Tapas and Tunes: Meet the team behind popular Otley restaurant shining a light on Spanish food and live music
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Tapas and Tunes, in Otley, opened in 2021 with the mission of bringing Mediterranean culture and fresh, tasty dishes to local people.
Bridget Deakin, a trained chef and music graduate, found the outlet for her two passions on Kirkgate, where she runs the restaurant with her family and business partner Sam Stevens - also a musician.
It celebrates the best in traditional Spanish food using high-quality, fresh ingredients, while upstairs guests can enjoy regular performances from a varied array of gifted musicians.
Bridget’s culinary journey began in the kitchen of a student flat at Huddersfield University, where a friend introduced her to the rich and varied world of Spanish cuisine.
“Food is really important in Spain,” Bridget recalled. “At uni, we would take turns cooking, and my flatmate’s passion for sharing meals left a lasting impression on me.”
That experience of communal dining inspired Bridget to travel to Spain with her friend, where she picked up authentic recipes from Spanish families. She said: “The food was always fresh, but it was the culture and the emphasis they put on eating together that I loved and left an impression!
“A lot of businesses in Spain close at lunchtime so that people can go home and eat with their families. In England, we don’t sit down together as much as we should.”
After spending time travelling and learning to cook in Europe and the UK, Bridget moved back home and chose to teach music in schools while raising her family. She had always wanted to open a restaurant, an aspiration she realised when the perfect venue came up for sale in Otley.
After a year-and-a-half of renovations whilst the country was in lockdown the venue was ready to open. Having now been running Tapas and Tunes for almost three years, it has won over the hearts of people living in the region and beyond.
As well as a place to share a meal, Bridget wanted the venue to showcase the best quality ingredients available to her.
“We cook everything from scratch,” she said. “All of our fruit and vegetables are from the market in Otley, and we use a local butcher, bakery and fishmonger too. Everything we cook is based on what we have at the time.”
The menu features traditional Spanish tapas dishes, such as Tortilla Española, Chorizoy Rioja con Tomatitos, and Patatas Bravas.
There is also a specials board with enticing and more creative fusion tapas that change each month. Current highlights include a 16oz pan fried pork chop with fat chips, apple ketchup and rioja pan juices on a sharing board and Traditional Paella with Chicken and Seafood.
Bridget added: "We also have many dishes on our menu which are naturally vegan and gluten free and others are easily adapted as we keep in tofu, vegan chorizo, oat milk and vegan yoghurt. We have a great kids menu which has a lot of choice with something for everyone and a teen meal deal. We want everybody to be able to enjoy our food.”
One of the main attractions in the restaurant is its lively upstairs music venue, that hosts everything from classical guitar to rock bands. There are tribute artists too, with performances at least twice a month.
Tapas and Tunes makes the ideal venue to conclude a day in Otley, following a meander along the river or a stroll through the park. The picturesque market town blends natural beauty and community spirit effortlessly, with lively bars and pubs, boutiques and shops, and a bustling market on a Friday and Saturday.
“Otley has so much to offer,” said Bridget. “From beautiful river walks to charming shops and a bustling bar scene, it’s the perfect place to spend a day.”