Filtering by Tag: Ribble Valley

Northcote Autumn Gourmet Box - Part Three: Meal Two

January 27, 2021 / Geoff Griffiths

That flash of intelligence and creativity in Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen’s eyes starts off this final account of the food which she and her brigade were able to provide through their Northcote at Home Gourmet Box.

Here is a reminder of the menu I devised for our second night’s dining. The Lancashire kitchen’s dishes in blue along with my additions in black and grey (wines).

Wines suited very well but you should follow your own preferences. I enjoy wine - but I have finally stopped enjoying telling people what they should or shouldn’t be drinking.

The light and flavoursome cheese bread was once again ready to fill any empty corners.

For the additional starter needed to extend the dishes over two nights I pulled together a few recent ideas and ‘home mades’ for a fish, vegetable and fruit mix.
Green elderberries had been pickled a few weeks before. Our Sorrel Ice Cream needed finishing and my spiced bread is nearly always in our store cupboard. I made a little elderberry gel and topped things off with a white balsamic tuile.
Mrs Cheoff was not too keen on the sea trout pâté but it all worked for me. Light enough overall to draw back from some of the richer elements.

Sea Trout, Almond, Sorrel Ice Cream, Spiced Bread, Pickled Green Elderberries

I’d seen the ‘Leg Bolognese’ referenced in the Northcote restaurant menu before its Covid closure. I’d still like the recipe to make at home but a first taste from the experts was a fine introduction.
This was everything you might want when seeing the description. Fully formed and deeply satisfying courtesy of professional masters. I reckon you could manage a homemade version after months of practice or just cheat with a shortcut involving an intensive course of steroidal flavour injections.
I added broccoli and our broad beans to the poultry and potatoes.

Roast Chicken, Truffle & Brioche Stuffed, Leg Bolognese, Wild Mushrooms, Lyonnaise Potato

Dessert had arrived a little cracked from the journey and would not have been let into the restaurant. No such considerations for us. We simply saw more opportunity for tasty indulgence. The juices of the apple mousse centre cut through the sweetness but they had also made the base a little soggy. Crunch came from the chocolate shell and saltiness in the sauce encouraged taste buds to explore further. A Goodwin-Allen dessert presented in the restaurant is a clever, pretty thing but it is always flavour driven.
Forget our ‘at home’ appearance - this was a lovely pudding.

Orchard Apple “Cheesecake”, Salted Caramel Sauce

Coffee beans at ‘Cheoff Towers’ have been from Hasbean for decades now.
I wouldn’t dream of pairing petits fours with anyone else’s roasted efforts.

Coffee El Salvador Finca Argentina Natural Bourbon — Coffee
El Salvador Finca Argentina Natural Bourbon

Petits Fours - from home and away. Detailed in the menu above.

There. ‘Northcote At Home’ all done
.
.
.
until our next order!

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tags / Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Northcote, Michelin Guide UK, Michelin star, hospitality, box meals, Stafford Collection, Craig Bancroft, Langho, Lancashire, Ribble Valley, food delivery, Covid-19

Northcote Autumn Gourmet Box - Part Two: Meal One

January 27, 2021 / Geoff Griffiths

As explained in my introductory post we dealt with the meal box over two nights.
The first evening’s eating was planned (and eaten!) as below.
Professional guys in the Blue Corner, me trying to punch above my weight in the Black Corner.

Here is a link to the preparation, cooking and serving instructions for the dishes supplied.

Lovely wines for this food. The Madeira was a great recommendation which I stuck to. It was paired with the celeriac consommé. A mildly surprising suggestion which turned into one of those ‘Cor blimey, that really works!’ moments.

It should go without saying that the bread was first class - but I insist on saying just that.

When a plastic pouch of cold liquid is first opened it really should not smell so incredibly enticing. When heated, the consommé fulfilled all that promise with a few extra knobs attached. Truly luxurious with as much umami as a meat course. I forgot to dot olive oil on the surface and completely ruined the photoshoot for this one. I couldn’t give a fig - but I could do with another bowl of this celeriac silk very soon.

