Acclaimed chef Liz Cottam has opened an intimate new restaurant in a former dairy farm above Bolton Abbey.
Byre - set within an old stone barn - is about thoughtful, grounded cooking.
Open three days per week, Liz plans to keep numbers low, with seasonal ingredients taking centre stage.
Byre serves the same menu to all diners, with dishes arriving as they’re ready - some composed, and others straight from the fire, served simply at the table.
She says: ‘Byre is not a traditional restaurant. It’s a place where people will experience food in several ways: intimate, longer format dining experiences with food cooked close to the table, fire-led lunches and suppers, and immersive small group cooking lessons.
'Guests can chat to me and ask questions while I cook or just sit back and enjoy.
'It’s not a performance where everyone has to be quiet and watch – it’s an informal, relaxed experience more akin to a dinner party than a typical restaurant.’
Diners can expect an intensely local larder - fell water filtered through limestone, honey from on-site beehives, milk, cream and eggs from neighbouring farms, local game, and fish from regional producers.
The rural setting is very different from the bright lights of Leeds, but the move makes perfect sense to Liz.
‘So much of my food has been inspired by the dales and the moors,' she says.
'Being out here means I’m cooking in the place that gives me that inspiration, instead of trying to drag it into the city.’
At the heart of the experience is a suite of ESSE cookstoves.
She says: ‘The power limitations here led me to research wood-fired ovens, and I became really excited about the flavours they could achieve.
‘These stoves changed the way I cook. You’re paying attention all the time – to the heat, the sound, the smell. It’s like having a conversation with the food, not just setting a timer and walking away.
‘My style has always been instinct-led rather than rigidly recipe-driven. I care deeply about helping people understand how to cook, not simply what steps to follow. The best cooking comes from learning to notice — heat, texture, smell, sound, timing — and from building confidence through feel and repetition.'
Byre is located at Back O' Th Hill Farm, Storiths, Bolton Abbey.
Visit byre.kitchen
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