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What the critics say
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The Good Hotel Guide
Chef/patron Nigel Haworth and his business partner, Craig
Bancroft, have been 20 years at their informal restaurant-with-rooms
(Michelin star). It returns to the Guide after a major renovation... |
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Good Food Guide
Nigel Haworth’s menus have raised eyebrows with the
trendy turn they’ve taken of late. But the lime
caramel with seared British White beef and bone marrow,
and the lemon jelly accompanying Lytham sea bass tempura
aren’t so alarming really, such quirky touches turn
out to be minor details, counterpoints of texture and flavour
on dishes as balanced and elegant as ever. The trendy
dots and dashes send a message we can’t miss, however;
time doesn’t stop at Northcote. This extends
to the handsome Ribble Valley property itself, the whole
of which has undergone a refurbishment in the last couple
of years. It can still feel slightly muted in the
spruced-up dining room but the neutral backdrop lets the
food shine. Haworth’s strong suit is harnessing
the quality of produce from the North West’s forests,
seas and pastures, and grafting it onto a classical base.
His beliefs shine through, so when he gets into something
– be it Langdale mutton or Ascroft’s cauliflowers,
he really gets into it, taking his customers along on the
ride. Heaps of options including set, vegetarian and
tasting menus make choosing tough. The wine list is
super, with around 80 half bottles (from £9.95), house
wine at £17.50, and a good selection from Chile and
Portugal as well as Burgundy and Bordeaux |
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Harden's UK Restaurant Guide
Nigel Haworth's "faultless" cooking ("proudly promoting
local producers") combines with Craig Bancroft's "extensive
and varied" wine list to make "a total gastronomic experience"
at this "relaxing" Ribble Valley restaurant-with-rooms;
it's not just "a benchmark in the North West", but also
of real note nationally.
** Exceptional Food
A Very Good Ambience
www.hardens.com |
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The AA Restaurant Guide 2004
3 Rosettes
Place: A bright, fresh restaurant with eye-catching prints
lined up against plain walls, and a sparse, minimalist atmosphere.
Knowledgeable staff redress the balance with a warm presence,
and the Lancastrian hills roll timelessly past the windows.
Food: The menu is a wish-list of luxury dishes that provoke
an agony of choice for the well-heeled. A true but rare
regional restaurant, it focuses on superb local produce
handled with finesse and presented with mouth-watering beauty.
The key to success is exemplified by a simple foie gras
rolled in pumpernickel with fig puree, where the striking
flavours works equally well alone or ensemble.
www.theaa.com |
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The AA Britain's Best Places To Stay
For Food Lovers
Impeccable regional cooking from an award-winning
chef in the restful country hotel.
Set amidst the rolling Lancashire countryside
of The Ribble Valley is this impressive Victorian Manor
House where visitors return time after time. They come for
the peace and quiet of this lovely old house, where welcoming
lounges with warming open fires create a great atmosphere.
Another attraction is the relaxation of an overnight stay,
where stylish individually-designed bedrooms provide all
the comforts of home and then some. Accessed via a striking
wooden staircase, the choice includes four-posters, and
more modern, but equally spacious king size rooms. But the
biggest pull of all is the legendary cooking, where impressive
technical skills and excellent flavour combinations continue
to set standards. The emphasis on regional recipes and ingredients
make this restaurant a real winner, and the quality wine
list meets the same high standards. Served in the minimalist
surroundings of the elegant dining room, there are few distractions
to take the mind off a most memorable dining experience.
www.theaa.com |
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The Which? Guide To Good Hotels
Great food and grand bedrooms in a welcoming Victorian
Mansion
Craig Bancroft and Nigel Haworth have notched up two decades
at this red-bricked Lancashire mill-owner’s pile.
