This new venture by the Northcote Manor team, is a long, low, rambling, stone inn, clean and spare inside, and happily short of knick-knacks and horse brasses.
Staff are well informed, personable and not at all given to napkin flourishing. Inspection showed David Edward setting a formidable early pace in the kitchen.
A starter of boiled onions topped with a poached egg and a scattering of crumbled, acidulous Lancashire cheese was “achingly” simple comfort food at its best.
Free-range spare ribs, tender and “stickily piggy”, were spiced up firm devilled black peas. Mains brought Bowland’s lambs Liver with confit kidneys, spring cabbage, mash and roast garlic, “an offal lover’s dream”, and Goosnargh chicken breast with Delamere goat’s cheese, cracked wheat, broad beans and celeriac “a goaty take on Chicken Kiev”, the cheese leaking into a creamy soupy sauce to make a dish that lingered in memory.
Fish-eaters might go for Three Fishes Pie, Fleetwood Fish under a mash top sprinkled with Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese.
With this substantial Northern cooking, one can be outfaced by dessert stage. If not, try Manchester custard with Raspberry jelly and banana, or chocolate and orange pudding with clotted cream.
Wines are a good spread of contemporary styles from £12.50, though there’s not much aimed at enthusiasts.
Cooking – 5