Northcote Manor, Blackburn.

[Bapi]

As ever, the humanitarian and altruistic side to my character took pity on the poor damsel that is Sarah. Who could put up with the ramblings of Yorkshire’s most recent landlord - Gary Marshall, all alone for an entire evening? So Rosie and I selflessly sacrificed a night in front of Midsomer Murders, a few weeks back, to join Gary and Sarah for dinner and to celebrate his 40th birthday.

Northcote Manor is one of the few Michelin starred restaurants in the Northwest. It is situated very close to Blackburn and co-owned by Nigel Howarth and Craig Bancroft. The former, a talented chef, who is, from what I have read, a champion of all things Northern. The latter, a very knowledgeable oenophile. The Manor is a handsome building both inside and out and we met up with the Birthday boy in one of the two comfortable lounges within. The canapés with our champagne rather escape me, sadly, bar a memorable thin duck roll served with a fabulous, sticky red wine reduction. In any case, after careful consideration of the various menus - the greedy buggers convinced the lasses to submit to the 10 course menu at £85, as opposed to the 8 course option.

And so we moved into the dining room which was much larger than I expected. The lighting was subdued and cosy, bar those god awful, angled spot-lights. They meant I had to endure the light pollution that was the glare, cascading off Gary’s forehead for the entire meal. (Please- all Restaurateurs note- angled spot lights are the work of the devil -desist !!). I don’t think I am being overly rude in saying that the room also needs a bit of love and attention- it’s a great space with real potential, but some of the artwork and drapes, could do with updating. But, I understand that a refurbishment is already being mooted.

First up on our tasting menu was:

Seared British White Beef, Wild Herb and Salsify Salad, Lime Caramel, Roast Marrowbone.

A thin slice of the white beef- which actually refers to the breed of cattle, was surprisingly packed with flavour. The addition of the salad of salsify gave a pleasant textural note , but I didn’t really notice the lime caramel at all. The Roast marrow bone was served separately, as two small portions with a tiny parsley and onion salad. An obvious homage to Fergus Henderson’s dish. I am not sure how these two components of marrow and beef were supposed to have worked - but independently, they were delicious. A great start.

Lobster Salad, Smoked Foie Gras, Pea shoots, Passion Fruit Dressing.

I really liked this dish, The lobster was sweet, the foie gras rich, although not overly so - perhaps because of the smoking preparation. The pea shoots gave a vibrant, fresh whoosh of flavour. But everyone agreed the passion fruit dressing was the least successful addition and somewhat overpowering.

Quail Turnover, Celeriac Cream, Morel Mushroom Sauce.

Lovely stuff- very moreish. Light pastry encasing a succulent quail and complemented perfectly by the cream and the morel sauce.

Foragers Soup- (Bittercress, Nettle, Chervil Wild Garlic)-Battersby’s Sheep Milk Gnocchi

Vibrant green and very delicate, yet comforting. Nice touch with the Gnocchi which were perfect to dunk into the soup. Not sure this was the done thing - so sue me.

……….

Tortellini of crab with a Langoustine cream instead of Sea Bass, Smoked Shallots, Woodall’s aged Ham, Saffron Foam, Purple Basil Oil.

I wasn’t terribly bothered by the replacement of this dish with the tortellini, but on reflection - I would have liked the original dish, as I thought the tortellini was by far the weakest dish. Not a bad dish, it’s just that the flavours didn’t quite work for me - the crab meat was very fresh, but I found the seasoning and execution, a little out of kilter.

Pan Roast Top Side of Herwick Mutton, Golden Beet Puree, Purple Sprouting Broccoli

After reading all the hullabaloo about how fashionable mutton had become I had to try this. It was indeed very flavoursome, and accompanied by a swirl of the beet puree. A popular theme during the meal, but I think I would like to try this dish again- with this being the star of the show and not having been consumed after numerous courses before hand.

Crispy Suckling Pig, roasted White tubers, Perigord Truffles, Jelly Pasta

Fabulous crispy skin- succulent pig - what’s not to like? The truffles added a luxurious richness, I admit to not even noticing the tubers at all and at least the pasta, served in dinky little cast iron pots, meant Gary could get his carb intake.

