue in Finchley.
After discovering Wirral through friends, Gayan and Shanika immediately took to the area and decided to relocate. Striving to achieve their culinary aspirations, they launched The Hut on Market Street, a newcomer that quickly captured the hearts of locals, consistently booked out at weekends and basking in glowing reviews.
Gayan Warnakulasuriya and Shanika Fernando are behind The Hut restaurant in Hoylake(Image: The Hut)
Dad Gayan, 40, told the ECHO: “It’s a dream come true, but being honest, it is a very difficult time. Everything has gone up in price; it’s more expensive, and no one has money to spare. But we are hopeful we will get through it.
“It’s my first restaurant on my own, so it’s been hard. It’s definitely not the same as working for someone else. Everything is in your hands, and there’s a lot of pressure.
“We aren’t on the high street, so we need to shout to let people know we are here. The Sri Lankan community isn’t big here in the Wirral alone, but there are some Sri Lankans in Liverpool.
Shanika Fernando uses her family’s recipes to bring the menu alive(Image: Shanika Fernando)
“Ever since moving to Wirral from London, we’ve been so happy. The people here are very friendly, and when people come into our restaurant, for us it is like them coming into our home, so we put all our love into every dish and treat our customers like family.”
Cuisine at The Hut is crafted with the freshest ingredients, while spices, essential to the vibrancy of their dishes, are transported from Sri Lanka courtesy of Shanika’s father.
Whereas cherished family recipes created by her late mother bring an authentic touch to dishes like the beach combo – casava enclosed within a banana leaf, coupled with coconut, and a rich mutton curry.
The Hut opened in Hoylake in August(Image: The Hut)
Shanika, 37, said: “It has been particularly special for me as I feel like my mother is still at work – to see people enjoying the recipes she taught me is so lovely and to have Sri Lankan spices sent from my father in our dishes is also magical. It feels great to provide the people of Wirral with the best flavours from our country.”
Gayan moved to the UK to study IT at Birkbeck, University of London. He said, despite migrating to the country nearly 15 years ago, remembering his roots is still as important to him now as it was then.
He said: “It’s great to offer something different to the people of Wirral and show them the delights from our country. We’re big on spices, many of which have healing properties, and all our dishes pack lots of flavour. So far the feedback has been amazing and we want to introduce as many people as possible to Sri Lankan food.”