Bavette Horsforth: Leeds neighbourhood bistro crowned Britain's best local restaurant by Good Food Guide

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The talented duo behind a hugely successful Leeds bistro reacted with astonishment as their new venue was crowned the best local restaurant in Britain.

Restaurant review bible The Good Food Guide today (July 24) announced its annual list of the 100 best "local restaurants" - and Horsforth newcomer Bavette appeared at the very top.

Owners Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin were up against tough competition from across the country as their new venue took the top title.

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Bavette owners Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin have reacted with astonishment after their new venue was crowned the best local restaurant in Britain.Bavette owners Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin have reacted with astonishment after their new venue was crowned the best local restaurant in Britain.
Bavette owners Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin have reacted with astonishment after their new venue was crowned the best local restaurant in Britain. | Oliver Lawson

The couple only opened the French restaurant five months ago and were thrilled that it left expert inspectors from The Good Food Guide impressed by their "commitment to excellent bistro cooking".

Reacting to the news, Clément told the YEP: “We got a call to say that we were at the top of our region. Then they told us that we were at the top of the list overall. I'd picked up the phone thinking it was someone making a booking! It was a surprise, because we’ve just been trying to do what we love - making people happy with great food.”

His partner, Sandy, said: “We were absolutely amazed that we were on the list, because we had no idea how many people had voted for us.

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“When Clément came to tell me about the call, I thought: oh no, what's happening? But then he told me. We didn't believe it had really happened. We were wondering if we had heard correctly!”

The couple only opened Bavette five months ago.The couple only opened Bavette five months ago.
The couple only opened Bavette five months ago. | Oliver Lawson

Inspectors from the length and breadth of the country reviewed a wealth of restaurants in search of the best cuisine as part of this year’s guide. It has been going since 1951, when the first edition was compiled by journalist Raymond Postgate.

Chloë Hamilton, the co-editor of The Good Food Guide, said: “With Sandy and Clément’s backgrounds in some of London’s top establishments (Terroirs, where they met, is a strong influence), opening a restaurant together in an outer suburb of Leeds looked great on paper.

“But the way they’ve brought it to life – excellent bistro cooking, an adventurous, engaging wine list (including bottles from Clément’s family of organic winemakers in the Loire), and the energy and warmth of the team – make it irresistible.

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“They’ve had first birthday parties and 90th birthday parties there. It has lit up the community.”

While Bavette picked up the biggest prize this year, other Leeds restaurants rated highly too. Both Hern, in Chapel Allerton, and The Empire Cafe, on Fish Street, were among the top rated restaurants in the ‘North East England’ category.

The guide is driven by readers who, this year, responded in huge numbers to nominate an unprecedented 60,000 venues over the six-week research period. Inspectors anonymously tested out all the main contenders for the guide’s final 100-strong list.

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