A chef from Rochdale has become the youngest person ever to win a Michelin star in Scotland.
Sam Yorke, aged 25, was awarded a highly coveted Michelin star alongside fellow head chef Tomás Gormley, 28, for their Edinburgh restaurant Heron this week.
Originally hailing from Rochdale, Sam trained at the Edinburgh New Town Cooking School before working at the much applauded (now closed) Castle Terrace, where he graduated from commis to sous chef in less than two years under the guidance of chef Dominic Jack.
Sam was also recently named in Code’s 30 under 30 class for 2023/24 as one of the most exciting young chefs in the UK.
Since opening in 2021, Heron offers farm-to-table fine dining with an a-la-carte menu and two tasting menus that change every few weeks.
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Yorke and Gormley met when they were both working at Seasons (now closed), which was included in the Michelin Guide. / Image: Supplied
Hasselback ratte potato, potato crisps, creme fraiche, trout roe and caviar, oyster and creme fraiche sauce, green dill oil. / Image: Heron
The duo’s restaurant showcases the best of Scotland’s seasonal produce: including organic fruit and vegetables from The Free Company, wild fish and seafood from Belhaven Lobsters, and game and heritage breed meat from MacDuff Butchers from the Lothians and Scottish Borders.
The pair first joined forces as head chefs with a pop-up at-home fine dining experience, Bad Seeds, during Covid which was a sell-out each week.
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Yorke and Gormley met when they were both working at Seasons (now closed), which was included in the Michelin Guide.
Tomás also has an impressive background, working across some of the country’s best loved restaurants including (the now closed) Le Roi Fou, two-star Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles and 21212, when it held its Michelin star.
Tomás and Sam offer an a la carte and tasting menu championing the best of each season, with dishes on their most recent tasting menu including hand-dived Orkney scallops marinated in garum and topped with blood orange and radish; Hopetoun Estate venison, beetroot, grape and rhubarb, almond and tarragon.
Speaking on their win, Rochdale lad Sam commented: “To say that I’m delighted would be an understatement. It means a great deal to be recognised by such a prestigious organisation for our work at Heron.
“It’s a real testament to the unwavering focus and dedication of the entire team, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Tomás added: “If you had asked me two years ago, when Sam and I sat down to start planning our pop-up Bad Seeds, I would never have imagined this happening.
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“This is a huge achievement for everyone, and I am so grateful that we get to go on this journey with them.”
This now means that Leith has the highest concentration of Michelin-star restaurants per square metre outside of London, making it a foodie capital for the UK.
Manchester, meanwhile, was snubbed at this year’s Michelin awards with no new stars awarded to its restaurants. Simon Martin’s Mana retained its one-star rating, whilst Where The Light Gets In – which received a Green Star last year – was overlooked for further awards in 2023.
Manchester’s European pasta and dumplings restaurant The Sparrows in Green Quarter, meanwhile, was awarded a Bib Gourmand by Michelin last week in recognition of its good food and modest prices.
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
A ‘saucy’ new Korean fried chicken restaurant is opening in the Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new Korean fried chicken restaurant and cocktail bar is set to open on Canal Street this week.
CLUK is promising some big deals and amazing giveaways to celebrate its launch in Manchester, including free food and prize draws.
The newcomer in the heart of the city will specialise in Korean-style crispy fried chicken, but also warming ramen bowls, and salt & pepper classics.
Signature dishes will include Korean cheese-powder fried chicken, and Cheese Volcano Chicken.
CLUK will also serve dishes like kimchi cheese loaded fries, salt & pepper chicken, and huge sharing platters.
You can customise your Korean fried chicken order by size, choosing between wings and boneless and picking a flavour out of honey garlic, sweet and spicy, honey mustard, and honey and sour.
They promise it’ll all be ‘saucy, crunchy, and seriously addictive’.
That’s all washed down with ice-cold beers and creative cocktails, like martinis, spritzes and sours.
CLUK is now open in the Gay Village in ManchesterA spread of CLUK dishesInside CLUK ManchesterFried chicken with Korean cheese powderInside CLUK Manchester
The CLUK team are hoping to create a fun late-night dining option for this buzzing corner of the city centre.
To celebrate its launch on Thursday 18 September, CLUK have announced a whole heap of promotions.
This includes free chicken bao for the first 50 guests to visit during the first five days.
Over the two week launch period, visitors can spin the wheel whenever you spend £12 – spend £24 and spin twice.
And there are big prizes available – the top prize is a £100 gift card or £50 cash, with other prizes including free drinks, food and a £3 voucher as a consolation prize.
Plus, anyone who buys a gift card and tops it up with £100 will receive a free beer or cider.
When those two weeks are up, CLUK will run a £1,000 prize draw.
Georgina Pellant -
29th March 2023 
