{"id":87043,"date":"2025-08-23T08:47:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T08:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/87043\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T08:47:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T08:47:15","slug":"the-little-uk-village-thats-become-the-best-in-england-for-posh-food-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/87043\/","title":{"rendered":"The little UK village that’s become the best in England for posh food | UK | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Northern<\/p>\n

Tim Allen was awarded a Michelin star in 2023 (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n

An otherwise ordinary little village in west Lancashire<\/a> has been dubbed the culinary capital of Britain, with hungry foodies flying in from as far away as Australia to see what all the fuss is about.\u00a0Aughton, near Ormskirk, has five Michelin stars<\/a> between three restaurants located within half a mile of each other.<\/p>\n

The village, which has a population of about 8,000 people, has overtaken the Japanese<\/a> city of Kyoto for having the most Michelin stars per resident. Kyoto has 100 Michelin-starred restaurants but a population of 1.46 million residents.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith left dismayed as date ruined by ‘talk’ <\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE: ‘Food capital’ UK town with idyllic walks and cosy pubs ideal for autumnal trips <\/a><\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/p>\n

Tim Allen opened s\u014d-l\u014d in 2021 (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n

“We recently had a guy come to eat here all the way from Melbourne. That’s incredible right,” s\u014d-l\u014d Chef Tim Allen tells the Express<\/a>. “These people travel so far because they love it. They\u2019re so passionate about food and restaurants.”<\/p>\n

S\u014d-l\u014d, which sells modern British food, opened in 2021 and gained a Michelin star just two years later. Allen says the success is down to the high-quality local produce and loyal foodie community.<\/p>\n

“We’re so lucky to be located here. In Lancashire, everything that comes out of the ground is great,” the 53-year-old chef explains. “The fruit and vegetables grown here are so good. It’s the sort of quality that you don’t get at the supermarket.”<\/p>\n

All of the fruit, vegetables and herbs used at s\u014d-l\u014d are grown by local providers while they buy their fish from a company based in nearby Fleetwood. The seasonal products help to dictate the menu, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n

Allen says: “We have great relationships with our providers as they’re as passionate about what they do as we are about using it. The quality produce really shines through in our food. If it\u2019s local and it\u2019s great then we\u2019re going to use it.”<\/p>\n

He adds: “The menu is often written by the seasonal products that are available. They don\u2019t write themselves. The calendar picks what goes on.”<\/p>\n

\"S\u014d-l\u014d<\/p>\n

S\u014d-l\u014d sells a range of modern British cuisine (Image: S\u014d-l\u014d )<\/p>\n

\"S\u014d-l\u014d<\/p>\n

The restaurant is set to introdice a 10-course tasting menu (Image: S\u014d-l\u014d )<\/p>\n

S\u014d-l\u014d currently offers a six-course tasting menu, with a 10-course option set to be introduced soon. They also have a Sunday menu which consists of a traditional roast dinner and tasting menu dishes.<\/p>\n

Allen found the s\u014d-l\u014d site, located on Town Green Lane, on Rightmove before moving to Aughton from Essex. However, it wasn’t love at first sight.<\/p>\n

“My wife said ‘oh what about this place’ and I said ‘not a chance!’,” he reveals. “It had been shut for months and was heavily water-damaged. It was a mess and we only had a limited budget.”<\/p>\n

It was at this point Allen turned to Mark Birchall for some advice on trading in Aughton. Birchall is chef patron at Moor Hall, located just half a mile from s\u014d-l\u014d and recently awarded a third Michelin star.<\/p>\n

“I asked Mark about the premises and I remember his exact words,” Allen says. “He said ‘it’s small and you could find yourself restricted. But it’ll do the business which is what it’s all about’.”<\/p>\n

Moor Hall opened in 2014 and its sister restaurant next door, The Barn, also has a Michelin star. According to Allen, the presence of Moor Hall has helped s\u014d-l\u014d thrive since opening.<\/p>\n

“Moor Hall is a one off restaurant, it\u2019s one of a kind,” he explains. “These places don\u2019t come around very often and we don\u2019t try and keep up with them.<\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/p>\n

Tim Allen believes the presence of Moor Hall helps his restaurant (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n

“We’re so different to each other which is what makes it work so well. Mark is Mark and he does what he does. He does it so well, it\u2019s exceptional.”<\/p>\n

Allen adds: “Since Mark was awarded his third star, our guests have changed. We have different people coming now as people travel from further away.”<\/p>\n

The presence of s\u014d-l\u014d and Moor Hall have helped put Aughton on the map. According to Allen, their success has increased the overall ambition of the village.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The great restaurants bring more people into the area which makes the businesses busier. It helps them a lot,” he says. “If you go down the road here, you\u2019ll see so many little businesses doing well. Aughton is thriving, with lovely people.<\/p>\n

“New places are opening up all the time. They help to create a good community feel and house prices are also going up around here because of it.”<\/p>\n

But there’s more to this part of Lancashire than Michelin-starred food. At the nearby Ormskirk Market, held every Thursday and Saturday, traders have been supplying local people with fresh produce for centuries.<\/p>\n

