The Barn

High quality cooking

Chef-proprietor Mark Birchall came up through the ranks at L’Enclume and over the past decade has created his own forcefield here in Lancashire, cultivating a new generation of talent from across the UK and Europe. So, if you’re going to go all in on a gastronomic experience, Moor Hall is the place: one of Britain’s all-time greats where no stone is left unturned in the quest for perfection. Of course, fine dining restaurants should nail hospitality, ambience, service and wine, but the thrill here is the level of precision and attention to detail delivered by the sizable brigade over 18 or so courses. Every fuss and flourish of napkin folding, table sweeping, butter scooping and sauce spooning is pure theatre. In winter, proceedings begin in the wainscoted lounge, but the best time to go is in the summer where you’ll be seated in one of England’s most beautiful kitchen gardens in view of the green beans and perfectly symmetrical mulberry tree. Snacks arrive at pace and culminate at the kitchen pass, where you’re invited to marvel at the cornucopia of ingredients – Louët-Feisser oysters, Isle of Mull scallop, Sika deer, kuri squash, Black Hamburg grapes – that will be heading to your table over the next couple of hours. Work has been done to improve what once felt like a cool, echoey dining room. Better acoustics, candlelight, a good playlist and the happy hum of a full room bring warmth and a sense of personality. Service is more easy going, truly world class when it comes to the drinks program masterminded by Bence Karpatfalvi, a Hungarian winemaker tuned sommelier. Particularly notable is the non-alcoholic flight of single-estate teas and infusions which prove almost as diverting as an adventure into the depths of a fine and rare cellar. If you’re staying the night, the secluded cabin rooms among the grounds – some of which boast hot tubs – provide a considered and contemporary place to rest and digest, while the rooms in the house are as-yet unrenovated and still a little blingy. A newly refurbished private dining room for up to 12 offers a uniquely personal way to soak up the dazzling show.

From the lowlands of west Lancashire, it’s a pleasure to drive into the immaculate grounds of Mark Birchall's Moor Hall. The Barn itself is a first-floor restaurant that runs the length of a beautifully restored outbuilding, with an open kitchen occupying the far end. Wooden beams criss-cross the airy pointed roof and the red-brick walls exude a warmth enhanced by the friendly but properly courteous welcome.The short seasonal menu is (thankfully) constructed in traditional three-course fashion; prime ingredients are supplemented by Moor Hall’s own produce – including their excellent in-house charcuterie (perfect with a delightful non-alcoholic libation). There are intriguing elements such as smoked marrow and sea buckthorn sauces, but dishes sound comfortably contemporary rather than riskily experimental, and they are well-served by a suitably sophisticated wine list with a broad global spread. Even on a mid-winter visit, the cooking felt fresh and light. A fragile Pablo beetroot tartlet presented like a bishop’s mitre held spiced pieces of the vegetable, a luscious slice of smoked duck ham, blackberries and red radicchio leaves. Equally elegant and restrained in appearance was lightly seared, cured Cornish mackerel draped with translucent ribbons of earthy-sweet salt-baked white beetroot, buttermilk and dill. An impeccable dish of Saint-Sever guinea hen yielded tender white breast moistened with jus alongside a nugget of stronger-tasting leg meat encased in crispy skin as well as a piece of rolled leek stuffed with offal forcemeat – the whole thing pulled together with a bowl of super-creamy, fluffy potato purée. However, Belted Galloway short rib glazed with black garlic, shallot, charred baby gem and smoked marrow sauce was less successful and lacked the coherence notable in other dishes.The kitchen’s patisserie skills are showcased in desserts such as apple millefeuille with buttermilk custard and cider caramel served with vivid apple and vanilla sorbets – although the unexpected star turn was a squash custard tart with clementine and crème fraîche sorbets. The perfect custard, with deep, intense toffee notes, was finished off with the smoky, mineral notes of drizzled birch sap. Petits fours included gorgeous fudge coated in fiery Ormskirk gingerbread crumbs (they should sell this delicacy in boxes to take home).