It’s been a tough couple of years, but we seem to be emerging from it like new shoots bursting out of the ground trying to catch some daylight. It’s definitely time for a treat, so how about heading over to rural Lancashire - less than an hour’s drive from Manchester - for a meal (or even an overnight stay) at Northcote.
The Michelin starred Ribble Valley hotel and restaurant, which opened in 1983, continues its relentless drive towards innovation. The team, led by the venue’s veteran MD Craig Bancroft, seem blessed with an abundance of energy which helped steer them through recent rocky waters. Over lockdown they did a roaring trade in gourmet boxes which they delivered all over the UK from the South West to the Scottish Highlands.
We headed over to Northcote to try some dishes from their new spring menu (available Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 2:00pm.) Bancroft gave us a warm welcome whilst bubbling over with ideas covering the outside terrace area, masterclasses using a variety of barbecues, and bespoke packages for key sporting occasions.
After a chat in the bar over canapés and a couple of glasses of Nyetimber, he took us through to the state-of the art kitchen where exec chef and Great British Menu judge Lisa Goodwin-Allen continues to inspire her team with her passion for the very best produce and her desire to nurture emerging talent. Goodwin-Allen’s latest Spring gourmet lunch and seasonal lunch menus both tap into the season’s most celebrated ingredients which she utilises with her signature artistic flair.
As you’d expect, the fine dining menus also come with a recommended selection of award-winning wines, and the professional, warm Northern hospitality Northcote is known for.
Guests can choose to dine in the main restaurant which is grand but traditional, or groups of up to sixteen can enjoy their lunch in the best seats in the house - at the Chef's Table. This is a purpose-built private space where diners are in close proximity to the brigade at work in a Michelin star kitchen. Glass doors separate guests from the action while offering a window to the theatrical setting of the busy kitchen. Screens also display the ‘kitchencam’ for a fully immersive view of the talented chefs. (The private dining room is also popular for watching sporting events.)
Due to the gourmet menu still being tweaked and issues with availability of ingredients, the dishes we tried on our visit weren’t the same as those on the published menu. But everything from the Orkney scallop with ‘green curry’, to the quail with frozen liver parfait with apple verjus and sweet turnip, and aged Lake District beef with black garlic was utterly stunning. We wouldn’t be surprised if Lisa earns Northcote a second Michelin star in the not-too-distant future.
Priced at £115 per person the five course spring gourmet menu (HERE) includes Wye Valley Asparagus with sheep’s curd; roasted veal sweetbread with white mushroom, wild garlic, and caper; wild turbot with clam, bacon and smoked potato, and Yorkshire duck with heirloom beetroot and aged balsamic.
We did get to try the gourmet dessert though of warm Bramley ‘apple pie’ with nuts, maple, caramelised milk which came in the form of a beautiful dome. This was matched with a silky sweet Hungarian Tokaji as part of an additional course-selected wine flight at £71.15 per person. The menu concludes with freshly ground coffee, or a selection of teas served with handmade petit fours.
Still peckish? Add a selection of either five or seven cheeses from The Courtyard Dairy (£15 or £20) served with Peter’s Yard crackers and homemade bread.
Lisa has also developed a three-course seasonal lunch menu at an affordable £48 (including coffee), available Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 2:00pm.
Seasonal specialities on the a la carte menu (which changes frequently) include shellfish ravioli with lemon and tarragon (£21.50), and salt aged beef with marrowbone mushroom, peppercorn and triple cooked chips (£55.00.)
Surrounded by miles of unspoiled and glorious countryside, this treasured venue is widely recognised as one of the best food-led boutique hotels in the UK. It also hosts The Northcote Cookery School, one of the UK’s top culinary schools with inspirational cookery courses covering everything from barbeque to bread.
This renowned country house hotel has 26 imaginative and inspired rooms, all individual in character. At Northcote you have a choice between the Manor House rooms and Garden Lodge rooms. The Garden Lodge is situated within the Northcote gardens, just across from the Manor House, with eight rooms including a master suite.
Every January Northcote hosts Obsession, one of the most prestigious and internationally recognised gourmet festivals in Europe which was originally launched in 2001 by Nigel Haworth. Taking place over 14 nights, the event sees around sixteen world class chefs from Britain and Ireland, with multiple Michelin stars between them, cook at the luxury Lancashire hotel and Michelin star restaurant. It sells out every year.
For more information on events, menus, The Cookery School, gourmet packages and more visit https://www.northcote.com/, Northcote Road, Langho, Blackburn BB6 8BE
-----
Also read: TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALAN, MANCHESTER'S NEW DESIGN-LED HOTEL