Its proximity to a busy roundabout on the A59 does not at
first bode well, but once you’re inside, things take
a different turn. The enterprise is very much a restaurant-with-rooms
that revolves around the culinary talents of Nigel, backed
by Craig’s virtuosity in things vinous. In the lounge
and bar, leather chesterfields, stained glass, open fires,
and expanses of oak panelling give the air of a clubbly
gentleman’s residence. Pretty modern pastels and a
lighter minimalist touch kicks tradition into touch in the
restaurant – a reflection, perhaps, of the contemporary
style of food on offer. Local ingredients, such as black
pudding and potted Morecambe Bay Shrimps are worked into
inventive modern dishes; you may find Lancashire cheese
ice cream on the menu. Bedrooms with lovely views through
big bow windows are the pick of the bunch; all are smartly
furnished and sprinkled with antiques.
click
for which hotel guide |
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Hi-Life Diners Club North West 2003-2004
In the capable hands of Joint proprietors, Craig Bancroft
and 1995 Egon Ronay Chef of the Year Nigel Haworth, Northcote
Manor has been setting the highest standards for hospitality
during the last 12 years. Organically grown herbs and vegetables,
many from the grounds of Northcote Manor itself, have enabled
Nigel Haworth to pioneer superb regional and British food,
for which The Manor is renowned, and their ever increasing
numbers of discerning clients now enjoy in this elegant
restaurant. Northcote Manor has been extensively refurbished
in recent years, old and new have been sympathetically blended,
artfully combining classical style with modern innovations
and designed to offer the ultimate in comfort and luxury.
What’s more Northcote is the only Michelin starred
restaurant in the UK to have fitted an Aga cooker in their
already impressive kitchen, helping Nigel create some of
his dishes in the traditional Lancashire manner. With the
Michelin star and a plethora of other awards, Northcote
Manor is not only a pinnacle of north west dining, but that
of the country as a whole.
www.hi-life.uk.com |
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Conde Nast Johansens - Recommended
Hotels 2004
Large, redbrick and typically Victorian, this attractive
and externally decorative hotel stands in the foothills
of the Ribble Valley amidst some of Lancashire’s most
spectacular countryside. Excellently run by joint proprietors
Craig Bancroft, a wine connoisseur, and Nigel Haworth, an
award winning chef, Northcote Manor has been an esteemed
restaurant with rooms since 1983. Its high standards of
hospitality and comfort, décor and food has earned
it the prestigious award of “Independent Hotel of
The Year” by the Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Nigel, proud
member of the Academy of Culinary Arts, trained in Switzerland
and London and his gourmet cuisine has received numerable
accolades, including a Michelin Star and Egon Ronay’s
1995 Chef of The Year distinction. His superb local and
creative international dishes are presented with professionalism
and aplomb in a delightful restaurant. Each meal is complimented
by a superb wine list that is 400 bin strong. The hotel
has 24 beautifully furnished en-suite bedrooms that offer
every comfort. Nearby are the Trough of Bowland, the Roman
town of Ribchester, and 4 golf courses within a 10 mile
radius. The Yorkshire Dales and lake District are within
easy reach.
www.johansens.com |
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Best Loved Hotels
Lovers of fine food and wine may want to stay forever
Located in the Ribble Valley, one of the great beauty spots
of England, Northcote Manor is owned and run with great
talent by partners Craig Bancroft and Nigel Haworth. Together,
they have built up this small hotel in 20 years to become
one of the most successful in the country. Northcote manor
is best known for its outstanding food and award-winning
restaurant and was awarded its first Michelin star in 1996.
Nigel Haworth is the holder of the 1999 “Wedgewood
chef & Potter Trophy” for Britain’s Top
Chef, has a special love for traditional Lancashire cooking,
and he has recreated many of those dishes in a very different
style. While Nigel cooks and resides over the kitchen, Craig
looks after the guests needs in the restaurant and rooms.
His special love is wine, and he delights in personally
matching food and wine for the guests. There are fourteen
bedrooms, including four poster rooms. Games, books, interesting
ornaments and tea and coffee-making facilities add to the
home from home atmosphere. The very comfortable beds have
even prompted many visitors to ask where they can buy them!
In 1999, Northcote Manor was proud to have been voted “Independent
Hotel of The Year” by the Caterer & Hotelkeeper
– an “Oscar” of the hospitality industry.
On a final note, their policy regarding children reads “all
welcome to experience fine dining” admirable and refreshing,
we think! |
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