Caramelised Celeriac Consommé, Tiny Raviolis, Celeriac Pearls, Tarragon

The cod is pictured as starter.
I had ordered more cod from my fishy food hero, Dean, and made this into our main course.
Rich, seductive flavours here but not too much to distract from great quality fish.

North Sea Cod, Curry, Pomegranate, Almond & Coriander

For dessert I prepared my latest iteration of a recipe from one of Lisa Goodwin-Allen’s mentors. David Everitt-Matthias has played his part in much that is excellent in British cooking today.
I added a baton of spiced pain perdu, some crab apple gel and cubes of crab apple jelly. Granola under the sorbet and crystallised, crushed rose petals top the parfait.
You can see an album of this dessert and my previous attempts here.

Crab Apple Parfait, Green Apple and Haw Sorbet

After Eight, Smoked Toffee, Ferrero Rocher - Northcote’s chocolate selection

Coffee - Guatemala El Limon Natural Caturra Petits fours reinforcements from me. — Coffee - Guatemala El Limon Natural Caturra
Petits fours reinforcements from me.

The quality of ingredients and the cooking already done in the Northcote kitchens made this a memorable meal. Those efforts make it relatively easy to do each dish justice in your own home. I thank all involved for giving us such pleasure through food. The huge element missing was an attentive and accomplished front of house team. There are much more pressing concerns to address at present but what a treat it will be to enjoy genuine hospitality again in ‘peace time’.

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tags / Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Northcote, Michelin Guide UK, Michelin star, hospitality, box meals, Stafford Collection, Craig Bancroft, Langho, Lancashire, Ribble Valley, food delivery, Covid-19

Northcote Autumn Gourmet Box - Part One: Arrival

January 27, 2021 / Geoff Griffiths

The Covid pandemic has given us all unwanted threats and challenges. I don’t go so far as to suggest that hospitality is run by key workers but it is certain that they provide a key element in so many people’s lives. An element which has been compromised for months by restrictions and closure.

Professional kitchens have devised many successful strategies to offer an adapted service. When Northcote began to advertise their boxed meals it was not long before we dipped in.

Below you see the official written and photographic details of a wonderful menu devised by Executive Chef, Lisa Goodwin-Allen - perhaps allowing for a little input from her brigade! Covid-19 has reduced our opportunities to enjoy such lovely food at Northcote and so many other venues. This was a great opportunity to make up for that in a small way.

We decided to spread the contents of the box over two evenings by juggling in the cod starter as a main and creating a new fishy starter. I cooked an extra ‘tried and trusted’ dessert, ready to make an appearance.

Here are the two menus we planned and enjoyed so much. Northcote dishes are in blue with my efforts in a respectful and thoughtful black.

Before delivery I phoned and emailed Northcote with a few questions about the food itself and the suggested wine pairings which could be bought from their regular and rather wonderful merchants in Skipton - The Wright Wine Company.

‘Second hand’ messages from Chef Lisa helped us to increase quantities for the cod dish and raise it from starter to main. Much useful written advice from Craig Bancroft (officially Managing Director but essentially he is all over goings-on at Langho like a very welcome rash!) on wine alternatives reassured us that we already had enough in our racks to fit the bill. All except for a Portuguese white and the interesting pairing for the consommé. Both of those were sourced from The Wine Society as we had left it too late to order from Skipton.

On arrival our box induced an intake of breath which was only fully expelled after we found no real damage from the seriously dented top.

All present and correct with a few ‘flesh wounds’ which would do nothing to impair the flavour of our treat.

Our delivery driver three-point turned and passed back down the road to exit. We surveyed what he had left and refined and consolidated our plans to prepare meals for that evening and the next.

Separate posts for each meal will follow - to give you more time to digest things.