King Edward I granted it a Royal Charter in 1286, making it one of the UK’s oldest markets. It is located on the pedestrianised streets around the landmark Clock Tower in Ormskirk, and consists of between 80 and 100 stalls.<\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/p>\n

Ian Hill says Ormskirk Market is a ‘staple’ of the town (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n

The market has become one of the most cherished in the UK. Albeit not as far as Melbourne, Ormskirk Market attracts visitors from across the UK every week.<\/p>\n

Ian Hill, the manager of Ormskirk Market, says: “The market has changed over the years but the footfall reflects how popular it still is among the local Ormskirk people. The people really value the market and it\u2019s a staple of the town.<\/p>\n

“We get coach trips in every week. We have a group from Stoke today and had one from Edinburgh last week. People come from all over to visit the market.<\/p>\n

“I think they really appreciate the friendly atmosphere and the amount of quality produce that’s sold here. As we’ve got prime growing land in Lancashire, the fruit and vegetables are great. If you look at the soil here, it looks different to other places in the country.”<\/p>\n

Some of the traders at the market supply s\u014d-l\u014d and Moor Hall with produce throughout the year. Their success as popular restaurants have also helped to attract some A-list names to Ormskirk Market.<\/p>\n

“We do get the odd celebrity come here as we’ve got s\u014d-l\u014d and Moor Hall on our doorstep,” Hill explains. “These restaurants have put the area on the map which helps the market.”<\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/p>\n

Ryan Parry has been operating at the market for four years (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n

Ryan Parry runs the Wake N’ Bake stall at Ormskirk Market, providing a range of fresh bakery products. The stall has become popular among locals since opening around four years ago.<\/p>\n

“Everything is made freshly every day which people love,” the 30-year-old explains. “If there\u2019s anything left over we give it away to homeless people or passers-by.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ve been away for a couple of weeks on holiday and I\u2019ve had people messaging me asking when I\u2019m going to come back – it\u2019s great.\u00a0We may look like a normal bakery, but everything is made with fresh ingredients.<\/p>\n

“The ingredients take our food to another level and, when people know that, they keep coming back. They know they won\u2019t get items like this anywhere else.”<\/p>\n

Mr Parry puts his success and the success of other independent traders down to the passion of the local people. He explains: “They support us businesses and keep us going. They also spread the word really quickly.<\/p>\n

“They\u2019ll tell people to come and visit us which helps. I just think the people really appreciate good food. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever leave the market.”<\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/p>\n

The Cheese Man is one of the most iconic faces at the market (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n

One of the most iconic faces of Ormskirk Market is Danny Williams, known locally as ‘The Cheese Man’. He has been selling a range of local Lancashire cheeses at the market for 10 years.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m infamous around here,” he jokes. “It\u2019s so much fun and I love having interactions with the people every day. I\u2019m a bit of an agony uncle!”<\/p>\n

Mr Williams, 80, prides his stall on offering high-quality and local products. He believes this is what sets Ormskirk Market apart from others across the UK.<\/p>\n

He explains: “It\u2019s a really friendly little market. The people here don\u2019t sell a lot of tat that you get at some markets in the country. Most of the stuff here is good quality.<\/p>\n

“All the traders and punters are really friendly and get on well which helps. The traders help each other too by guaranteeing good produce. It means people stay at the market for longer and footfall is good.”<\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/p>\n

Carolyn Evans is a former member of Lancashire County Council (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n

Carolyn Evans, a former member of Lancashire County Council, is a frequent visitor to Ormskirk Market and loves to see the big crowds roll in twice a week. The 80-year-old says: “The market has really improved in recent times. Big crowds come in every week and there\u2019s a really big variation in what people sell.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve got everything from fruit and vegetables to cheese and shoes and clothes. People come from all over the world. Ormskirk is really on the map.\u00a0It\u2019s all quality stuff here which means people come back.”<\/p>\n

David Whitehead, 78, lives just outside of Ormskirk and visits the market every week. As well as being able to buy fresh local produce, Mr Whitehead enjoys being able to pop in and socialise at the market.<\/p>\n

“It’s great being able to come in and get good quality local produce,” he says. “I would rather come here than go to the supermarket to get some things. The fruit and vegetables are really good.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s all fresh unlike the shops and I know who I\u2019m buying from. All the traders are familiar faces and they look after you. The market helps the community too. You can come in and have a chat to people. It\u2019s the same faces.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spend a bit of time here and it seems clear that as well as good grub that gets your stomach rumbling, Aughton and Ormskirk are also cooking something else up. The sort of community where anyone would want to live.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/p>\n

Ormskirk Market is one of the oldest in the UK (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tim Allen was awarded a Michelin star in 2023 (Image: Andy Stenning\/Daily Express) An otherwise ordinary little village…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[43747,43746,59,57,58,43750,43748,50,43749,3783,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-87043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-kingdom","8":"tag-aughton","9":"tag-food-section","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-greatbritain","13":"tag-local-produce","14":"tag-michelin-stars","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-ormskirk-market","17":"tag-restaurants","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}