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Social Dining Network is a brand new business based at Tremough Innovation Centre (TIC) which aims to help people make new friends – or even find their soulmate - whilst enjoying the best regional produce on offer at some of the county’s leading restaurants.

Uniquely themed events will offer the network’s members the chance to sample first-class Cornish food in fantastic surroundings at exclusive events including foraging evenings, barbecues and seafood feasts.

Andy McConnachie, co-founder and creative director of Social Dining Network, said: “There’s nothing like a shared love of food to get people talking to each other, and we are confident the network will work as a good alternative to dating agencies, as well as a way of making new friends or a networking opportunity.”

Andy moved to Cornwall two years ago and met Richard Lacey, now his business partner and the technical director of Social Dining Network. Andy added: “We were conscious that it can be hard to meet people and there seemed to be a gap in the market. We wanted to make a difference to the community with the added opportunity of making new friends, without the stigma of dating websites.

“It’s taken a year to get everything in place but now we are ready to launch and excited to welcome new members, with a lot of really unusual events coming up offering people the chance to sample uniquely prepared menus at the same time as meeting other people.”

The business was officially launched after moving into Tremough Innovation Centre (TIC) in Penryn, one of the three award-winning Cornwall Innovation centres operated by Plymouth University on behalf of Cornwall Council which are designed to help growing companies expand at a faster rate.

Social Dining Network is being supported by the Cornwall Innovation team including TIC manager Richard Snell. Richard joined the company’s co-directors Andy McConnachie and his partner Richard Lacey to celebrate the official launch of the network over lunch at the Merchants Manor Hotel in Falmouth, one of the exclusive venues where network events will be hosted in upcoming months. (PICTURED).

Other events lined up for network members include:

> Cornish seafood nights taking place at venues in Falmouth from July 29th

> A gourmet barbecue and cocktail evening at the Bedruthan Hotel in Newquay this summer

> A foraging event at St Buryan in Penzance, where guests will source their food outdoors before being taught how to cook it by chefs from Fat Hen

> A wilderness feast with the Wildfire Banquet Boys, three passionate local chefs who will cook wild and foraged produce for guests at a dinner held near Padstow

The Social Dining Network is offering free membership for three months for the first 500 people to sign up. Fees will then be between £7.50 and £12.50 a month. Members will be invited to buy tickets for the events that interest them – as well as joining online forums to chat to others who are going along.

Andy McConnachie added: “The idea is to bring people together over tasty, good quality food in comfortable surroundings, but we don’t just want to be a booking agent, we’re more involved than that.

“We are hand-picking the venues and working alongside restaurant managers and chefs to organise truly bespoke events with food you wouldn’t be able to order from a menu, so we can offer people who are passionate about food some more unusual opportunities to enjoy it.

“The www.socialdiningnetwork.com website will also act as an ice breaker for people before they attend an event, as members can set up profiles, chat to each other and upload photos.

“The beauty of our business model is that it’s open to anyone, from singles to business networking, and professionals to entrepreneurs. It’s a great way to meet people, and at the fraction of the cost of paid-for dating clubs or dining clubs.”

The business is currently focused on Cornwall but Andy and Richard will be expanding nationwide next year.

Richard Snell, manager of Tremough Innovation Centre (TIC), said: “We are delighted to support Andy and Richard as they launch Social Dining Network, and expect the business to really take off. It’s a fantastic idea, and the company will have access to our expert business advisors through Cornwall Innovation and the enterprise team at Plymouth University to help them as they get started as a new business.”

Andy McConnachie added: “I was working from home for about a year before moving into TIC to share an office with my business partner Richard Lacey, who also runs his own company – Spring Media Design – from the centre.

“It’s a fantastic place to be based, especially as we’re just getting started. I have previously run several businesses involving aquarium design, retail outlets, landscaping and importing fish, so I have business experience but a lot of this project involves social media which is very new to me, so it’s great to be working from the Innovation Centre where there is so much help available as we get started.”

Tremough Innovation Centre (TIC) opened in 2012 and is one of three Cornwall Innovation Centres operated by Plymouth University on behalf of Cornwall Council and with the support of GAIN, the Growth, Acceleration and Investment Network.

Last year, the award-winning business acceleration facility helped businesses based at TIC to enjoy record annual growth of 20 per cent – double the national average.

Cornwall Innovation is supported by the Cornwall Development Company (CDC) with £29million of investment provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

For more information about the Social Dining Network and to sign up as a member, visit www.socialdiningnetwork.com