REVIEWS
FEATURE ARTICLE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
For high-end dining, try Kitchen 91 (kitchen91.co.uk). This pared-back, modern Italian restaurant started as a supper club, run from the home of owners Poppy Cartwright and Matthew Shelton, before moving to Market Street. “We wanted the experience to feel intimate, the same as eating at our house,” says Poppy, who not only makes the food but also crafted the chic crockery, curtains and artwork on the walls. Book a table for the weekend to enjoy the five-course set menu, where handmade pasta — including a slow-cooked ragu — is the standout.
Spring issue 2024
“WONDERFUL!”
Dined here for the first time and it was absolutely wonderful. Couldn’t chose a favourite dish because they were all as equally delicious. Would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to enjoy authentic quality Italian cuisine. The owners and staff were attentive and efficient throughout our visit. We’ve generally been reluctant to eat out in an Italian restaurant in the UK after many visits to Italy as they’ve usually been disappointing. Not this one!!! Back for lunch this weekend and already booked a few more dates.
Trip advisor, September 2023
THE GOOD FOOD GUIDE
“Poppy Cartwright and Matthew Shelton's supper club in the tiny basement of their terraced house was a hard-to-book hot ticket, so the move to Hebden Bridge's main street has given locals more of a chance to bag a table. The couple have created a really stylish, pared-back space – all white walls, scrubbed floors and exposed beams, plus an open kitchen with Carrera marble worktops. The furniture is Ercol, the tablecloths crisp white linen and the music smooth – Hebden has got the stylish, elegant restaurant it didn't know it needed. Poppy's background as an ex-fashion student then lecturer at the Royal College of Art may explain her near-forensic attention to detail in the kitchen; Matthew deftly presides front-of-house. The old supper club ethos has been carried over, so expect a fixed-price set menu with a strong nod to the Italian 'Slow Food Movement' as well as Poppy's Sicilian heritage: a pork and fennel ragù, for example, sings of a long, slow cook although it's leavened by a dollop of ricotta shot through with lemon zest. The non-meat choice might be pappa al pomodoro with herb tordelli. Butternut squash velouté with pickled squash opened the menu on the night we popped in, while dessert was Madagascar vanilla panna cotta (with precisely the right wobble) served with strawberry gel sorbet and a lacy tuile. There are two sittings on Friday and Saturday, while the excellent-value four-course Sunday lunch includes the likes of beef shin and Chianti ragù followed by blossom-honey parfait. The all-Italian wine list is short but carefully curated.”
New entry March 2024
“A GEM YOU MUST VISIT”
Another amazing experience at Kitchen 91. As soon as you enter you feel instantly happy, Poppy and Matthew are lovely people and their team are equally great. You feel instantly at ease and welcomed. We'd visited their previous restaurant and it was our first visit to the new premises, the food was exceptional, as detailed previously they source the highest quality ingredients and you can see that they are perfectionists each course was delicious. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Kitchen 91 it's the restaurant that Hebden Bridge needed and we are so lucky to have it, you must visit!
Trip advisor, October 2023
“Lovely staff, amazing food, a truly special dining experience. Excellent value for money with classy decor”
Trip advisor, August 2023