A selection of Lancashire Cheeses

I am sad to say this was a risible course and since I was so aghast at the presentation of the dish when it arrived, I paid no attention to the names of the two cheeses. It consisted of two parsimonious slivers of cheese; a goats cheese and another blue veined cheese. Both were plonked beside some grapes which were patently past their best and juxtaposed next to a selection of biscuits that Sommerfield would be proud of. Quite frankly, as an impoverished student aeons ago, I never produced a plate as poor as that to my friends. And as Gary noted , the cheese course and Mutton course were not worth the extra £15 asked of us.

Our mood was not improved when the next tranche of staff took over . The new chap, arrived at our table and blurted out “Are you having anymore food?”…….. What? There was only one other table still dining left apart from us, so it wasn‘t exactly busy. So have the bloody courtesy to ask your departing colleagues for that information, or even better get your arse in the kitchen and ask them, for god’s sake.

Sadly, the wine service was also poor. I admire places that have the gumption to say- “look, we will pour it, let you taste it and reassure yourself that the wine is up to scratch - but after that, pour it yourself“. But if you insist on the whole formal rigmarole of placing the wine out of reach, so as to be able to top up the guest’s wine as and when required - then do it properly. Don’t bugger off to the other room for a chat and don’t rely on the customer having to tell you that there is wine left in the previous bottle in the cooler, before you open another one for the next few courses. Something I had to do twice. You should know what’s going on and especially when there are so few other tables still dining on the night. Aaaaggh. This is simple stuff - get it right or please don’t bother. Incidentally- I can’t remember the wines as Gary usually takes care of this aspect- which is actually a relief for me.

Thankfully our mood was alleviated by two superb desserts.

Fruit Bread Brioche (Toasted) soaked in Honey and Custard, Sheep’s milk ice-cream.

Bramley Apple Crumble Soufflé, Lancashire Cheese Ice cream

The soufflé was superb and another indication of the prodigious Head Chef-Lisa Allen’s talent in the kitchen. I note she has received many plaudits for her food recently. I just wish other elements like the service had been at the top of their game on the night so as to match her cooking. Just in case- I would point out the lasses who served our meals did sterling work- it was the chaps who let the side down on the night.

I don’t wish to sound overly disparaging as a Michelin starred restaurant in Lancashire is all too rare a beast, and no doubt Gary will have a different perspective. It could have been Sunday night malaise on their part, but that is not in itself any form of mitigation, especially when we were paying well over £230 per couple. I think we got the feeling that they had a hard week and some of their team were winding down a little too early. I will return as I really enjoyed the food, and even Gary's company- but maybe that was the wine helping.

But one thing is for sure, my return won’t be on a Sunday.

Edited April 27, 2006 by Bapi (log)

[BertieWooster]

Sunday is an odd day though innit? Northcote is very big on the SUnday lunch scene, so it might be all the effort goes into that and the C shift works SUnday nights. Not that it should be like that of course...Ate at Overton on a SUnday night and we were the only guests dining. Had two waiters just dealing with us. Never has my glass been so full.

You seem to have really enjoyed the food till the Cheese course though? And presumably you recorded Midsomer Murders?

[Bapi]

Sunday is an odd day though innit? Northcote is very big on the SUnday lunch scene, so it might be all the effort goes into that and the C shift works SUnday nights. Not that it should be like that of course...

You seem to have really enjoyed the food till the Cheese course though? And presumably you recorded Midsomer Murders?

←

On reflection, I remember Gary texting on the Sunday afternoon when checking in, and saying that the place was packed to the rafters with a Shooting Party. But as you say, even if they were busy in the afternoon, things should also run smoothly later that evening.

And yes, I did really enjoy what we had to eat, which is why I will return at some point. I was just a little disheartened beacuse I had been looking forward to dining there, after having tried- Northcote's little sister- the Three Fishes late last year. Knowing that there is a restaurant of that calibre, quite near to us and having listened to the experiences of people whom I trust- I just wanted it to be spot on that night and sadly the service didn't step up to the mark.

