Where to... Eat the best Lancashire hotpot - The Observer 3rd September 2006

Extract - The Observer 3rd September 2006

Now there's an autumn chill in the air many of us to start yearning for stodgy pies and puddings.

Comfort food doesn't get much better than Lancashire hotpot; particularly one that's made from locally sources lamb, potatoes and onions.

Northcote Manor, a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in Langho near Blackburn, makes one of the best. Slowly cooked for four hours in the Aga using heather-fed- free-range Bowland lamb, this treat comes with pickled red cabbage, glazed carrots and some unusual oyster fritters.

Be warned: the long cooking time means you'll have to pre-order the hotpot at least six hours in advance. It costs £32.00 for two, although you can order it for up to eight people.

You can eat a slightly different version of the hotpot - without the oyster fritters - in Northcotes's sister pub The Three Fishes, in nearby Mitton, near Whalley. It costs £9.95 and doesn't require you to book in advance.

Northcote Manor (01254 240555; www.northcotemanor.com);
The Three Fishes (01254 826888; www.thethreefishes.com)