Award-winning chef talks tripe
He is the up-and-coming chef who trained in classical French cuisine under Raymond Blanc – but Tim Bilton likes nothing more than a tempting plate of tripe.
Yorkshireman Tim learned his craft at college in Leeds and ran a restaurant in the city. Whenever he’s back there, he always calls in at The Tripe Shop in Kirkgate Market, one of the few remaining in the world, and tucks in with gusto.
“I love the stuff!” Tim said. “As a chef I’m passionate about local ingredients and dishes, and what could be more traditional than a serving of Yorkshire tripe with lashings of salt and vinegar.”
He should know. As Yorkshire Chef of the Year 2009, Tim has transformed The Butchers Arms, Hepworth, into a beacon of great food made from locally-sourced ingredients.
Now his talent has come to the notice of TV producers and Tim will be appearing on BBC2’s Great British Menu in April.
He didn’t cook tripe on the show, nor does it appear on the Butchers Arms menu. But it may yet.
“Tripe has got a bad press,” said Tim. “Many people recoil at the thought of it, but they’ve never given it a try”.
“There used to be scores of tripe shops in Yorkshire. People knew this was a tasty, cheap and nutritious dish, good for all the family. And it meant nothing was wasted – which should appeal to canny households these days.”
Tim is a 35-year-old (who cooks up contemporary British dishes like Round Green Farm Venison haunch steak with fondant potato, fresh blackberries and Pontefract cake sauce), so he’s not a typical tripe consumer.
“It’s the older generation who remember tripe. But in other countries they dish it up in all sorts of ways, like the Andouille French tripe sausage, or the spicy Indonesian dish Babat”.
“There’s no reason why we can’t cook up new and exciting ways to serve this traditional Yorkshire delicacy.”
Tim began cooking aged 13 at the Swiss Cottage in Pontefract, later working for two “inspiring” years at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire. He went on to chef in France for 18 months.
Later he became head chef at the 350 seat Bibis Italian Restaurant in Leeds city centre before taking over The Butchers Arms and transforming it into the Yorkshire Life Awards Dining Pub of the Year 2009.
The Grade II listed country inn is found in the picturesque hamlet of Hepworth between Holmfirth and Penistone – ‘Last of the Summer Wine country. People now travel for miles to taste Tim’s cooking.
“Our success is down to the hard work of our team, the wonderful local ingredients and a passion for food. And this time I’m not talking tripe!” said Tim.
Tripe Facts
• Tripe is a type of edible offal made from the stomachs of cows, sheep, pigs and other animals
• 100 years ago there were 260 tripe shops in Manchester alone
• International tripe dishes include Mondongo, a Caribbean tripe, vegetable and herb soup; and Dobrada, a tripe and chickpea dish from Portugal
• According to the Tripe Shop in Leeds: “Quality tripe can increase your libedo four fold.”
