| Friends of the Manor March 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hello and welcome to the first update of 2005!January & February disappeared in a flash! But what a couple of months! – this year’s Festival of Food and Wine was without exception a stunning gastronomic experience for everyone involved, from our valued clients, visiting chefs along with the kitchen and front of house brigade who worked enthusiastically throughout the week to stage this unique annual event.
1. Festival of Food & Wine 2005This year in particular, excelled itself, displaying an incredible high standard of culinary brilliance consistently throughout the week; most definitely we hit the mark with our branding theme for 2005 of Bravura – a bold display of skill, brilliance and great daring! We received some fabulous coverage for the Festival through local and national media, all of which raises the profile of Northcote Manor, associated sponsors and suppliers, firmly placing Lancashire and the North West as a serious gastronomic destination in the UK. Nigel is already talking to the chefs for next year’s festival and you will be the first to know the release of next year’s star studded line up of culinary talent. Here are some memories of the 2005 Festival of Food & Wine
If you are interested in seeing the menus from each evening along with the fabulous wines matched by Craig, they have now been updated onto our web site, along with previous year’s menus please click here.
2. Michelin Star - retained! One of the keys to the success of The Michelin Guide is its independence. Michelin inspectors visit establishments in complete anonymity. In this way, they are in the same situation as any other valued client. They make their judgements in all objectivity, without any favours in return. This method is unique in Europe and represents an irreplaceable guarantee of reliability. Michelin and all respected guide books welcome positive feedback from clients and we thank any of you who have taken the time and trouble to write and give your support. The ideal gift for your foodie friends and family.
3. Northcote Manor Development & Refurbishment Plan for 2005 / 2006Please Note - Closure of The Manor from 21st March – 1st April We are delighted to announce the commencement of our two year refurbishment plan with a total investment of half a million pounds. We have appointed Ward Robinson Interior Designers, under the direction of Jill Holst to direct this programme. Ward Robinson have been responsible for the interior design at Seaham Hall, Cotswold House Hotel, Calcott Manor and some involvement with The Samling to mention but a few of their successes. Refurbishment of the bar; restaurant service corridor, ladies and gents wash room facilities will be completed in March 2005 and we take this opportunity to advise you that The Manor will be closed for accommodation and restaurant from Monday 21st March – Friday 1st April inclusive. However, management and administration will be available for any enquiries or bookings. This will be followed by bedroom refurbishment of the old house and the rest of the bedrooms by the end of 2006. The grounds will continue to absorb investment with continual garden improvements and external works.
4. The Three Fishes scoops Kids Food win Pubs that go "beyond the chicken nugget" CAMRA developed the “Beyond a Chicken Nugget” competition, following regular media reports on the unhealthy eating habits of our youth. The aim of the competition was to reward and promote pubs that went out of their way to cater for children, in offering them a diverse range of imaginative, healthy and seasonal menus in an environment that the whole family could enjoy. We are over the moon that Three Fishes has been recognised with this award of putting seasonality and regional produce onto menus for children. Taken from the judges final report – Definitely a favourite, and the dishes sound delicious with lots of regional produce and specialities. While not “kiddyfied” it’s good to find adult food in children’s portions at a reasonable price. Although children tend to like plain food without too many herbs and spices (except ketchup of course!), the Three Fishes is just the sort of pub to introduce children to different tastes and foods. View the children’s menu here at The Three Fishes We have had some more fantastic entries to our fish drawing competition from our young visitors and next month we will be announcing our second winner of the Children’s Drawing competition. 5. UNICHEF The idea was the brainchild of our good friend Philip Howard, chef-proprietor of Michelin-starred The Square in Mayfair. 6. Nigel at The Vineyard at Stockross
“The Chef’s Table” will welcome Alain Roux from the Waterside Inn at Bray, Heston Blumenthal from The Fat Duck at Bray, Philip Howard from The Square in London and Nigel will cook a 6 course dinner on Thursday 4th August. Prices £120.00 per person, with special accommodation rates available For bookings or more information – telephone 01635 528770 7. ReviewsRecently we have had an abundance of journalist visitors to Northcote Manor and The Three Fishes, thankfully all with generous and well received comments! The Financial Times , arrived at Northcote Manor in wonderful Lancastrian weather! and compared our stunning scenery to the sun drenched South of France or even some lush corner of Spain; The Manor was recommended by Monsieur Mangetout! in The Sunday Times magazine; chefs eat out at Northcote Manor with the Caterer & Hotelkeeper (worrying comparison of Craig and Nigel to Eric and Ernie!) however, the visiting chefs enjoyed a masterclass in “terroir” cooking; Waitrose Food magazine featured Northcote twice – UK’s best vegetarian restaurants and a masterclass with Nigel on his perfection of Lancashire Hotpot; We appreciated the honesty of Victor Lewis-Smith of The Guardian Weekend, especially when he gave such a glowing account of his experience at The Three Fishes; The Lancashire magazine reports how they are hooked on the Three Fishes and Delicious this month includes Nigel as one of 10 chefs true to their belief in British produce. All these reviews are now featured in full here on the web site 8. Whalley Cricket Club – Sponsorship DealWe are proud to announce that The Three Fishes has agreed to become the official sponsor of Whalley Cricket Club for the next three years. The Three Fishes is fully committed to helping the development of junior and youth activities in the local community and it is therefore essential that good sporting facilities are available. This is a great opportunity to assist in raising the profile of Whalley Cricket Club by offering financial support, helping with fundraising events and encouraging new members of all ages to join such an enthusiastic club. “We very much look forward to a tremendous season for Whalley and hope that our support will benefit both the club, its members and the community of Whalley as a whole” Chairman of the club, David Westwood, reports” This is a major step forward for the Cricket Club. We are extremely lucky to have found a locally based sponsor whose ambitions mirror ours – namely development of local facilities for the community. I look forward to working with The Three Fishes over the next three years to everyone’s mutual benefit.” For more information on Whalley Cricket Club visit www.whalley.play-cricket.com 9. The Three Fishes – Family Days
On these special celebration days, The Three Fishes will take reservations for any number of parties up to tables of 10. This is contra to our normal booking policy of no reservations, as we would not like to disappoint on these family gatherings. Opening Hours will be 12noon – 8.30pm for food service The Three Fishes - Bank Holidays Good Friday, Easter Monday and May Bank Holidays Opening hours will be 12noon – 8.30pm for food service Reservations can only be made for parties of 8 or more To make your reservation telephone 01254 826888 On all of these high days and holidays – The three Fishes will offer special seasonal alternatives along with the normal menu 10. The Northcote Manor Diary
FULL DETAILS OF ALL SPECIAL EVENTS, INCLUDING COOKERY DEMONSTRATIONS AND WINE EVENINGS FOR THIS YEAR WILL BE RELEASED IN APRIL Northcote Manor
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January was also the month Michelin unveiled its red guide to Great Britain & Ireland for 2005 and Northcote is proud to have again successfully retained it’s star for the eighth year running.
CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale, an independent, voluntary, consumer organisation) announced winners of the best pub grub for kids in December 2004
Northcote Manor joined hundreds of other restaurants throughout the UK and pledged to donate from their restaurant takings on Monday 7th February to support its Tsunami children’s emergency appeal. 
Nigel will be returning the favour to John Campbell who appeared at Northcote’s Festival of Food & Wine in 2004 and will be cooking at a similar event at The Vineyard at Stockcross – “The Chef’s Table” which runs from Monday 1st August – Saturday 6th August. 
Mother’s Day, Easter Sunday and Father’s Day