New fine dining experience “Where the Light Gets In” has launched in Stockport thanks to a £25k Start Up Loan from alternative loan provider Business Finance Solutions (BFS) www.businessfinancesolutions.org.uk the North West delivery partner of the government’s national £310m Start Up Loans programme and a lending partner of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Located in the heart of Stockport’s old Market Town area; which has been awarded a £7m grant for regeneration, Where the Light Gets In www.wtlgi.com will focus on European cuisine, offering an intimate and creative fine dining experience. Already a big hit with reviewers and customers alike, the restaurant has been hailed by GQ magazine as “The best restaurant you’ve never heard of”.
The restaurant is owned and run by Samuel Buckley, a chef with more than 15 years’ experience working in the food and hospitality industry. He started his career working with celebrity chef Gary Rhodes and has also worked in a number of Michelin Starred restaurants and with highly respected chefs including Paul Kitching and Tanja Grandits.
Samuel will be using his £25k Start Up Loan from BFS to purchase kitchen equipment, initial stock and fittings for the premises. Operating from an open plan kitchen, the restaurant will offer an evolving and seasonal set menu using as much locally sourced produce as possible as well as offering a selection of bottled craft beers from local breweries, wines from independent growers in France and homemade soft drinks created with handcrafted syrups.
Samuel will be hosting social events including wine tasting, craft beer pairing evenings and exhibitions of local art. He is also closely involved with plans locally to set up a not-for-profit food enterprise centre concentrating on food development and education in the area.
Paul Breen, Director of Business Finance Solutions, said: “Samuel has the perfect pedigree to launch this great new dining concept and we were proud to be able to work alongside him to ensure he had the Start Up Loan finance he needed to equip his new kitchen for years to come. The restaurant is in an area that is undergoing a huge injection of investment and interest, with over £145m recently invested in a new business and leisure complex, £7m to encourage new independent business growth and a £41m plan to extend the tram system from Manchester to Stockport. All of which is great for both the future of Stockport and for independent and ambitious businesses like Samuel’s.”
Samuel said: “Every chef dreams of opening their own restaurant one day and, thanks to the Start Up Loan from BFS and a lot of hard work, we have been able to create Where The Light Gets In as a really different way to enjoy great food in a friendly and creative environment.
Having worked with some of the UK’s best chefs and kitchens I am passionate about giving people a quality of dining experience that Stockport hasn’t seen for a long time and a big part of that is working with local farmers, fishermen, butchers and breweries to bring together some fantastic and often surprising ingredients.”
BFS will see £15 million allocated to new start-ups across the North West over a two year period, creating around 3000 new businesses and over 5000 new jobs in the region. BFS is the finance arm of the Manchester Growth Company and supported by the GM Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership. BFS is a key alternative source of funding for small businesses in Greater Manchester and has grown a comprehensive range of finance products from £500 through to £500k, with support on raising early stage equity through the Co Angel Investment Service of up to £2m. To date BFS manages over £90m of publicly backed small business investments across the UK. Find out more about BFS finance at www.business-finance-solutions.org.uk or by calling 0161 245 4737.