PS- The video recorder is redundant and hasn't been used for years- I don't why it's still under the television to be honest

[Kropotkin]

I've just found this thread on Northcote Manor and thought I'd stick my oar in... My partner and I stayed and dined there in late March this year - around the same time as Bapi and our experience was not dissimilar.

I'd planned this visit as a special treat: I was brought up in East Lancashire and was especially keen to see how the local fare might be reinvigorated in the hands of a classy chef. I really wanted this to go well and overall we were pleased with the visit and enjoyed the food greatly; the room we had was also very pleasant. However, my view resonates with Bapi's and, unfortunately, I'm not sure we'd return.

We had booked the Gourmet Break (dinner, bed and breakfast) for 130 GBP each. My partner was newly pregnant and we had to tell Northcote this at a few days notice, but they were very good about substituting any dishes; they also identified us in the lounge straight away and checked the menu through with us as the champagne and canapes arrived. So far, so excellent.

We ordered happily, but with given the new pregnancy I was drinking alone. I was also just back from 10 pricey days in the US, so cash was tight and I asked the maître d' about the lowest end of his wine-lists. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide what seemed to be a grimace - and although I agreed 45 GBP for two half bottles, this left us wondering if Northcote was less seriously foody, and more seriously snooty, than we'd realised.

In turn, we were under-whelmed by our table. The dining room was busy yet pretty spacious. Nevertheless, another young couple were seated at small, parallel bistro table no more than a foot from ours. I don't think this was policy, as two metres to our left, an elderly couple enjoyed a table for c. six to themselves. We weren't intriguing in some bijou Parisien place; we wanted space and privacy to discuss and enjoy our meal. Essentially, we were sharing with two other young'uns who looked equally mystified by the arrangements.

That said, once the food arrived my grumbles dissolved. I can't recall all the dishes, but my partner was very excited about her Heather-fed lamb. She eats lamb whenever she can, but this she ranked as amongst the very best. I also thought the forrager's soup was sublime - taste and texture just right (next morning we also saw the forrager at work in the field outside... ). I also recall the White beef being extraordinarily delicate and tasty, and the marrowbone accompaniment was superb (if not for the squeamish). The Pork Belly dish was also fantastic, with crisp coating hiding the succulent pork within that melted on the tongue.

I was waiting for their signature Lancashire cheese ice-cream and it didn't disappoint. The taste was so precise that it actually triggered childhood memories of the rich, tangy, creamy cheese from market stalls and butchers' shops, and it complemented the apple flavours elsewhere on the dish perfectly. I was enthralled by this; conversely, one of my partner's highlights is always the cheese dish - and this was pretty disappointing. The cheese itself was fine, but the two thin slices were lonely and the presentation was desultory. I'm sure there was a theory or method about taste in there somewhere, but it wasn't clear to us and left us with a major low-note. The coffee was good.

So, given all this it might appear difficult to pinpoint where we fell out of love. The food was impressive overall, with excellent technical skills and that famed commitment to Northern produce that I was chasing. But at the same time, if it is to wow across the board, Northcote also needs to sharpen up its service around the edges. The wine service was erratic, but I can forgive this. (Virtually) sharing tables with another couple was an odd policy, but I could accommodate this at a stretch. The maître d' irked us a little more. Worse, our newspaper wasn't ordered for the morning and after three requests we were given a few assorted, discarded supplements. So by now I was less charitable, and remembered the confusion of booking: I'd taken the internet option from their site, but after a week of silence I booked on the phone instead, only to later find I had two rooms reserved... and I had to call again to sort all this out. Oh, and someone had scraped my car as they left the car park (of course, this isn't Northcote's fault, but it didn't help my bewildered mood)!

