'We opened our Leeds restaurant Bavette only five months ago - and it's just been named the best in Britain'

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The team behind a Leeds bistro that was today (July 24) named the best local restaurant in Britain have described the moment they were told the news.

Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin opened Bavette in Horsforth just five months ago - but have already picked up several accolades including a Michelin Guide recommendation.

Now, in their latest achievement, the French bistro appeared at the top of restaurant review bible The Good Food Guide’s annual list of the 100 best “local restaurants”.

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Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin opened Bavette in Horsforth five months ago - and it's just been named the best local restaurant in Britain by the Good Food Guide.Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin opened Bavette in Horsforth five months ago - and it's just been named the best local restaurant in Britain by the Good Food Guide.
Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin opened Bavette in Horsforth five months ago - and it's just been named the best local restaurant in Britain by the Good Food Guide. | Oliver Lawson

It has been an incredible journey for the couple, who said they were thrilled by feedback from expert inspectors left impressed by their “commitment to excellent bistro cooking”.

Sandy picked up cooking while studying chemistry in Manchester. He recalled searching for the perfect venue for the new venture.

“We were looking for a nice neighbourhood and this space came up,” he said. “It just made sense. Horsforth has such a strong community feel. It's like a village, rather than a suburb of a city.”

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His husband Clément added: “Before we opened, we had a fair amount of press so we could see that people were excited, but we were still worried that no one was going to come. That was the most daunting part of it: to think you've put so much time and money into it.”

Sandy continued: “Once we opened, we were so busy we didn't have time to be nervous, but certainly for me the run-up was quite nerve-wracking, both in a financial sense and because you're saying: this is us, this is what we think a good restaurant should be - which is an emotional thing. You're putting yourself out there and saying: please like us!”

The pair were quick to share their favourite part of the new venture - working together. It is something that they have done previously, having met at Terroirs, a natural wine bar and restaurant in London’s Covent Garden.

Clément said: "Sharing a passion and just being together. I've always worked for someone else, but now we can do exactly what we want and it makes it so much easier."

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Sandy agreed: "The main thing is doing it together, it has been really special. It's not a thing that many people get to do with their partner.

"This is the third time we've worked together - the first two times were down in London - so we already knew we liked working together.”

He added: "It's important to make sure that we split work life and family life so they don't bleed into each other, but we found a nice groove with it quite quickly.

"Bavette is a classic family business and I think people like working in that kind of environment. It's easy to work hard when you see someone else who is working just as hard, and that filters through the whole team."

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They described the moment they received the news that they had topped the prestigious list.

Clément said: “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.”

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

“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!”

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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.

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.

One of the main attractions of Bavette is its ever-changing menu. With French classics like steak tartare and comté croquettes, it's no wonder that people are travelling from far afield to sample the dishes.

Sandy said: "From the outset, the food was a bit of a no-brainer because of my French cooking background and Clément being French. It's the type of food I love to cook.

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"Relaxed bistro food is very much our passion, so it was always going to be in that style. The menu isn't overly planned in advance. It is really seasonal, so it relies on ingredients coming into or going out of season.

"Dishes stay on the menu for about six weeks. The chefs always have to be enjoying cooking them, front of house have to enjoy serving them and customers can't be bored of them.

"We speak to our fishmonger every day and are in regular contact with our butcher. We try to do it in a way that's simple, delicious, seasonal and at the right price point."

In August, the team are planning on closing the restaurant temporarily to give themselves a break. It will give themselves a chance to reflect on their achievements so far.

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Clément and Sandy singled out one moment in particular that they said encapsulated the essence of what they have achieved at Bavette.

"We were driving home the other night after we'd had this nice moment in the restaurant," explained Sandy.

"It was completely full and everyone was having a nice time, and we just thought: this is really special."

Clément added: "Seeing that we've created this space for people to hang out, it's nice to think: this is the food we love, this is the wine we love, and it's resonating with so many people."

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