Latest opening: Rind
What: A ‘cheese-focused restaurant’ specialising in British cheese-topped pizzas and artisanal cheese boards, paired with a ‘thoughtful’ list of natural wines.
Who: Rind marks the first restaurant venture outside of London for turophile Mathew Carver. In the capital he is best known as the owner of The Cheese Bar in Camden, Pick & Cheese in Covent Garden, and The Cheese Barge in Paddington, which each champion artisanal cheeses exclusively sourced from within the UK. Rind takes this further by partnering and opening next to The Courtyard Dairy in Settle, North Yorkshire, which has long been a supplier to Carver’s London restaurants. Working with Andy Swinscoe, founder of The Courtyard Dairy, Carver hopes Rind will ‘complement the dairy’s reputation as a mecca for cheese-lovers from both the county and further afield’.
The food: Rind’s menu revolves around a selection of wood-fired, 12” pizzas made with Wildfarmed flour that champion the best of British cheese. Inspired by the restaurant’s surroundings, the menu features a half and half pizza (£12) made using half Lancashire and half Wensleydale cheese; and one with la latteria bocconcino mozzarella, cais na tire, and Tempus No. 8 ‘nduja (£14). Alongside pizza, Rind also offers cheese in its ‘purer form’, with an ever-changing selection of cheese boards allowing guests to choose between three and seven different cheeses to try (prices start at £13 for three cheeses). A short selection of starters and desserts is also available.
To drink: Carver has teamed up with Lancaster-based natural wine supplier Buon Vino to curate a wine list with a focus on natural producers, along with some more classic bottles, each chosen to match with a particular cheese.
The vibe: Housed in an old falconry centre, Rind sits next door to The Courtyard Dairy cheese shop and overlooks Ingleborough, the second highest mountain in Yorkshire. The interiors of the 40-cover dining room pay homage to the area with design details and natural materials that ‘speak of the outdoors’.
And another thing: The Courtyard Dairy has received plenty of plaudits since it launched back in 2012. It was named Retailer of the Year in the 2020 Farm Shop & Deli Awards, which are run in partnership with The Grocer, Restaurant’s sister brand. That came two years after it had been named Cheesemonger of the Year at the same awards.
Crows Nest Barn near Settle, Austwick, North Yorkshire LA2 8AS
thecheesebar.com/rind
