Inside Skipton's Newest Neighbourhood Bistro
We catch up with chef and former MasterChef runner up Tom Rennolds as he opens his new Skipton venue, 66 Sheep Street
Tom is no stranger to pressure, having competed in the tense 2012 finals of BBC’s MasterChef, and when we catch up with him he’s in the final stretch of a different kind of challenge entirely – setting up his own neighbourhood bistro, with a bakery and bar to boot. When we chat, it’s clear he’s more than up for the challenge.
Following his time on the show, Tom threw himself into the world of professional kitchens, ranging from from fine dining to corporate venues. Two years ago, he stepped away from the industry and chose to pursue something for himself. ‘We found the restaurant about 12 months ago now,’ he explains. Tom was inspired to create a space where he could cook what he loved most for his customers. ‘I very much cook now how I like to eat. I’ve done a lot of high-end fine dining, but I like casual food, I like comfort food and I like a relaxed atmosphere. That’s all I’m interested in cooking now,’ he says.
This included incorporating many elements of cooking that Tom has always loved, including baking. ‘I’ve always baked so it seemed like a natural progression to put a bakery into the venue to help inspire the daytime menu because we’re going to be open days and nights,’ he explains. ‘The daytime menu very much revolves around all the stuff that we’re going to be making in-house fresh every morning, from sausage rolls to croissants through to brioche and brunch items.’
That’s not all for 66 Sheep Street, which will also hold an evening service. ‘In the evening, if I was to describe it as anything I’d probably say it’s like an American-Italian bistro, with a lot of pasta and grill items. There’s nothing on the menu people won’t know or be familiar with. The idea is that we’ll be able to execute it to a good standard that everyone will be very happy with, myself included.’
Despite a relaxed approach, Tom takes his cooking seriously and stands by what he creates. ‘I think when you try and make something that somebody else does well that you’re not particularly passionate about or you don’t particularly like, there’s no way to judge it,’ he explains. ‘The only way to stay true to what I want to do is to know the buck stops with me. I’ve got to say whether something tastes good, looks good, and it’s on me.’
Independence and creativity are important to Tom, who looks for inspiration everywhere and hopes that 66 Sheep Street can show that there is still room for businesses beyond the chains. ‘I think you’re always going to be inspired by everything you see, even if it’s on the periphery of what you’re looking for, you’re taking in everything around you,’ says Tom. ‘I think finding that sweet spot of being good value and good quality is very difficult now. There’s a lot of middle ground that doesn’t quite hit the mark anymore and you’ve got to make the most of what you can do in the space.’
As a local, Tom has a great appreciation for Yorkshire produce and knows it will serve him well at 66 Sheep Street. His fishmonger, who sources fish from Whitby, is only two doors down, and his butcher is local too. ‘I don’t have to go far. The quality of the produce in Yorkshire is a testament to the suppliers,’ he says. ‘They’re supplying a lot of the London restaurants and we’ve got it on our doorstep. The quality, volume and the diversity of what they have to offer is second to none.’
For Tom, who hadn’t always been sure about taking this leap back into the industry, the hope is that 66 Sheep Street can prove itself as a thriving independent business. ‘I got back into this because I wanted to prove to myself that there is room for an independent to compete with the chains,’ he explains. ‘This is very much a passion project for me to hopefully prove that an independent can still survive and thrive.’
