The restaurant, which is only a short drive from Liverpool, is rated the best in the UK and third in the world
A beautiful gem in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley countryside has received worldwide status. Northcote, based in Langho, has been named as the UK’s best fine dining restaurant, and third in the world in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Restaurants awards.
The awards are determined by the “quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings posted on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period”. Northcote is led by Michelin-star chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen, who is best known for her award-winning menus, seasonal ingredients, and expert taste.
The achievement doesn’t come as a surprise, personally, because I’ve had the chance to dine and stay at Northcote. Not only is the venue a beautiful fine dining restaurant, but guests can stay on the grounds overnight surrounded by miles of unspoiled beauty.
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The stunning manor house provides guests with an overnight stay, a range of dining options and a spacious bar area, backed by expansive fields and greenery as far as the eye can see. I stumbled across this gem last year around the time my partner and I celebrated our anniversary so it made sense to book a night’s stay and enjoy an experience neither one of us has thought to seek out.
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Typically we’d book a hotel in another holiday, not one on our doorstep, so it was interesting to see how much of a getaway this would actually feel like. We pulled up to this little idyllic manor house cosily lit up by the warm orange lights indoors and a handful of wall lanterns dotted around the entrance.
The expansive countryside surrounding the building was completely lost in the night to the extent the grounds of Northcote felt like wandering around an isolated island. Slightly eerie given it was Halloween night when we stayed, the expected ghosts and ghouls were nowhere to be seen. Instead, we were greeted warmly by a front-of-house member who gave us a guided tour of the building.
The lobby alone was a gorgeous welcome but directly to the right was a multiroom lounge area with a bar at the end and to the left the dining area – we will touch on both soon…
Brief introductions and tours finished, the member of staff guided us back outdoors, telling us our suite was along the way. Unbeknownst to us, the stairs leading up from the lobby were not our rooms, we were staying in an entirely separate building. A few steps away sat a residence dormitory complete with courtyards, balconies and enough privacy that none of the neighbours staying would bother you.
The Northcote courtyard is small but the high hedges, garden lights and original towering buildings from over a century ago make your first few moments unforgettable. It’s such a beautiful venue that even photos won’t truly do it justice.
Through the dormitory building, which had its own communal area, complete with a fireplace, reading materials and boardgames, we were shown around the facilities of our room before saying farewell to the staff member. The interiors were modern and stylish as were the appliances, goodies and complimentary materials – of which there were many.
Nespresso pods in a range of coffee strains, vanity sets, nail files, shower caps, sewing kits, dressing gowns, lip balms and a large assortment of toiletries, there was nothing you could ask for not already provided in abundance. No sooner did we set our bags down did we pop back for our dinner reservations.
Once again we were ushered around into the aforementioned bar area that had several subsections to relax in – we chose the bar itself. The mixologist took her time to serve us to ensure every drop was served to perfection – and it was. It was a lush cosy spot to enjoy while we waited to be taken to our table.
The overall feeling from Northcote is that you’re basking in luxury and a lot of that comes down to the service and grande interiors. The dining room is actually quite small considering the rest of the venue. I’d dare say no more than 40 or 50 seats altogether but once again, it adds to the personal feel you want from a date night or a private getaway.
From the moment you’re seated, you begin an extraordinary 90-minute gourmet experience of some of the finest food you can get. We chose the seasonal menu accompanied by the wine flight package. To save you the tedious details of reading every single item and how it was prepared, you can have a look at the menu here. It’s worth noting that the menu has changed since the time of my stay. To summarise, we began with aged dairy cow tartare to activate the palate, followed by forest garlic mushrooms, and then an Orkney scallop.
They were all perfect. Every single one of them. The tartare came with a peculiar gelatinous top, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Horseradish pearls made the dish explode with flavour despite the nature of the dish. A selection of mushrooms were plated under a gorgeous, smooth sauce that was best soaked up by the accompanying bite-sized pastry.
The Orkney scallop could be spicy or rich depending on the sauce it was soaked through. Both were equally delicious and a rarity to have such varying, complimenting flavours in a single dish. The runaway star of the evening was the duck, cooked pink, with heirloom beetroot and aged balsamic.
I found myself cutting tiny bitesize pieces in order to trick my mind into believing it would last forever. It was so luxuriously moreish that my partner and I locked eyes in silence as we ate and with a relaxed shoulder gesture, we knew we were both thinking, “Oh my god, this is unbelievably good.” The five courses came to a close with the spectacular hazelnut egg that, despite its rough, dry appearance, was actually more of a structured mouse of sorts.
All of the dishes were expertly paired with complimenting wines, finishing with a speciality dessert wine. It was, for all intents and purposes, and not a single bit exaggerative, one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. The staff, too, were so lovely and attentive, continuously topping our water or replacing our wine for the next plate. In pairs they came to the table – one to hold the plates and another to set them in front of us – before running through how everything was made and suggestions on how to best enjoy it.
As I said, an amazing experience, and that’s just the restaurant. Thoroughly stuffed, we had another drink in the bar before retiring to my room. New toiletries including a lip balm and mouth spray were set on our bedside tables, adding to the vast amount of items you’re showered with as a guest but will probably never use.
Climbing into bed in this beautiful building with the countryside right outside your window, following a great dinner experience, felt like a mental massage and the revitalisation everyone could use. The only downside to the evening was our bed had quite a dip in the middle due to it being made up of two pushed together. Aside from this, I slept like a log.
Guests are provided with breakfast in bed which they chose the night prior. At our specified time, we were warmly greeted by staff member with adorable wicker baskets full of food we felt gluttonous ordering. Everything you could possibly desire from muesli and fruit to sugary and healthy cereal, to a stacked, fried breakfast sandwich available along with tea, coffee and fruit juices.
If it wasn’t for the bitter cold, we would’ve sat in the private garden area to enjoy everything but that’s definitely more of a summer activity. The worst feeling in the world was finishing breakfast knowing it was time to check out. We couldn’t call this beautiful location home any longer. From the moment we pulled up to Northcote Hotel it felt like a world away from reality.
It’s far more the idyllic getaway than images or even itself lets on, especially at this time of year. I’m one for hopping on a plane and jetting off on holiday as occasionally as I can but a stay here has planted me and I can’t wait to return. If you’re in the market for a fine dining experience or a getaway for you and a partner, this should be at the top of your list.
