Tom Barnes may be opening one of the most talked about new restaurants in the region but behind the scenes, the 35-year-old chef has been a bag of nerves. On the day we met, he was more concerned with the plates than what was going on them, meeting skilled ceramicists – Manchester creatives Rebecca Morris and Percy Dean – and taking care of every detail, speaking to builders about the final fittings in Skof, his first restaurant.
Bookings for the Federation Street dining destination, located in the terracotta tiled Hanover building, built by the Co-operative Wholesale Society as a drapery warehouse in 1904, had just gone live too.
‘I’ve not slept for days, or at least that’s how it feels,’ says Tom. ‘I’ve been worried people wouldn’t book and then worrying again about what if they do book and then they come and don’t like it.
‘That’s all I want, for people to come and love what we do. With Skof, my purpose is to create an incredible experience that focuses on great quality ingredients but, above all, puts a smile on people’s faces.'
Tom, of course, needn’t have worried. Those early bookings came in big numbers – more than 1,500 in the first day with more continuing to flood in in the weeks before opening at the end of May. It’s hardly surprising. The Barrow-born chef has worked in some of the world’s best kitchens. His early days at two AA Rosette The Lakeside Hotel with chef Duncan Collinge, who had worked for the Roux brothers at Le Gavroche, were formative years that fired his enthusiasm for becoming a chef.
‘I never knew what I wanted to do, and I was rubbish at school,’ says Tom. ‘I’d always loved baking with my grandma, and I’d enjoyed food tech, but school was never the place for me, really, I just wanted to mess about with my friends.
‘I didn’t know how to fry an egg when I first walked into a kitchen. Then I worked with Duncan who taught me how to make proper stocks, crucial kitchen skills, all that Gavroche knowledge. I was so lucky to have had that experience and we’re still in touch now.’
Since then, Tom has worked in multi-Michelin starred kitchens throughout his career, including at Geranium Restaurant in Copenhagen, The Vineyard in Berkshire and Hof Van Cleve near Ghent in Belgium, a prize stage he chose after being awarded the Roux Scholarship in 2014. He also appeared – and made it to the banquet with his main course – on BBC2’s Great British Menu.
But it was his 12-year stint with internationally renowned chef Simon Rogan where he really hit his stride, working first for Rogan & Co and then at the three Michelin star L’Enclume, both in Cartmel. He was at the helm of both kitchens when the latter was awarded its third star and the former got its first and, as executive chef, also oversaw Henrock and Home by Simon Rogan.
‘I’ve got a lot of reasons to thank the people I’ve worked with,’ says Tom, who lives in Prestwich. ‘I am so grateful for Simon’s support; he let me use the kitchens in Cartmel to test dishes for Skof and has been brilliant with feedback. I plan on using all the skills he has taught me over the years. I’m so happy with what we have achieved and look forward to this new chapter.’
It’s fitting that UMBEL restaurants, the restaurant group founded by Rogan, is supporting Skof and Tom’s new future. Several members of his old team will now join him at the Manchester restaurant and Tom will bring the farm-to-table ethos he learned at those world-famous Lakeland restaurants. Alongside daily deliveries of produce grown specifically for Tom from Rogan’s Our Farm in the Cartmel Valley, Tom will work with small-scale suppliers such as Cinderwood Market Garden in Cheshire and Lake District Farmers.
In the lead up to the opening, Tom preserved ingredients allowing them to be used all year round and the chef, alongside restaurant manager Sean Oakford and assistant restaurant manager Max Lawrence, both formerly of L’Enclume, have created a range of drinks including a small but well-rounded wine list. Tom has also collaborated with Manchester brewery, Track, to create Sidney, a light and refreshing beer intended as an alternative to kick off the meal.
‘Some people don’t want to start things off with champagne,’ says Tom. ‘It can be off-putting for people and diners might sit there feeling like they have to say yes, but then worrying about the cost, or just wanting another drink. I don’t want Skof to be stuffy or formal like that. It’s important to me that it’s unpretentious. If people want a beer, they can have a beer.
‘I called the restaurant Skof, not just because I loved the Scandi feel to it, but it feels less formal, a bit northern and somewhere you can come for a good feed. The name was inspired by something my dad used to say to me. When my tea would come, he would always say “get it scoffed”. It's nice to have that connection with him.’
The restaurant will be an inviting space bathed in natural light, which combines carefully restored original features with a refined, modern edge.
It’s been a labour of love for Tom. An idea first mooted several years ago, he spotted the Manchester site in 2022. Designed by London-based studio Blacksheep, as well as reflecting the city's industrial history, Skof will also reflect Tom and his career to this point. A special piece of artwork has been commissioned featuring all these crucial influences on his journey so far, from family to people in the industry.
A humble chef, still hugely connected to his Barrow birthplace, it is his childhood and his family that Tom credits with keeping his feet on the ground.
‘When the bookings went live, all I got from my sister was “well done, you tit”,’ he laughs. ‘But I love that. I miss being in Barrow and often go back. It’s my family, including my mum Bernie and dad, Barney, and my sisters and brother, who are always my biggest supporters. I love going home.
‘My dad isn’t with us any more; I was so close with him. I think he’d love what I was doing and be proud.’
Tom, now in the midst of welcoming those first people to Skof, is focussed on giving diners an unforgettable and unpretentious experience.
‘Manchester feels like the right place for me. The food scene is changing so frequently, and everyone I’ve met has been incredibly welcoming. Growing up in Barrow-in-Furness, I knew I wouldn’t want to be too far from my childhood home and my family, so it’s the perfect place.
'I feel really nervous, I really want people to like it. It’s been a long time coming. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on though, and to return some of the incredible hospitality I’ve received from the people of Manchester.’
skofmanchester.co.uk
