ceremony setup 149
Contents

Bruce and Rebecca Elsworth are behind Elsworth at the Mill in Skipton. Absolutely discovers why the two perfectly complement each other

Q When did you two first meet and what was your first experience of working together?

Rebecca: We knew each other from being local people, and we also knew each other from the industry as I used to work and manage places in the area, and Bruce worked at the Angel at Hetton. Hospitality is a small world. I was managing at the Devonshire Arms, Bruce was working at the Angel at Hetton. We didn’t work together properly until we opened our own restaurant. Someone quite prestigious within the industry had once said she would love it if we opened our own place, as it would be the kind of restaurant she would like to visit! So, eventually that’s what we did.

Q Bruce, you have worked in some fabulous restaurants. But when did you first catch the cooking bug?

Bruce: I worked in kitchens from the age of 14, familiarising with a fast-paced kitchen environment, and started off pot-washing. I then went for a job interview at a local hotel, where they told me to stand and decorate two large cakes, which I was very happy to do as I had done lots of baking with my mum previously. My second job was plucking and dressing around 30 pheasants in the back room, which in hindsight is a test on a young chef’s skills, and also to see if he has what it takes, but fortunately, the masses of the pheasants did not put me off! The rest is history.

Q Over time, would you say you have developed a particular cooking style?

Bruce: Not particularly, your style changes with food trends, customer’s requirements, customer’s palette, experience, learning what sells and profitability. Overall, modern British, but doesn’t follow a strict or set style. We always consider provenance and sustainability, as well as working with local suppliers as closely as possible. With the Mill now, we have the opportunity with our own events, we can revisit old styles, look at new styles and techniques, and have the opportunity to try new cuisines.

Q Rebecca, when did you first start working in hospitality and what do you love about it?

Rebecca: I was first working in hospitality when I was 11 or 12, in a pub/hotel, which sounds so young nowadays! I started off pot washing. I just loved the buzz of the hospitality industry, the people in hospitality, the varied roles, the fact every day is different, and you have to be a multi-tasker, which I like the organised chaos of. Meeting new people all the time, and listening to people’s stories and journeys, I find it really interesting. I can’t see myself working in any other industry.

ceremony setup 121

Q When did you open Elsworth Kitchen in Skipton?

Bruce: 27th July 2018. It was time ultimately as we had worked in some of the best restaurants in the area, bringing our skill set and experience, and drawing on all our good and bad experiences to create a restaurant we know we would like to come to. In our own community of Skipton, we did get asked by many customers from previous roles who became friends, and past employers also encouraged us to open our own place. So, we were and are very fortunate to have our lovely community on our side.

masterclass 23

Q How do you look back on the Elsworth Kitchen?

Bruce: With fond memories. Rebecca was very heavily pregnant with our daughter, Florence, and worked until five days after our due date! It was exciting and stressful at the same time. We also built up such a lovely, loyal customer base, who then became friends, who have now followed us through to the Mill.

Q Why was it time for something new?

Rebecca: Ultimately, our little girl turned five, and started school, which changed our family logistics. Off the back of working through covid, and still growing the business, like many people we decided we needed to change our lifestyle to keep Florence our daughter at the forefront. Here, we can be more creative, and it enables us to be able to do more diverse events, and now we have launched our own cookery classes with Bruce, we can react to the market better and also have more freedom for creativity. Meanwhile, we can have more family time, and a more work life balance.

Q Why did High Corn Mill catch your eye?

Rebecca: Initially, we were looking for a small unit for Bruce’s other business, Good Energy Chef, which is a nutritional food business, and at the time, just post-covid, due to being a Skipton BID Director, the Chair at the time told us to come and have a look at the Mill. As soon as I walked into High Corn Mill, I felt immediately that people would love the space, and saw the potential for various events and people in it. I also saw potential for the use of the kitchen for Good Energy Chef, and the opportunity for a co-working office within the Mill. Usually Bruce reins me in on my mad ideas, but this time, he was all for it!

Q How would you describe the food on offer?

Bruce: Varied, in the sense that we cater for our own events, from a Supper Club, supplier evenings, demonstrations, fine dining event, or a food & wine pairing evening; on the other hand, we cater for weddings, canapés, grazing tables, street food… There are never two days the same. Varied and complex in the sense we offer so many different things.

Q Tell us about the special food events you have hosted – and what’s to come in 2025?

Bruce: We have hosted a wide range of special food events, and one of our best-received events, and one of my favourite events, has been our Tour De Yorkshire Dinner Evening. For this evening, I put together a menu using 15 local, Yorkshire suppliers, and guests enjoyed celebrating and championing local produce. We invited two of the suppliers to come down and enjoy their produce on the menu, but also speak to guests and have the chance to promote their fabulous businesses.

elsworth at the mill

Q What other events will you host?

Rebecca: We have many exciting events upcoming in 2025, including a Plant Based Supper Club and Mexican Supper Club, which have been highly requested, music nights such as Opera, Food & Wine Pairing events and everything in between. Our events are very diverse, as the space is so versatile, but we can’t wait to ultimately welcome our customers and see how much they enjoy the different events we host for them.

Q What are your hopes for 2025?

Rebecca: We have been extending our social media a lot, using new channels like TikTok, and Bruce has started his ‘The Dales Chef’ podcast on Dales Radio. This has been very well received, so we are definitely looking to expand this further, and expand Bruce’s business, Good Energy Chef, which we are very excited about. We are also excited to host more of our very exciting events, and welcome our customers, new and old, to enjoy our space with fantastic food, atmosphere and company.

elsworthatthemill.co.uk

Share this Article

Author

Picture of Mark Kebble

Mark Kebble

Mark's career in journalism started in 2001 when he landed a role on a small lifestyle magazine in Angel, North London. Soon enough, the magazine was purchased by a larger organisation and Mark found himself promoted to editor at the tender age of 23. He later became group editor, working on magazines for Angel, Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Highgate. He was also involved in a launch in Hadley Wood and a major new group website, later becoming Group Hub Editor. In 2021, Mark joined Zest Media Group and oversaw the launch of many Absolutely titles across the UK. To date, Mark has launched in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Sussex, Essex, Yorkshire and Cheshire. When he does have some free time, Mark is also the Chairman of an amateur football club in Surrey and is also a fully qualified FA football coach.
Must Read

You May Also Like

Did you know you can now buy or subscribe to our printed issues?

EAT, DRINK, WIN!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to our monthly newsletter to find out what’s on your local area, exclusive competitions, the latest launches and much more!

Select the areas you want to hear about

eat drink win.png

Sign up to our monthly newsletter to find out what’s on your local area, exclusive competitions, the latest launches and much more!

Select the areas you want to hear about