CONGRATULATIONS to Adam Reid at The French for rising to No.13 in the Good Food Guide Guide’s Top 50 Restaurants in the UK for 2019.
It’s four places up on last year when Adam was still adjusting to Great British Menu stardom and establishing his own stamp after Simon Rogan handed over the reins at the Midland Hotel’s fine dining hub.
Rogan’s Michelin-starred flagship, L’Enclume in Cartmel, retains second place on the list, headed once again by Nathan Outlaw in Cornwall with a ‘perfect’ 10 score. Manchester-born Adam gets an impressive 8 for “cooking that has reached a pinnacle of achievement. A hugely memorable experience.”
“Fantastic news!” The French tweeted in response to the announcement. “We are thrilled to be in the top 15 and we remain the only restaurant in Manchester in the #Top50. A great achievement for our team!”
It is certainly Adam’s week. At the Auction Against Hunger fundraiser at Upper Campfield he won a magnum of champagne at one of the stalls.
Moor Hall in Aughton, Lancashire, run by another Rogan protege, Mark Birchall, is at number 11, also with a score of 8. Other North West big hitters are in Cumbria with Michelin-starred Forest Side in Grasmere at 27 and Lake Road Kitchen Ambleside, at 45.
Just over in Yorkshire, the Moorcock Inn at Norland near Sowerby Bridge has been named Best New Entry in the UK after only a few months of existence. We gave it 5 stars in our recent review.
The Waitrose Good Food Guide says of it: “On one level, The Moorcock is an unassuming moorland boozer: there are local ales on tap, and bar food is scrawled on a blackboard. But it is so much more. That bar menu might include Dover sole or lobster, and food in the must-book restaurant marries localism, foraging and fermentation with an enthusiasm for cooking over fire. With its gentle price tag, locals would probably like to keep this place under the radar, but the secret is out on one of the more thrilling openings this year.”
Below Alisdair Brooke-Taylor, co-owner with Aimee Turford, puts their huge outdoor grill to good use.