Perhaps Northcote suffered from my own high hopes for a seamless night at a temple of Northern gastronomy? In truth, on leaving, I took a leaflet about an excellent lunchtime menu offer that made me want to return immediately... but since then we've paid similar prices in peer restaurants where, overall, those little things that cement the pleasure of the occasion have been better. Indeed, subsequently, and in the North-West alone, we've visited other places rather than try Northcote again. Just a few minutes away, Heathcote's Longridge Restaurant doesn't hit the same foodie heights or service levels, but is cheaper. We were also more impressed by the tasting menu at Juniper and we'd return to both those places (for different reasons) before Northcote.

But I'm new to this forum, so perhaps I'd better find any Juniper thread and write up our July pilgrimage to Altrincham and the August drive to Longridge...

Edited September 3, 2006 by Kropotkin (log)

[Bapi]

kropotkin,

Thanks for your review and welcome on board.

Sorry to hear that you also had a slightly hit and miss meal at Northcote. Like you, I think we will venture to other places before venturing back to Northcote. ( Has anyone heard/ been to Cassis at the Stanley House Hotel in Mellor- aslo near Blackburn? Chap there is ex-head chef at Northcote I believe?)

In any case- I would be very interested to hear your views about Juniper, as this has been mooted for a potential boys lunch, later this year.

Cheers

B

Edited September 3, 2006 by Bapi (log)

[Jon Tseng]

One thing that strikes me as unusual on both the tasting menus - three red meat courses (beef, mutton, pork).

Strikes me as slightly unbalanced - although in reality I suppose portion size is a far bigger determinant of balance that wot the ingredient is (with the possible of exception of uber rich stuff such as foie gras)

Sounds fun though. There was a write-up of their lancashire hot pot in yesterday's observer - you have to order it ahead though, apparently, as it takes six hours...

J

[Gary Marshall]

Sounds fun though.  There was a write-up of their lancashire hot pot in yesterday's observer - you have to order it ahead though, apparently, as it takes six hours...

←

yes, i wanted to try that when i went with bapi, luckily at the pub our chef does a very good copy, we cook it for about 4 hours i think, v good.

[BertieWooster]

*holds hands over ears and sings loudly*

I can't hear you...with four weeks to go to the wedding at thatNorthcote, no criticism will be heard.

Though their events team could do with some training.

Apparently, Northcote is looking to go for a second star. Don't see it myself. Are there any one-star restaurants that haven't 'been informed' that they're close to two?

[Kropotkin]

An addendum here to an earlier report:

In early 2006 I visited Northcote Manor for a meal (which was good), but I grumbled about the service and the customer-relations (which were a little sloppy).

I lunched there yesterday to check it out again and, I'm pleased to say, the welcome, service and customer-care were faultless. While the lunchtime fare was not quite as impressive as the evening offerings we had last time, it was still good. They also had a neat selection of wines (available by the glass) to match the lunch options. And, at c. 24 quid for three courses and coffee, it represents fair value. Given my grumbles up-thread, it's only fair that I report a better experience...

[BertieWooster]

Yup, went back there Sunday before last. It helped to get some complimentary champagne, but the service and attention to detail were all back to where they were eighteen months ago. A new set of staff, much more consistency, alongside the still excellent food.

Apparently they'll now only do 'special' weddings--ie. ones that pay a lot, rather than as a matter of course. I think the pressure of the big events told on the service at other times over the weekend (certainly the lunch team when we left post-nuptials were 3/4 the team that had been up till 4am partying with us the night before, so sloppiness at lunch would have been inevitable).

[adey73]

Yup, went back there Sunday before last. It helped to get some complimentary champagne, but the service and attention to detail were all back to where they were eighteen months ago. A new set of staff, much more consistency, alongside the still excellent food.

Apparently they'll now only do 'special' weddings--ie. ones that pay a lot, rather than as a matter of course. I think the pressure of the big events told on the service at other times over the weekend (certainly the lunch team when we left post-nuptials were 3/4 the team that had been up till 4am partying with us the night before, so sloppiness at lunch would have been inevitable).