Meal One here

Meal Two here

Footnote
In early 2021 Northcote offered around 250 boxes for their February Gourmet Box. These sold out in about 30 minutes. We failed to secure one but will try again next time.

Here is Northcote’s reasoned explanation of the situation. I’ve generously - stupidly!? - made a link in the image below so that you too can join in with the battle for future Northcote bounty.

It is a prize worth fighting for!

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tags / Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Northcote, Michelin Guide UK, Michelin star, hospitality, box meals, Stafford Collection, Craig Bancroft, Langho, Lancashire, Ribble Valley, food delivery, Covid-19

Northcote

August 18, 2017 / Geoff Griffiths

Visited 31st July 2017

One year since Jan (Mrs Cheoff) and I celebrated our Ruby Wedding we wanted to share another special time together… with someone else doing most of the hard work. A team currently holding the ultimate accolade for hotels seemed a good idea and we managed to book a Gourmet Break at Northcote on the day of our 41st anniversary.

From the moment we arrived at reception we were greeted and looked after by a succession of the sort of people who you desperately hope will still be there for your next visit. Hospitality is an industry but when it is run like this you think that you are being indulged by new friends who only have others’ comfort and pleasure in mind. And here you fall into the delicious belief that everything has been laid on just for you. If any of the Northcote staff read this it will be the very first they know of our anniversary. No need to ask for special treatment. You will get it as a matter of course. I only mention some of the team by name here since I happened to take mental note. Many others must remain anonymous. Named or not, they were all great.

Room 11, one of the Superior Double Rooms, has generous space and a great view over the terrace, the new kitchen gardens and the Ribble Valley in the distance. Zooming in on the Google Maps satellite view will show you Northcote as a sprawling building site. Don’t be alarmed. That picture was taken long before the renovations and extensions were completed.

Booking in and settling into our room we began to see both the traditional and contemporary elements which make up Northcote. A reassuringly solid old-fashioned balustrade climbs against a modern wallpaper backdrop. Narrower nineteenth century passages open onto lighter contemporary spaces. You will not be challenged by jangling modernity though. Carefully chosen colours, materials and textures create calm amid the sophistication of up-to-date designs.

Returning downstairs we wandered around the building and grounds. We really didn’t explore quite as much as we could have but that does give us a clever excuse to visit again soon, doesn’t it? Chris Dilks, House Manager, introduced himself and chatted easily and enthusiastically about Northcote. Having identified our love of growing fresh produce, he encouraged us to enjoy the newly laid out vegetable, herb and fruit beds and to seek out head gardener Phil for a chat.

GOURMET MENU WITH MATCHED WINES

Time for our evening meal. We were greeted again by Chris in the bar lounge. We took small sips of chilled, skin-on, stewed Bramley apples with a hint of yeasty crumble… OK, this was Louis Roederer champagne, a half bottle included with our meal. And just the job to start our evening celebration. Canapés came and were rather wonderful. Beetroot meringue with beetroot purée and goat cheese was a lovely concept, perfectly executed. If I ask you to think of those pork balls which come with sweet and sour sauce from a Chinese (British Chinese) takeaway you have a poor image of our second offering. Poor, because the kitchen had elevated the idea to piggy perfection. The pork was tender and succulent and lovely crisp tendrils of batter imitated light-as-a-feather pork crackling, encasing each bite.

I felt reasonably familiar with the menu, having studied it online. My descriptions here must not be relied on completely. I have most things right but clarity of purpose from a very professional kitchen is always liable to challenge and confuse someone like me who is just a very keen cook and eater. That clarity and the ability to express it with confidence and panache came straight from the kitchen with each course and any misunderstandings are all my own.

I gave up taking photographs of food in restaurants some time ago. The equipment and fuss needed has always seemed an intrusion. There are pictures of our particular menu available on Northcote’s website and Twitter feed. These are the pictures I have used with permission in this review. In answer to your question… yes, they are rather stunning and were produced by Allen Markey.

