Harters

They may be redecorating again! Phone rings yesterday morning to tell us that they've had a flood and the kitchen will be closed. They can accommodate us for dinner at Rogan & Co if we'd like and the overnight hotel bit is still OK. "No thanks", Mrs H replies, "We want to eat at L'Enclume." Long story cut short is that they are full of apologies and generous in wanting to "make things right " for us, so we're now going next Friday.

Looking for a nice leisurely lunch before catching a late afternoon ferry. Any thoughts?

When I'm in a new area, first place I look is http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/producers/

Possibly. And I would be saddened to learn if that was the case. Our meal there was at the beginning of 2008 so things may have changed more recently - but it was a faultless experience and, by a country mile, our best meal of the year (knocking spots off board favourite Juniper in Paul Kitching's closing weeks).

And while we're on the subject of "cheap as chips", my current favourite cheap lunch is Jaffa at the southern end of the Wilmslow Road "curry mile". Looks like just another kebab takeaway with a few seats to "eat in". But very good shawama and a plentiful portion at that. Comes with bread, salad, chili sauce and a dollop of hummus. They also do good plates of mixed veggie meze. And usually a daily special (chicken and okra seems to a regular). Well worth a try if you're passing. (Reason for edit: typos)

Petra is a great find (on Upper Brook Street). Between it and the Cedar Tree (Thomas St in the city centre), you've probably got the area's best middle eastern food. They knock spots off the two Good Food Guide's listed places (Hanni's and Heddy's). And I second poppalarge's Stockport comment - the town centre remains devoid of anything good - not even a decent chippy.

If you'd be happy to schlep out to Richmond, the Bingham is on the river . A new entry in this year's Good Food Guide (and a Cooking 5). Had a very pleasant dinner, if solitary, there earlier last year - would have been improved if the wife or girlfriend had been with me. It's a "pretty" room and a nice view so should fit the romantic bit. In warmer weather, drinkies can be taken on the terrace. The chef, Shay Cooper, is from my part of the world and I hope he has good success "down south". www.binghamhotel.co.uk

Yep, 12 courses sounds about right. More than that, I start to wonder about losing the plot. Will report back. John

We're there next week. I see from the website that there are three menus - £50, £70, £90. Am I right in thinking the "Tour" you mention is the full £90 business ?

Jumble Room at Grasmere - although it's a couple of years since I've been. Write-up in the current Good Food Guide mentions Mansergh Hall lamb - which would be recommendation enough. I buy most of my meat over the internet from them. Organic and damn tasty!

I'd have thought that recipes from Britain & Ireland would be pretty similar, although there's no one recipe that's even really a "regional standard" that I'm aware of. Might be worth asking the friend's mum what she reckoned was diffferent from others and take it from there. I make my own mincemeat about once every five years and have to say that my life is too short to grate or chop real suet. I'd buy a good quality supermarket brand - but none of that veggie alternative muck.

Pleasant, if not perfect, lunch at London Road today. Nice modern room. Welcoming, friendly efficient staff. Good looking menu. Lots of wines by the glass. Mrs H passed on a starter and went for the fish & chips off the carte. Good fish - big portion - although the batter could have been crispier. Chips were excellent – proper chip-sized chips, crispy on the outside and soft and potatoey on the inside. Mushy peas and tartare sauce were underwhelming. I went with the lunch menu. Two courses for £12.50; three for £15.50 or thereabouts. Four reasonable choices at each course and, typical of a Heathcote place, some emphasis on local produce – the Cumberland sausages for the sausage and mash came from the butchers just 100 yards down the road. At prices this keen, there is often a risk that portion control will be predominant. And, let us say, that I was unfortunately not disappointed. A starter of warmed Welsh goats cheese worked well, its creaminess contrasting with caramelised hazelnuts and some dressed rocket. The main of salmon, Anya potato and mangetout was perfectly fine but was gone in not much more than four or so mouthfuls. A less charitable person might describe the portion as “mean spirited”. Good job I wasn't too hungry. We had coffee to finish – served, unforgivably, luke warm. Generally speaking, a good experience and one we'd sample again. And certainly easier to get to than schlepping into the city (but , of course, that depends where you're starting from ).

