It was great to catch up with renowned Chef Tim Allen this afternoon as he prepares to open his Sō-lō venture later this month. His passion was obvious and it was joyful to listen about his plans to bring a unique informal dining serving experience, serving modern British dishes with influences from around the world to a quaint corner of West Lancashire.
Covered in dust and paint from all the DIY, many a local have hilariously mistaken Tim for one of the tradesmen as he’s been pouring his blood sweat and tears into the new venture. Having started out as a kitchen porter at the Three Owls at Kirkburton in Yorkshire in 1993, Tim’s no stranger to working hard to getting to where he wants to be. This time that’s Town Green Lane in the village of Aughton, just 5 minutes on the train from Ormskirk, and 25 minutes from central Liverpool.
“I didn’t find the property my co-investor and his Wife Karen Miles found it. We were late to the party, there were 3 other offers on the table already! Luckily, we sent the agent my CV and background and they accepted the offer”
Tim developed his passion for food and progressed onto Commis and Chef de Partie at two of Leeds most prominent restaurants, at the time, Michelin starred Pool Court at 42 and Rascasse.
After making the move south in 1996 a further move to John Burton Race’s L’Ortolan, near Reading proved pivotal in Allen’s development when John Burton Race personally offered Tim the role of Senior Sous Chef at the Landmark Hotel which opened in 2000.
After previously working with Martin Burge, they set about opening the iconic Whatley Manor near Malmesbury together in 2003. Tim spent several successful years as Head Chef under Martin’s mentorship, which gave Tim the confidence and ability to further develop and grow his career leading to him being appointed as Chef Patron of Launceston Place in South Kensington, where he was awarded his first Michelin Star in 2012. This was the first ever Star for the venue.
For family reasons, Allen found himself back in the Cotswolds in 2015, undertaking a 2-year residence at Carole Bamford’s Wild Rabbit which, under his guidance,
achieved the coveted Michelin Pub of the Year Award and the venue’s only ever Michelin Star. It was also included in the Top 50 Gastropubs in the UK in the same year.
He then became a partner in Tim Allen’s Flitch of Bacon in Essex, achieving Essex’s only Michelin star in 25 years.
But his dream was always to return to his native North (we can certainly understand that!) and when the opportunity came up for the property in Aughton, Tim knew that it was now or never. He only saw the property on pictures and loved the sandstone building.
“We’d looked at numerous opportunities around the country, but this one really encapsulated everything I was looking for. I love a challenge and I love the right competition; I’ve done it in everyone else’s restaurants in every place I’ve been into, but it’s never actually been mine or owned by me properly. So, this is me stood on my own two feet. It’s really exciting.”
Now with the opening of his first truly solo venture, Sōlō is born. Tim’s vision is for his guests to enjoy a casual dining experience that is accessible to everyone, serving delicious well executed food in informal surroundings with a well thought out drinks offer. From the sound of the cocktails Tim animatedly described to us, it’s perfect that Sō-lō is accessible by train, as they don’t sound like something any cocktail aficionado would want to miss!
Tim believes that he’s created something truly unique that will appeal to customers from all around the region and beyond, and we for one don’t doubt it. We can’t wait to experience it all ourselves later this November.