For the first time ever we decided to take a ‘wine flight’ and put our trust in the Northcote Gourmet Menu Wine Package. Anyone who knows even very little about wine (me?!) will recognise the wonderful research, knowledge and understanding which lies behind one of the most impressive cellars in the country. I was glad to relax without fretting over choices. There were some changes from the printed wines but all those served became an integral part of our enjoyment of the meal. Head Sommelier, Tamas Czinki talked us through each one with perfectly judged detail and enthusiasm. We renewed acquaintance with a couple of trusted favourites and were given surprise and delight by the other four.

We were treated to an amuse bouche. This was a modification from the Seasonal Lunch Menu.

Goats Curd Brulée, Organic Garden Peas and Broad Beans, Radish, Flowers, Brioche Wafers

No flowers or wafers for us since this was necessarily stripped back and smaller. The impact was still big. The curd served as a savoury, mildly tangy custard. Green, white and crimson garden elements tasted every bit as good and fresh as they looked. ‘Pretty as a picture’ could apply to this and most of the following dishes described – please take that as read so I can avoid repetition.

Our server was already proving to have a fine understanding of the food being presented to us. I was sure that the brulée crust had very little sweetness to it and Jack immediately knew that sugar had been replaced by maltose. With supplies left over from a recently made dessert, I am sure that I’ll be attempting my own version of this soon.

Sweet Summer Tomatoes, Nasturtium, Garden Crumpet

Wine: Classic Rosé, Massaya, Bekaa Valley, 2014

Tomatoes have appeared on most of the menus we have been offered lately. There is complete justification for this when the ingredient is given the care and respect which this dish received. Peeled and lightly cooked or warmed, red, green and golden tomatoes gave up their juices to support a peppery nasturtium oil. All this gave us a small, swirly visual reminder of the time when the Mathmos lava lamp was almost brand new and Jan and I had just met. The crumpet was good enough but suffered by comparison with the perfect example which we had very recently experienced. I can only respectfully suggest that the Northcote kitchen make a pilgrimage to 'Pernshire' to check out how to achieve complete crumpet mastery!

No need for a big-hitting red from Château Musar here but we might have imagined that a pink from Lebanon would suffer by comparison. This one stood up and politely corrected us for thinking so. A lovely, balanced foil for the acidity and sweetness of the tomatoes.

English Veal Liver, Onions & Thyme

Wine: Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Kessler, Domaines Schlumberger, 2014

Liver and onions. A classic. And yet we have all had horrific offerings of ruined, grainy meat, I’m sure. With such a delicate piece of offal here it is a matter of seconds between success and disaster. But this kitchen delivers with confidence. A wonderfully caramelised surface crust gave way to a silky, soft, almost liquid centre. Rich, sweet onions and onion purée along with slivers of mildly pickled baby onion did nothing except add to the triumph. The notes of thyme gave a fresh herby hit courtesy of the garden which was just visible through the dining room window.

Gewurztraminer was far too sweet on the first mouthful. But from then on my reservations disappeared. It all made sense as it added an indulgent, almost child-like playfulness to the dish. It completed what was just – only just - the standout course for me.

Jan does not like liver. All was sorted with a phone call before arrival and a lovely substitute was made available.

Podded Peas, Home Made Jersey Curd, Rose Oil (served with Pea and Mint Tea)

Wine: Sake, Ikekame, Red Turtle, Junmai Daiginjo, Japan, NV

Jan’s appreciative expressions (visual and audible) made it clear that she had gone to a pea paradise to match my heavenly liver. No sake we’d previously tried has had the depth, balance and interest of the ‘Red Turtle’. And yet it still did not fight with such a delicate dish of food.

