Member Article

Waterside Shipley Celebrate 6 Years of Fine Dining & Supporting Local Suppliers

Shipley’s hidden gem, The Waterside Bar & Bistro, marks six years of successful business this month and the family run restaurant is set to celebrate with a special anniversary dining event.

Housed in a 150 year old canalside warehouse overlooking the Leeds Liverpool Canal, Waterside is a love affair of all things Yorkshire.

Head Chef, and co-founder, Paul Huddleston boasts time working at some of the most prestigious restaurants across Europe including the Criterion London with Marco Pierre White, Le Jules Verne, Paris with Alain Ducasse and even a secondment at the three Michelin Star Le Louis XV in Monaco.

But after plenty of time spent working at some of the most renowned restaurants in Europe, Paul realised something - there’s no place like home.

Not only that, but there’s no food like at home too.

Paul has long held the opinion that fresh Yorkshire produce is second to none, and knew that opening his own restaurant would give him the opportunity to showcase this. In 2016 Paul, and business partner Ian Johnson, took the plunge and began their journey to success with Waterside.

From locally sourced meats and cheeses, to a wine list filled with offerings from local suppliers, the Waterside prides itself on championing all that our region has to offer

Speaking of their affinity for showcasing the best of Yorkshire, Ian said, “We’re Yorkshire born and bred, no one has to tell us how amazing our home county is because we’ve always known it! When Paul told me he wanted to prove how incredible Yorkshire produce is with his own restaurant, I jumped at the chance to work together.”

This message is translated through a five course tasting menu which often features dishes such as locally sourced lamb rump paired with potato terrine and courgette.

On his carefully created menu, Paul said, “We wanted to offer a premium experience to our customers, that’s why the five course tasting menu is always available at Waterside. I’ve called upon my experience working at Michelin Star establishments to put together a menu that really showcases who I am, and all of my expertise.”

The restaurant is a family affair with Paul’s wife, Nicola Huddleston, undertaking studies with the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust, to make sure that this push to represent the local region, doesn’t stop with the food menu.

You’ll see their proclivity for supporting local, independent suppliers represented by their wine list where, instead of Champagne, you’ll find an English Sparkling Wine amongst a range of other locally supplied bottles.

Paul explains, “We’ve always put a focus on supporting independent businesses. During the pandemic, when small, independents were hit hard, this support was more important than ever and we’ve seen a real movement towards continuing to shop local. Being a family run, small business ourselves, we know first hand how important it is to have this support and we pride ourselves on showing it to other similar businesses.”

Though they made it through a pandemic, the team recall their first two years of business as the hardest. But their vision was clear from the start and they worked hard to establish their own identity.

lan said, “We had to find the courage of our own conviction to stick to the direction that we had dreamed about for so long. We had to prove that fine dining deserves a place here in Shipley.”

And that they have certainly done. With glowing reviews from the likes of renowned food critics Jay Rayner of The Guardian and Giles Coren of The Times, Waterside has firmly established themselves as a pillar of Yorkshire fine dining.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Holly Harper .