VILLAGE WHERE THE STARS ALIGN

Aughton, near the Lancashire town of Ormskirk, is home to three Michelin-starred restaurants despite having just 8,000 residents. TOBY CODD pays a visit to 'Britain's culinary capital'

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HOW far would you travel to eat at a superlative restaurant? Chef Tim Allen beams when asked which diners have put in the biggest mileage for a meal at his Michelin-starred restaurant, solo.

“We recently had a guy come to eat here all the way from Melbourne — that’s incredible right?” he says. “These people travel so far because they love it. They’re so passionate about food and restaurants.”

Solo, a modern restaurant serving British food in a relaxed environment, gained its first Michelin star 18 months after opening in 2021. But perhaps its secret ingredient, aside from its exceptional food, is its unusual location in the village of Aughton, near Ormskirk, in West Lancashire.

Home to a mere 8,000 people, Aughton has five Michelin stars between three restaurants located within half a mile of each other. Dubbed the culinary capital of Britain, it’s overtaken Japan’s former imperial capital, Kyoto, for having the most Michelin stars per inhabitant — Kyoto has 100 Michelin-starred restaurants between its 1.46 million people, averaging 14,600 residents per restaurant, in comparison with 1,384 in Aughton.

Which is pretty good going for a village whose biggest claim to fame until recently was hosting the largest Christmas pudding ever made (3.28 tons) in 1992.

Tim says the success is down to the high-quality local produce and loyal foodie community. “We're so lucky to be located here,” the 53-year-old chef explains. “In Lancashire, everything that comes out of the ground is great. The fruit and vegetables grown here are so good. It’s the sort of quality that you don’t get at the supermarket.”

Lancashire is often referred to as “the salad bowl of England” for its exceptional produce, particularly its salad ingredients and root vegetables which are grown in nutrient-rich soils.