Is This Lancashire’s Best Restaurant?

A trip to Michelin-starred restaurant Moor Hall in Lancashire exceeds all expectations, says Margaret Hussey.

Restaurant Review: Moor Hall, Lancashire

By the last dish of the Provenance menu at Moor Hall, I was running out of superlatives. ‘Wow, Oh My God, delicious, heaven, sublime’ were just some of my said-out-loud notes to a menu that surpasses expectations. Little wonder then that it recently came third in the National Restaurant Awards, just behind London’s The Ledbury and Mountain.

The self-dubbed ‘Restaurant with Rooms’ is as unassuming as its chef Mark Birchall, who has quietly been building a foodie magnet in this corner of West Lancashire – about half an hour from Liverpool.

His Moor Hall restaurant has two Michelin stars, while its on-site sister The Barn, a more laid back experience, has one.  It’s easy to see why: Birchall prides himself on growing as much as he can in his own gardens and using local suppliers wherever possible – ‘but it’s got to be good’.

That very much becomes apparent during the Provenance feast of 18 courses, which is more of a journey than a meal in every sense, as you move between certain courses. Guests are encouraged to stay over – there are seven rooms in the Grade II listed hall and gatehouse and now seven new Garden Rooms have been added, merging Birchall’s philosophy of sustainability and quality.

But first back to that food. We came for lunch and started with a selection of ‘snacks’ in the lounge. It’s not often, being vegetarian, that you get treated to the most gourmet of dishes. But here, as with the meat and fish dishes, attention to detail is paramount.

Our first bite-sized delights included Corra Linn cheese and beetroot and a mushroom parcel of onion and thyme, all so thoughtful and exquisitely presented. The meat and fish snacks include smoked eel, cod roe and their own home-cured charcuterie.

You are then taken around Moor Hall’s very extensive no-dig, no chemicals garden to see what they have planted. They are completely self-sufficient in micro-herbs and baby vegetables as well as the beautiful edible flowers like violas, primulas and wood sorrel which adorned our dishes. Their sustainable credentials have also seen them awarded a Michelin Green Star.

Then it’s into the kitchens for the last of the six snacks. When we visited it was a haven of serenity as the 16 staff prepped vegetables and meat as well as the pastry dome for one of our next courses.

We moved into the restaurant for eight courses of gastronomic heaven which included sweetbell turnips, Tarleton tomatoes from up the road, and Cauliflower Ducasse, named in honour of celebrated chef Alain Ducasse, and framed with the pastry we saw being made earlier. For fish eaters Tarleton tomatoes also appear with East Coast Lobster – a dish the late Hairy Biker and Lancastrian Dave Myers described as ‘Biblical’ when he visited Moor Hall in one of his last television appearances.

There are many thoughtful links to the building’s past, too, like sandstone from its refurbishment incorporated into plates by a local ceramicist. Some of the old beams are repurposed as wooden pegs for your meat knife and the knife handles have flowers from the garden in resin.

The sense of occasion continued with four puddings including Ormskirk gingerbread, a local traditional biscuit which Birchall champions, and blackberries with muscovado and woodruff. Beyond the food, our courses were matched by the most delicious wines, expertly poured and described by the informed sommelier Giuseppe. We tried Swiss and Austrian wine and left armed with a new vinous knowledge.

Completely full, we wobbled back to our Garden Room. The seven standalone suites are all named after botanicals used on the menu like Oxalis, Sweet Cicely and Woodruff, and colourwise reflect the plant they are named after. Ours was Borage and had a very Scandi feel with huge windows, lots of natural light, a muted colour scheme, calming prints and plants. The rooms, designed by Koto, are fabricated offsite and made from sustainable timber. There’s an outdoor hot tub, powerful shower and a nice touch of UK-based Pelegrims product, made sustainably from grape waste.

Olco Studios

By 9pm we were in bed – the squishiest, largest and most comfortable emperor bed. It was wonderful to fall asleep naturally with just the sounds of the trees rustling, and waking up to the birds and sitting outside with a cup of tea surrounded by nature was bliss.

Then came breakfast at The Barn. This again is done Birchall-style: local, moreish and full of flavour.  There was homemade sourdough, yoghurt and compote, egg florentine crumpet with crispy potato and for meat and fish eaters, house black pudding and whisky barrel smoked salmon, all to a backdrop of Radio 2.

Checking out was a nice touch, too: custard and pear cruffins (a mixture of a croissant and muffin) for the train. Needless to say they didn’t last the journey…

The Provenance menu is £235 per person with £145 for prestige wines. Prices for a Garden Room start from £650 for bed and breakfast for two. A reservation in Moor Hall Restaurant is required as part of all bookings for the Garden Rooms. moorhall.com