3 June 2010

Lauren Coulman

The celebrity chefs of our fair isle are gradually encroaching on our territory. Slowly but surely, they are making their way up North and setting up camp, and inevitably we are proving irresistible to their charms. The celebrity chef has maintained a strange hold over our nation for the past few years. We have watched their endeavours from our front rooms, witnessing them achieve everything from sustainable farms to social changes, winking cheekily into the camera while selling cookbooks and cookware, and we have lapped up every minute of it. The recession has not abated our love either. While we may be eating out less frequently, we are cooking at home more, and nothing smacks more of good taste than whipping out your Nigella or Jamie recipe. We are unashamedly hooked.

And so to the North West, where we love good grub passionately, with a particular penchant for cakes and pastries, but where there is a dearth of celebrity chef activity. Nigel Haworth of Northcote Manor gets good press, as does the MBE awarded Paul Heathcote, but as a region, we don’t make as much of a splash as we should do. We have some of the best produce in the country, from the grassy plains of Cheshire to the hills and lakes of Cumbria, and some amazing restaurants, all at once honouring the great food traditions of the five counties while bringing something new and exciting to the table. I have so many favourite restaurants now it’s hard to count, but despite my endeavours, these culinary geniuses don’t get as much press as they should do. Hence my reluctance to praise any big shot celebrity chef flag planting in our region, stealing customers from our local talent and hogging all the PR.

It’s a different matter when you have Marco Pierre White to contend with, however. An enigmatic and intriguing character, whether you love him or hate him, you can’t ignore him. As the first British and youngest ever chef to have achieved three Michelin stars, first working under Albert Roux and later training up the young Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal, it’s a star studded career that exudes quality. But for this and all his smoking hot and slightly intimidating TV appearances, you also have the dichotomous relationship with Knorr to contend with. Bernard Mathews too, and most recently Walkers crisps. How can the former ‘enfant terrible’ of haute cuisine align himself with such food brands, you ask yourself? Does it impact on the kind of food his establishments dish up? No, is the answer, and he achieves all this quite simply because he can.

I know this because I paid a visit to the Swan Inn in Aughton, one of three new restaurants Marco is laying claim to in the North West. The restaurant opened in January this year, quickly followed by the Steakhouse Bar and Grill at the Doubletree by Hilton Chester, which opened in February 2010. Another steakhouse is set to follow next year at the new boutique Hotel Indigo in Liverpool, where Jamie Oliver will also be making an appearance in the coming year with his Jamie’s Italian chain. Plenty of flag planting taking place, though thankfully no moves made to steal the limelight in Manchester (yet).

For such an auspicious occasion, I had to take my dad, who also conveniently lives near the little village just outside of Ormskirk. An impressively sized pub ever so subtly plastered with the good chef’s name, the well appointed courtyard and beautifully decorated dining rooms are warm and welcoming, and despite a small amount of nerves on both our parts at eating at a such a restaurant, we were made to feel right at home. This was in no small part down to the amazing staff, led by general manager David Thorneycroft; professionally ‘aware’ while remaining friendly, knowledgeable about the food and more than happy to answer the many questions my dad had about the menu, which in a very Marco way offers up anglo-french fare labelled as such. It all looked incredibly appetising.

With a little help from David, my dad chose Cornish crab to start, while I went with the slightly less adventurous but incredibly comforting velouté of mushrooms on the dank and miserable spring evening we visited. Nervously overlooking gems such as sea scallop with black pudding and an enticing dish of foie gras with truffles, I almost cried with delight upon tasting my fluffed up soup. Creamy, rich and incredibly moreish, if a bowl of creamed mushrooms can taste that good, I fear for everyone else’s attempts. The crab was perfection also; light, fragrant and yet robust enough to scoff wholeheartedly, my dad and I set off on the path to overly full bellies.

A rich and hearty dish of Reg Johnson’s Goosnargh duck followed for myself. A locally sourced dish of delicious leg and breast meat, which held beautifully and flaked away like any well cooked meat should. Used to oily and slightly limpid duck dishes, I was in all kinds of heaven, with a deep and flavoursome red wine sauce and a side of creamed spinach. My dad chose an immense dish of Spatchcock chicken, mouth wateringly-moist with chipolatas and a side of chips cooked in beef dripping. We were eating like kings and drinking to match, with a ruby red and deeply perfumed Rioja Crianza from the well balanced and fairly priced wine list.

In the best possible way, the dishes are not for the faint hearted, with sizable portions and rich ingredients, but battling on as best we could we tackled dessert, with my dad choosing the best dish of the night. Guided by the love for one of his childhood favourites, poems could be written about the treacle tart he was served; unctuously sticky perfection that was just the right amount of sugary sentimentality. I went for the slightly less heavy but no less delicious Cambridge burnt cream, more popularly known as crème brûlée in an interesting turn about on copywriting policy for the menu.

Stuffed and absolutely sated, my dad pressed on with the coffee while we happily watched the other diners finish their meals. Packed to the rafters on a Thursday evening, an impressive feat for a village inn, it was hard not to notice the mainly middle class clientele delicately pick their way through their desserts. Such an establishment would attract such an audience, but this restaurant is not solely for those who can still afford to eat out regularly. Yes, it’s more expensive than your average country pub, but the quality and volume of food you are given, the beautiful setting within which you eat and the exceptional service make this place worth a splash, whether you are interested in the Marco Pierre White association or not.

And an association it is. Other than the sexy black and white portrait pictures on the wall and the style of food served, there is little evidence of the great chef here. Luckily, Marco picked a great head chef in Simon Bower, who is doing beautiful things in continuing Marco’s legacy and creating one of his own, making this restaurant situated well outside Manchester worth a visit - even if it’s not quite flying the flag for North West cuisine.

The Swan Inn, Springfield Rd, Aughton, Ormskirk, L39 6ST
T: 01695 421450
W: www.mpwtheswan.co.uk