We turned up about 18 months back with every intention of eating there. There was not a soul in the restaurant - not even a sign of any staff - although the hotel reception said it was open. In any event, the menu looked very pedestrian - "corporate hotel" if you will. So we got back in the car and went to Pizza Express.

A few weeks after I retired some years ago, my partner asked if there was anything I was missing. Jokingly, I replied “the Office Christmas Party” and, there and then, it was decided that I must have one. So, each year since, the two of us have an “outing”. I get to choose and there’s no quibbles or scowls about my choice. It’s usually a meal and, because we live in North Cheshire, we tend to gravitate towards Manchester. But this year, I decided we’d spend an evening with the county glitterarti deep in Hollyoaks land. Recently done up by the Grosvenor Hotel and renamed from the Arkle Restaurant, at the time of writing, SRatG retains its single Michelin star, 4 Rosettes and a GFG Cooking 7. A comfortable bar adjoins the restaurant. As soon as the drinks order was taken, a serving of nuts, green and black olives arrived. Closely followed, with the drinks, by some fab canapés – paprika popcorn, a mini cheese pasty thing and, best of all, a few wonderfully crispy whitebait with a very fennel-y gloop to dip them in. There is a tasting menu but I just didn’t fancy it, so we went for the carte – three courses at £59. The carte is one of those where there is just a one or two name to the dish (but followed by further description – which will be repeated and extended on when it is brought to table). In the restaurant, the bread trolley was wheeled up and the long list of at least a dozen breads reeled off. Then an amuse of a haddock veloute was served. Light and very fishy I started with “Pork Jowl” – confit pork cheek, seared scallop, parsnip puree and a scattering of pork scratchings. Did this work? You bet it did. Very long-cooked, very piggy pork; just cooked sweet scallop; the parsnip adding to the sweetness. I followed this with “Feathered and Furred” - a slice of mallard, goose, roe deer and something else – cooked perfectly to medium rare, with a few chanterelles. Alongside , served in a small Kilner jar, some choucroute containing a piece of Gloucester Old Spot bacon and sausage. A big enough serving to satisfy anyone’s carnivorous greed. She who was paying started with Dorset Crab. A very simple starter of crab flakes topped with a cucumber jelly and a caviar wafer. Alongside a mousse of the brown flesh. Clean tastes with seasoning spot on. Her main centred on one of the few local products – organic Rhug Hall chicken. The breast cooked in Riesling and, far better, the leg slow cooked in red wine with bacon. We took cheese as an extra course (adding another £11.50 each). There was an extensive trolley that was almost exclusively French and the young French waiter who served it really knew his cheese – explaining each and seeking out our views before putting a plate together for each of us. A serving platter of grapes and celery on ice was brought and the cheese was also accompanied by chutney and a fig cake (for which there’s probably a French name but I only know it as the Spanish “pan de higo”). Pre-dessert was a fig and pear sorbet, topped with some of the fruit and the whole topped with egg nog. Desserts proper were bit like the curate’s egg. Mrs H ordered “Compression” – described as a pressed banana caramel with iced salty peanut. This was a star – the banana bit being rich, sweet and fruity and the peanut bit being salty peanut icecream. And, wow, did this work well together. Mine was a disappointment. Described as “Orange”, it comprised an orange mousse, blobs of chocolate orange icecream and orange sorbet and something else topped with orange marmalade. But nowhere was there any real citrus zing. We took coffee back in the bar with the finest petits-fours we can recall. Service throughout, by a mainly young but experienced staff, had been excellent. Final bill, including service, came to £217.

