New bakery from Where The Light Gets In chef to open in Stockport

Where The Light Gets In chef Sam Buckley is collaborating with potter Joe Hartley and baker Rosie Wilkes to open a new community bakery, pottery and deli in Stockport.

Yellowhammer will be a bakery, deli, pottery and evening pizza and wine bar, soon to occupy the ground floor of 15 Lower Hillgate in Stockport’s Old Town, from Where the Light Gets In chef-owner Sam Buckley, baker Rosie Wilkes and potter Joe Hartley.

All components of the venue – set to open on 25th August –  will work in synergy; the pottery will provide cups and plates for the bakery, whilst the bakery will sell a selection of ceramics, alongside workshops which will combine both crafts.

Both new projects are united by a shared set of values, with a focus on thoughtful sourcing of materials and low-tech production methods.

What’s on the menu at Yellowhammer?

Yellowhammer, which takes its name from the striking woodland songbird, known for its distinctive “a little bit of bread and no cheeeeeese” call, is a neighbourhood bakery specialising in simple, baked goods and sourdough bread, and is a collaboration between Sam Buckley and sourdough baker Rosie Wilkes.

Using organic flour, grain-grown and milled in the UK, the venue will support small farms who prioritise flavour in their crops and biodiversity on their land, and will work to re-establish links between farmers, millers and bakers. 

Large crusty sourdough loaves will be available as a whole, half or quarter alongside baguettes and sourdough rye bread.

A range of sweet and savoury buns will be baked daily, as well as breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches and a changing selection of cookies, pies and tarts.

A pizza and natural wine night will take place on select Friday and Saturday evenings, with vinyl records and some special music guests.

The bakery will supply the bread for the restaurant, and will share the same commitment to supporting small, local producers and using whole ingredients. 

Who is chef Sam Buckley?

Sam Buckley opened Where the Light Gets In, in 2016, the restaurant has been built by Sam, his friends and family.

Located in Stockport Old Town, this is an experience from his imagination.

Produce from Sam’s farm lays the roots of the menu, and each dish is based on what is caught, harvested and slaughtered that day.

Sam has worked with the likes of Simon Rogan, Paul Kitching and Gary Rhodes before he opened Where the Light Gets In, a dining experience that bends with the season and what is available daily.

The dining space accommodates 30 guests within a converted coffee warehouse, with the kitchen located within, removing any barrier between the chefs and their guests.

Engaging fully in a food system that they believe in, the menu is a series of dishes that use ethically sourced and responsibly produced ingredients that support the eco-system.

Their attitude to wine is no different, working exclusively with small-batch independent winemakers. 

Workshops and experiences

Joe Hartley’s Left, Right and Centre is responsible for the pottery arm of the establishment, and will split its time between design, production and the sharing of skills.

The project will provide a facility for designers to work in different ways around the common material of clay.

The space will open its doors to the wider community with scheduled workshops, offering a variety of insights, experiences and interpretations in traditional and non-traditional methods of working with the material.

Yellowhammer is set to open on 25th August 2021 on the ground floor of 15 Lower Hillgate in Stockport’s Old Town.