Tell us about your space - what will we find if we come and see you at Shires Yard?
The restaurant is a lot larger than our other two sites, if you’ve been to either of those. It’s allowed us to create a few different dining spaces, so there’s plenty of options for different occasions or groups. The bar area is nice and buzzy with a view of the open kitchen. The downstairs area feels intimate, then upstairs is a lighter, larger room with booth seating and amazing views of the surrounding Bath area. Plus our terrace - which, crucially, is heated!
What have customers been loving so far?
We’ve had our first few customers coming through, and local businesses who have been so welcoming and kind to us. Our classics such as the cheese puffs have started to make their mark, and the new cocktail list is going down a treat - I’m excited to see people just popping in for cocktails and a few snacks, then hopefully coming back for more. Don’t miss out on the dessert menu, too - doughnut taste testing has been a great way to welcome the new team members!
What will we usually hear on repeat on your playlist in the restaurant?
We trust the team with it - between them they’ve created a really great, relaxed playlist that matches the gentle restaurant buzz and grows and evolves as we go along. I actually couldn’t tell you the names of half the songs, you’ll have to Shazam on your next visit!
What are you most excited about for the season ahead?
We’re excited to work with some new (to us) local growers, like Middle Ground who have a 16-acre regenerative farm on the edge of Bath. Much of the fun is seeing what produce is coming through the doors and making the most of it. It’s always inspiring when the seasons change and the menu follows suit - as we enter into the colder months now, nature brings us more earthiness like root veg and brassicas, and we’ll lean into that with comforting flavours and warming spices.
Why did you choose to open in the city of Bath, any personal connection to it?
We have been looking for another site for a good while, and Bath was always at the top of the list. With Shires Yard having a new lease of life, and celebrating other independents we know and love, it seemed like the perfect fit - and timing - for us.
When you’re not at the yard, where is your favourite place to go in Bath?
We love our neighbours Coret who have been supplying us with delicious coffee throughout the build. At lunchtime, we’ll pick up baps from Green Street Butchers, and of course Landrace Bakery has been a favourite of ours for a good while.
Something surprising about you / your business…
It may come as a surprise to some who’ve assumed otherwise, but we’re not a vegetarian restaurant! We love to celebrate vegetables and let them lead the menu, but there are always meat and fish dishes as well. It’s really about reframing how we eat - you might wish to have meat as a standalone dish, which you absolutely can, but you might also want to try lots of other dishes and share a delicious whole fish or cut of meat between you, or with the table. So we offer lots of different ways to balance out proteins and plenty of seasonal produce.