John Dory, Clams, Bramley Apple, Bacon

Wine: Kyperounda, Troodos Petritis, Cyprus, 2014

Clams were replaced by caviar on the night. Salty notes from this were restrained as were those from sea vegetables and cured meat. I'm fairly sure that an oyster emulsion was involved. Even though the fish came from deeper seas the whole course suggested the safety, comfort and pleasure of a dip in a rock pool.
The wine was terrific. Exotic fruits are reined in to give a balanced fresh partner to the soft salinity of the fish dish. I reckon it would go nicely with my courgette carbonara as well.

Smoked Rare Breed Pork, Barbecue Peach, Pickled Carrots

Wine: Moulin au Vent, Château du Moulin au Vent, Beaujolais, France, 2014

Lots going on here. I fully appreciate the work that goes into such a dish but it proved to be less wonderful than any of the others. I enjoyed the big contrasts between sweet peach, bitter-sweet black garlic and sour carrot. The carrot top pesto was a nice show of respect to the gardening team with all their efforts being valued rather than wasted.

We have been thoroughly spoilt for the last four years with the opening of a wonderful butchers just three hundred metres from our door. This has given us access to great produce from free range pigs and revived our interest in the quality and flavour available from pork. That could have been why our expectations for the star turn of our main were not met. The meat lacked the tender succulence hoped for and the flavour was overwhelmed by other elements. Our taste buds had been worked hard but any hint of smoking was lost. Preparation, finish and flavour seemed lacking here. I must remind you that we had already been treated to so many truly wonderful things. But Jan and I agreed that, for execution and plating, this was the one that 'got away'.

* Two quick points:
'Free range' is definitely worth seeking out... and is not quite the same as 'Outdoor bred'.
You will pay more for free range. If you don't taste the difference... consider ignoring my advice!

'Strawberry Shortcake'', Elderflower

Wine: Moscato, Innocent Bystander, Victoria, 2015

We certainly finished on a high note. It's very probable that I would have passed this over on a menu with other choices. So it was essentially forced on me. I really should give in more often if the equal of this is going to arrive. Those paper thin shards of something which imitates shortcake were sprinkled with mint dust. The dehydrated strawberry slices were packed with a boiled sweet fruitiness and cracked delightfully before dissolving all too soon.
The rest of this dessert arrives hidden and I have no intention of spoiling the surprises within. All I will say is that the flavours, textures and subtle temperature variations combine to give interest right until the last wistful spoonful. Wonderfully conceived and executed.

The pink fizz was ridiculous. With a crown cap and a mere five and a half per cent alcohol content, it gave no real warning of its qualities. All was frivolous distraction from red fruits, sweetness and chill. Not chilled enough to prevent it kicking up its heels and frothing like a cancan dancer all through our dessert.
What a perfect finish!

We understood that Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Executive Head Chef was supervising in the kitchen. It goes without saying that her part in the design of our menu and the brigade’s skill in delivering it to us receive our huge thanks. There... I’ve said it anyway.

Quite the stuff of dreams. Except I don't remember any after a sound sleep in a large, comfortable bed.

After waking, we found enough room for breakfast, choosing cheese soufflé and Finnan haddock as 'mains'. Even a fusspot wouldn't struggle to find something from the morning selection. It was rather good to make those choices and have them brought by full table service and to enjoy meeting more Northcote staff. Craig Jackson, General Manager and rising star, was among these and we continued our chat at reception as we checked out. I collected a couple of lovely pre-ordered books which lay in wait behind the desk and we reluctantly said our goodbyes.

Ginger nuts... and other bounty from our stay

Northcote is founded on many elements. Passion and a striving for excellence suggest themselves strongly. There are definite outbreaks of #Obsession and I'm sure a spot of hard-nosed business is dealt with out of sight. On our first visit we were surrounded and impressed by the luxury of a beautifully designed environment. The food was just about faultless but what left their real marks were the friendly, caring people we met and the skills, food and services they provided. Which left us with the over-riding feeling that Northcote is at heart like the marriage which Jan and I continue to celebrate... a labour of love.

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tags / Michelin, food, hospitality, restaurant review, Lancashire, fine dining, hotel review, anniversary, Ribble Valley