Longridge, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

“Nigel Howarth is back to his best”, cooking “superb food” at this country inn (“don’t confuse it for a pub, it’s an excellent proper restaurant”) since coming out of retirement three years ago (he made his name as chef-patron for 30+ years at the nearby Ribble Valley culinary heavyweight, Northcote). He certainly hasn’t lost his touch, with one reporter saying he “preferred this to Northcote”; another asked “How has this not been awarded a Michelin star?”. Still a mover-and-shaker in gastronomic circles, Nigel hosted the week-long Fusion 2 festival of prominent chefs last autumn – one of whom was his son Kirk Howarth, of London’s vegan sensation Plates.

“Everything you could wish for in a romantic weekend get-away” – this “special”, remote inn set in the Ribble Valley occupies a “memorable location”, “nestled alongside the River Hodder”, and itself “full of character” (if you stay, each of the “beautifully appointed rooms is decorated to a high standard, each with a peat fire for those colder winter visits”). The menu overseen by chef Jamie Cadman (who cooked for Queen Elizabeth II when she popped in to celebrate her 80th) is more that of a superior pub than of a restaurant, with dishes like Potted Duck Terrine and Shoulder of Burholme Lamb rubbing shoulders with Fish Pie, Fish ’n’ Chips and Steak. The wine list is excellent, as you’d expect for a site that also hosts a vintners. This year’s worst report? – “the cooking is very competently executed using the freshest of ingredients although the menu changes little”.

“Set in an organic farm with tremendous views of Pendle Hill” – Doug Crampton’s “amazingly cool” venture on a long-established family farm (for nearly 500 years) is the absolute epitome of the trend to field-to-fork dining. “A timber-octagonal building” that makes the most of the “brilliant vistas all round”, it “takes a bit of finding as it’s not brilliantly signposted (in the end we asked a man working on his garden and he smiled and pointed us in the right direction)”. The open kitchen serves “very special” food that “lives up to the setting”: “hearty, tasty and crowd-pleasing, often featuring produce foraged on the farm, and in the local countryside”. Staff are “delightful and friendly” too. “It celebrated its first birthday last week (open in March 2024) and deserves to succeed – everything of a high standard… including the indoor and outdoor furniture!”