'We're taking it up a notch - chef Tim Allen's excitement as Michelin-starred restaurant sō-lō nears reopening
One of Lancashire’s best restaurants will soon be reopening following a three-month refurbishment, and it’s going to be special.
Solo in Town Green Lane, Aughton, near Ormskirk, was opened in 2021, and achieved a Michelin star in it’s second year for “contemporary, seasonally pertinent dishes” with “considerable flavour from top-notch ingredients”.
Earlier this year, chef and owner Tim Allen decided to reinvest - in the former pub property and the menu - and it closed it’s doors for a major overhaul. It will reopen early next month, with a fresh feeling, but still carrying the comfortable ‘Solo vibe’ it’s garnered great acclaim for.
“It was time to reinvest and take it up a notch, particularly the guest area”, said father-of-three Tim.”
There will be a chefs table, bespoke lighting, and Tim will also redefine the food offering, providing more flexibility through shorter and expanded menu options that showcase incredible flavours, exceptional produce, and seasonality.
Asked about the chefs table and guests at close quarters, Tim said: “I quite like it, I do genuinely like talking to people.” He added: “When we opened, we were still under the restrictions of Covid, and it was risky. But like any risk, it was calculated. Now we’ve got to a point where we want to improve the guest areas, but keep the Solo vibe. It’s always been a very comforting place, a home-from-home vibe, and it’s a hard balance with Michelin star food.
“Now we’re crisper and smarter, but people have told me it feels even more homely than before. So it’s still recognisable, it’s still chilled and relaxing and people do want to come here because it’s comfortable. That’s important, because some people do feel intimidated walking into restaurants serving high-end food.”
He added: “It’s about moving forward and growth. Over the next three to five years we want to take what is a good product and grow, and be consistent. It’s a very personal thing because this isn’t a job, it’s a way of life. Days off don’t really happen. It’s four years old, this business, and we’ve not been backed by anyone, we’ve done it off our own backs.”
Solo is Huddersfield-born Tim’s first lone venture, having also achieved top accodalades and a Michelin star at the Flitch of Bacon in Essex, a Michelin star and 3 AA Rosettes at The Wild Rabbit in Kingham, and a Michelin star and 4 AA Rosettes at Launceston Place in London.
Although he said he playfully banters with customers about being from ‘the wrong side of the Pennines’, he said he doesn’t really go in for Lancashire/Yorkshire rivalry, and was just drawn to the building when he saw it. He said: “I think it was going to be an Indian restaurant. We’d been looking at something in Cartmel, but when we saw this place and with it being in one of the busiest parts of the village, there was something about it. We had a feeling it might work.”
He said he didn’t realise how close the premises were to 3-Michelin starred Moor Hall until he got here, but sees their presence as an advantage, rather than competition.
He said: “Moor Hall is rightfully world class, what Mark (Birchall) and his team are doing there is inspirational. It’s a bonus having them so close, and anyone who says it’s not is kidding themselves. They have put the area very firmly on the map and they draw people in.
“We’ve had people dine with us who have come from Melbourne, and they are enjoying what we do as well as Moor Hall. Even though we have a Michelin star, we’re not competing with them, we’re doing our own thing. It gives an important flexibility and choice for people coming to the area for world-class cuisine.”
Tim said that Mark helped make some early connections with local producers, adding: “I love the area, we’ve made some great connections with local producers. We’re lucky to have such great provinence and passion about. We’re spoilt, really.”
Now Tim is growing some of his own produce in beds in the car park area of Solo, and uses brassicas, cauliflowers and beetroot from Banks, as well as ingredients from Royal Oak Organics half a mile away. He said: “We want to work in a sustainable and seasonal way. We take the best of what we can off our doorstep, because it’s special, and then go further afield.”
Menu alterations will be phased in at the start of January as Tim says “there’s a hell of a lot for us to do”, and the busy Christmas time is calling.
Make a reservation for the reopening here: https://www.restaurantsolo.co.uk/