←

I Paid for Fathers day a couple of weeks ago and it was very good service and all. Even had a touch of MG with the Orange Caviar with my duck ham starter which they seem to have used cold oil spherification rather than the sodium route. I think it's the best restaurant in Northwest, makes l'enculme (that I also paid for on mothersday) look pitiful, expensive & pretenious. At L'enculme when I asked what the tasteless powder was on my foie dish, knowing it was tapoica Maltodexrin, the sniffy arse voiced head waiter told me it was "Transmogrified Olive oil, it's all very exciting!". Um 'transmogrified' yeah right.

[dharold]

Interesting to read these reports. It's not really in my neck of the woods anymore but I'm thinking of another visit to Northcote Manor for this simple reason that this is where, at the tender age of 16 (now 20 years ago), my interest in fine food was born. A family friend took us there for dinner and I remember being astonished that anything could taste so good (I grew up on hotpot, sausages and colcannon) and by the silver service, the likes of which I had no idea might be practiced in the modern world ; )

[adey73]

If you do come back up. I really recommend the Highwayman Inn, owned by the same people. I was there yesterday. It is fantastic in an entirely different way than Northcote. And the Highwayman is a lot better than it's sister pub, the Three Fishes.

www.highwaymaninn.co.uk/

[dharold]

Thanks,

I rather like the Three Fishes, so if it's better I'll be sure to detour next time I'm up.

D.

[RDB]

If you do come back up. I really recommend the Highwayman Inn, owned by the same people. I was there yesterday. It is fantastic in an entirely different way than Northcote. And the Highwayman is a lot better than it's sister pub, the Three Fishes.

www.highwaymaninn.co.uk/

←

Adey just wondering how you see the Highwayman as being better than the Three Fishes? Apart from the odd dish the menu looks much the same. The location of the Three Fishes is great and the service and atmosphere both pretty good, especially having been established for a while.

Just intrigued to know how the Highway man pips it ??

[adey73]

Of course you're right the menu's are almost identical and the recipes must be too.

But it's the execution. The brigade at HM seem more charged, get the stuff out quicker and looks/eats better than the 3F's. Take the chips, superior at the former (being crisp rather than soggy) than the later resulting in the fish & chips dish at the HM being superior to the three fishes. The plates just look better.

The service feels superior to me too. The waiting staff I've encountered at HM are more efficient, food gets out quicker and follow up drinks to go with the meal. (I didn't tip yesterday though I should have). The last time I was at Three Fishes (Monday 14th May, my b'day) everything was sloppy requested drink didn't arrive had to remind twice, everyone look flustered/tired and their uniforms looks unlaundered.

Beyond my own ancedotal experience know 2 people at work who've been disappointed with the 3F experience.

HM did run out of Hot Pot though yesterday.

[adey73]

Just had a family Sunday lunch at Northcote, the food all looked good and went down well, but taste wise no gasps but no failures, service efficient and no mistakes. £162 for 4 all in. Dessert was very limited creme brulee, that god awful curd tart, Carpaccio of pure profit (sorry mango). The soup had mango in it too...

Curried Cauliflower Soup. Wild Rabbit and foie terrine (cracked on a few minor rabbit bones, tasted good though).

Potted Salmon. Asparagus Salad.

Roebuck in puff pastry with turnip puree. Lamb with carrot puree.

Le Roast Beouf. Side of Dauphinoise that accompanied the lamb.

Strawberry and Creme Brulee. And Mango.

4 Courses for £30 so nothing at all to complain about.

Just ordered the blackpudding and foie gras book by Andrew Pern, would like to get over to the Star but it takes such a long time to get such a short distance without motorways, from my location.

Edited May 25, 2008 by adey73 (log)

[spanielking]

You do very well with family meals out. The ones I go to mainly have wacky warehouses attached!

Looks typical Northcote. I am sure it was all very tasty, but never any real fireworks. But who cares when it is soooo tasty?? Do your family not mind you snapping pics of their food??

[adey73]

We're a close knit bunch.

Couldn't care less what anyone else thinks!

[CalumC]

Good old standard Mr Howarth. Not that i'd turn down going, just doesn't look spectacular.

btw, northcote is 1 star isn't it? I believe that by looking at that and comparing to your report on LCS, you can see differences are, i think you questioned it yourself in that report. What are your thoughts now?