Iestyn From Thom's mention above (#133) I think he is referring to Red & Hot. Been past the Manchester one a couple of times but thought the menu layout very off-putting so havnt yet been in. Perhaps one day, when I've more time to suss out what to order. John

It was on sale at Wirral Farmers' Market last month and I gather they are a regular item. I think I recall that they were trapped, as indicated up-thread. But, at a fiver for two back legs, I didnt buy - perhaps the seller taking advantage of the then recent mention of the beastie on "River Cottage Autumn".

We'll be familiar with the "near scam" of adding a service charge to the bill and then leaving the credit card machine software set up so that it still asks if you want to leave a tip. Disreputable in my view but something regular diners are alert to. But, this week, we were paying in a fairly well known Manchester Chinatown restaurant and the waiter actually says" if you want to leave a tip, press this button". When we mentioned the service charge, he said "well, press that one , then". I've never come across such a blatant push before. And it was, clearly, a blatant push. I gather it isn't a one-off. The problem of this restaurant doing it has been reported on local website, Manchester Confidential. And the place? The Little Yang Sing. Food was also pretty hit & miss (even bearing in mind this is only a GFG Cooking 1). We'll not be going back.

Well, Mrs H's employer decided to be even more appreciative of her contribution to global capitalism - so we're booked in at L'Enclume and staying overnight with them. Which should mean we can squeeze in lunch at the Highwayman next day. Unfortunately this means we have only enough left over for two houses in Wigan.

Can't comment on the past but wasnt all that impressed in October. See post #33 here.

They've been doing the free range/outdoor reared thing for a while now. Stopped for brekkie at one earlier in the year - it actually was none too shabby. Not as good as your favourite greasy spoon, of course, but not bad if you're away from your normal brekkie haunts

OK, I accept that your intent was not to offend. I've no real wish to be pedantic here and, as I'm sure you've reread my original contribution which indicates that I enjoy eating vegetable based dishes on the island, it looks like we are well on the way to agreement. You can correctly infer from that contribution that I've found good places where I can eat them. Based on that, I re-iterate my point that they are not often found on the menus of the better restaurants and, all too often, it's a touristy version on offer. And, that, my friend, is based my experience and my memories. And, of course, why would anyone expect them to be? It's a rare treat when you do find them? As we know, it is most rare that "poor people's domestic food" finds its way onto the menus of "good" restaurants anywhere. It's not why folk go to eat out, generally speaking. It's something I'd say about my own country's food and its something my relative would say about his. Surely no disagreement from anyone on that?

Well, I can only recount what the brother in law told me. He's Mallorcan; I'm not. But, please, do not suggest that a family member would tell me an untruth - your remark offends. As to the restaurants I visit in Mallorca, I am happy to accept I may be visiting the "wrong" restaurants to find good quality "traditional" vegetable based dishes. I'd welcome recommendations (and I'm sure the brother in law would also).

I visit Mallorca more than other parts of Spain and it's in the traditional vegetable dishes that I often find most enjoyment - tombet, coca, sopas mallorquin, trempo, frit de verduras (although, in truth, I prefer the very meaty frit de matances) . But, I agree, go to a restaurant and you are likely to be disappointed in not seeing them too often (except, perhaps, poor quality versions in touristy places). The brother in law explains it thus - veggie dishes came about from the times of poverty when folk couldnt afford meat so, if you can afford to be eating in restaurant, you are not poor, therefore why would you not want to eat meat or fish.

Mrs Harters' employer has just given her a bonus in the form of being able to spend up to £250 on a single meal (for the two of us). For a variety of reasons (not least, we are not financially flush at present), we want to spend this nearish to home and not have to cough up for overnight hotels, travel or whatever. So, within an hour's drive of Manchester (or not too much more), where would you suggest? John

Like SaladFingers, I use both BBC websites - as well as the UKTV Food one. All three are handy for the "what can I do different with this" sort of question for week night dinners. I'm a Good Food subscriber so tend to mark up recipes to try - reasonable as they are, few tend to stay in the Harters repetoire.