L’Enclume prodigy to open fine dining restaurant in Manchester 

Tom Barnes, executive chef at Simon Rogan’s acclaimed three Michelin-star Cumbria eatery, is to open his first solo venture in the city’s NOMA district. 

Skof, Manchester’s newest fine dining restaurant, will be located on the ground floor of NOMA’s Hanover Building and is due to open next spring. 

It has been billed as an “unpretentious yet ambitious dining experience”. 

“I am so excited to be opening my first restaurant in Manchester,” Barnes said. It 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.” 

Skof will be owned and operated by Barnes and will form part of the next iteration of UMBEL Restaurants, where the group – owned by Rogan – will support individuals in opening their own restaurants and businesses. 

Barnes has worked with Rogan for 12 years. He joined L’Enclume in 2011 and became head chef in 2013, the year the restaurant won its second Michelin star. 

In 2017, Barnes went overseas, working at three Michelin-star Restaurant Geranium in Copenhagen. 

Fans of the BBC show Great British Menu may be familiar with Barnes’ work. He cooked the main course at the final banquet in 2020. 

“It’s moments like these that make me so happy, and it’s so special to be able to help a chef who has worked with me for so long go on to realise his dreams,” Rogan said. 

“I’m so proud of Tom and everything he has accomplished. We’ve been working towards this moment for a while now, and I can’t wait for him to be able to show the world what he can do. He is a seriously talented chef, so I know Skof is going to be amazing!” 

Rogan is no stranger to Manchester. He ran The French and Mr Copper’s House and Garden at the Midland Hotel between 2013 and 2016. The chef and the hotel parted ways three years into a five-year contract. 

The news of a Rogan-linked venture opening in Manchester will no doubt delight the city’s foodie contingent. 

L’Enclume, the chef’s acclaimed Cumbria restaurant, has won countless awards and three Michelin stars since opening 20 years ago. 

Located within an old Smithy in Cartmel, L’Enclume, which means The Anvil in French, is famed for its £250 tasting menus. 

Manchester’s luxury dining scene is in the midst of a boom, with several high-profile outfits open or planning to open in the city. 

Earlier this year Mayfair restaurant Sexy Fish launched in Spinningfields, while Chotto Matte, which serves Peruvian and Japanese fusion, has committed to a rooftop restaurant at St Michael’s. 

Chotto Matte is owned by Kurt Zdesar, former European director for American hospitality group Nobu, which was co-founded by actor Robert DeNiro. 

At present, Manchester has one Michelin-star restaurant; Mana in Ancoats.