Lancashire Restaurant Guide

“A beautiful building in a beautiful setting with a beautiful kitchen garden, and beautiful food… just fabulous!”. Mark Birchall’s “outstanding” three-year-old occupies a “mediaeval manor house adapted for the 21st Century” to the north of Liverpool and is “excellent in every way, from start to finish”. After the approach down a long driveway, “an ancient stone arch holds a door of ecclesiastical proportions, leading onto to a panelled reception. From here you are led into the lounge (proper fire places, more intricate carvings and Latin inscriptions) to be served from the charcuterie bar as you wait (black pudding parcel; smoked eel basket with edible flowers; cod’s roe mousse with caviar and the most beautiful crackers ever…)”. Once in the dining room proper (a very modern space), “everything coming out of the kitchen is exquisite”: thoroughly “deserving of its two stars” and oft-compared with L’Enclume (even if the food’s “not quite as cheffy and messed about with”). “What Mark Birchall can do with carrots and turnips is just remarkable” and “symptomatic of the ethos: fresh, simple ingredients taken to a higher level by the chef’s craft”. “Integral to the experience” is a “front of house team fully on the top of its game; and a team of sommeliers passionate about their work, all dedicated to creating the ultimate dining experience”. It doesn’t all take itself too seriously either: the vibe is “fun and convivial”. Top Tip – don’t miss a jaunt to the cheese room, and take a stroll around the gardens if you have the time.

One of the “top class gold-standards for restaurants in the North West” – this luxurious country house hotel, just off the A59 near Preston, has risen to ever-greater prominence over the years, and “its new ownership (The Stafford Collection) promises yet-additional investment”. “With Lisa Goodwin Allen now established as Executive Head Chef, there’s a new vibrancy to the cuisine, with interesting and imaginative new dishes whilst maintaining the best from the past” (established under Nigel Haworth); and “better touching base with its North West roots than it has in recent times”. Over the years the property has been lavishly added-to and refurbished with a result that can seem a bit “naff” or “corporate”, but which mostly gets the thumbs up for giving a “classy” impression. There’s “an exceptionally curated wine list, whose selection is led by MD Craig Bancroft, with plenty of classics but lots of other interesting wines from around the world”. “Will they now get the second Michelin star that they so crave?”

“Possibly the most authentic Italian food in the north of England, and with no compromise to British ideas of what Italian food is” – this converted old cottage on the A59 is “somewhat reminiscent of an agriturismo, but casting its net over Italy, serving various cuisines rather than just one”. Maurizio Bocchi is the chef, while his wife Cinzia runs front of house, and “their knowledge of oils and wines is amazing” (“olive oil is a speciality verging on obsession and the all-Italian wine list is full of excellent wines you've never heard of, all at very fair prices”). “The food is hearty enough for a rural Lancastrian appetite” – “pastas, particularly the home made ones, are always excellent, fish is always very good, but meat tends to be overcooked in that curiously Italian manner”.

This famous, “charmingly old-fashioned” eighteenth-century inn has been run by the Bowman family for three generations and is set in the stunning landscape of the Forest of Bowland – bang in the middle of what the Office of National Statistics says is the happiest place to live in Britain. All reports give a solid thumbs-up to its traditional cooking and high quality cellar, but it somewhat lacks the profile of yesteryear.

On the outskirts of Ramsbottom, this small inn on the village green was recently well-renovated and has a “good beer garden”. “Any lack of polish service-wise is compensated for by the staff’s enthusiasm and willingness”. “Good quality, traditional British food, with regional variations, and some home-grown vegetables, works well”.