W
L
MOOR HALL
by Carl Housbey
When Mark Birchall announced in 2015 that he was leaving
2 Michelin starred L’Enclume in Cartmel, to set up his own
restaurant at Moor Hall with friend and business partner
Andy Bell, every foodie in the UK was both surprised and
excited in equal measure, myself included.
Turning 16th century Moor Hall into a fabulous Restaurant
with Rooms took longer than anticipated. However, the work
is now complete, which means that this month I can tell you all
about the hottest new opening of 2017.
We had booked dinner with overnight stay, but decided to
arrive a couple of hours ahead of the normal 3:00pm check in
time, as I wanted to explore the five acre grounds, and take a
look at the kitchen gardens, where Mark and his team grow
much of the produce served in the restaurant.
Once back inside we had complimentary coffee and cake served
in the lounge, and I took full advantage of the fact that we
were staying the night by choosing a digestif or two from the
extensive list to accompany it.
It was soon time to head up to our room to freshen up, and
wow what a room. We were in The Mulberry Suite, which has
a sumptuous bedroom and lounge area overlooking the lake at
the front of the house, as well as a spectacular bathroom at the
rear, with a view of the aforementioned kitchen garden.
We arranged to meet our friends for pre-dinner drinks in the
lounge, and intended to try a glass of Moor Hall’s own exclusive
house Champagne from producer Henri Giraud, but it was so
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good we ended up polishing off a magnum of the superb 2009
vintage with our canapés.
I have eaten Mark’s food many times before, and thought I knew
what to expect from the 8-course tasting menu, but I must say
that I was blown away by his latest creations, as were both of
our friends, one of whom is a very accomplished Chef himself.
Our meal started with several snacks amongst which was
a home-made black pudding, that is like no black pudding
you’ve ever tasted before, crunchy on the outside whilst light
and fluffy in the centre. We also had a Crab and Turnip Broth,
which contained turnip of such amazing flavour that I almost
turned vegetarian, luckily, I didn’t as that would have meant
missing out on one of Marks signature dishes, the Aged Beef in
Charcoal.
Dish after dish of excellent food followed, but I don’t want to
spoil your experience by giving away too much, suffice it to say
that it is one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Superb food, wine,
and service in luxurious surroundings mean you’ve just got to
go and try this for yourself.
I’m going to finish by giving thanks to Andy Bell for his huge
investment, as it now means I only have to drive as far as
Aughton, near Ormskirk to experience Mark Birchall’s sublime
food, in fact I have already booked to go again. For reservations
click on www.moorhall.com or call 01695 572511.
To stay up to date with my adventures: follow @carlhousbey