Nestled in the midst of a huge vegetable farm is one of the region's quirkiest new additions to the dining scene. Groobarbs Field Kitchen is a restaurant quite unlike any other, based in a huge barn on a farm in High Legh surrounded by the growing fruit and veg crops like kale, cauliflowers and rhubarb.
Inside the barn are large trestle tables where diners eat together, en masse, at either a lunchtime sitting at 1pm, or evening at 7pm. Open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Field Kitchen invites guests to enjoy a five-course set menu for £29.50 per person at lunch or £33.50 each at dinner.
The menus change at every sitting, depending on the vegetables that are available on that day. But on a Sunday you can expect to be served up a hearty three-course feast with Sunday roast - with the option to go completely veggie or opt with the more traditional meat roast.
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The true field-to-fork restaurant opened last year after a £350,000 investment by the Fryer family who own the farm, which is near Lymm, close to Junction 20 of the M6 in Cheshire. And it is quite an extraordinary place, a beautifully-converted barn right at the heart of a six acre market garden.
Every dish is inspired by the Groobarbs' own harvest - in a bid to give guests "true seasonal dining" using only ingredients freshly picked from the farm alongside locally-bred meats and artisan produce. The restaurant is the brainchild of farmer and owner David Fryer and wife Becky and situated in the middle of one their fields, where they grow produce for their Groobarbs vegetable deliveries company.
Heading up the kitchen and responsible for the weekly rotating menu is local chef Mark Price, back in the North West after previous time as head chef at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Canteen. Diners get to see him at work in the large open kitchen, running almost the full length of the venue and sitting at the heart of the "modern rustic barn".
And, since opening late last year, the venue has already been winning high praise - with all four and five star reviews so far on Tripadvisor. Diners have hailed the "unique" dining experience and "first class local produce".
One who headlined the review "superb" said it was the "best Sunday roast". They wrote: "Heavenly food and surroundings. Inspirational ways of cooking vegetables which are delicious and artistically presented."
With such high praise, we decided to head along for the Sunday feast, and what a feast it was for £29.50. As a pair, we joined one of the 'communal' tables, alongside another pair as well as two big families of four - there are also smaller tables if you would prefer to sit as a family group on your own, which you can request on booking.
Our meal started with a sharing bowl of kale pakora - a delicious mix of spice and crisp fried florets of the green veg that we had spied through the large windows at the head of the converted barn. Well, I say spied.
I have to admit I thought the large green plants I initially saw were actually broccoli until we walked out after our meal to take a closer look (which you are encouraged to do pre or post meal). It was fascinating to see the way that kale grows in heads before sprouting into its curly-leafed form, something I admit I've never seen before.
The kale tasters were followed by a leek mornay dish, and then on to the most fragrant squash and coconut soup, served with carrot and chick pea crostini. Naturally the main event though was the roast - served with the tenderest of beefs, hand-reared by farmer Ken Webb in nearby Lower Peover in Cheshire.
Naturally, given our setting, the vegetables are just as much a star as the roast. Three of the best roast potatoes I've ever eaten are served up on the plate, rough and crispy on the outside and as fluffy as it gets on the inside.
We are then given two massive bowls of sharing vegetables alongside - field-fresh mixed greens and a simply divine creation of chilli-spiced celeriac that made me see this particular veg in an entirely new light. It was the perfect match for the beef, like a pimped up roast parsnip if you will.
A large fluffy Yorkshire pudding took pride of place atop it all, and the plate was also swimming in gravy, just as I like, with an extra massive jug served alongside, which gets extra brownie points from me. It was quite simply the perfect Sunday roast in my opinion.
Could the dessert match the feast so far? Indeed it proved to be more than a match for the savoury splendour.
A chocolate brownie, served with pumpkin praline and a coffee cream alongside, was the perfect conclusion to proceedings. Quite unlike any brownie I've eaten before, it had a unique chew to its gooey form, completed by the crunch of the praline and the divine hint-of-coffee cream.
To keep with the local theme, beers are from breweries at Dunham Massey and Lymm, while I was surprised to see every wine on the list was from Staffordshire. A glass of the English sparkling (£6.30) was a brilliant start to the meal, while the Penny Red (£6.50) was an excellent match for the Sunday roast.
Farmer David spoke on the launch of this venue about wanting to "build something really special, to invite people to enjoy their produce in the very environment in which it's grown." And indeed his team really are delivering on that.
The amount of fresh and inventive food we were delivered for £29.95 was brilliant value. Although, be warned, it's meant to be a leisurely lunch so if you like things fast and furious this is not the place for you - we were there for the best part of three hours.
It was a joy to see the number of families and friends packing into the barn for the collective dining experience - although I appreciate that some may not like being sat so close to people they're not familiar with, but my advice is to go with the flow and chat away. It was also great to see so many families out wandering the gardens afterwards and kids discussing vegetables, would you believe.
This was a quite unique dining experience, and a great place to enjoy true seasonal dining with those magical views out to the vegetable fields. I'd be keen to return to try out the evening menus to see just how creative they are with veg away from a Sunday roast too.
And those floor to ceiling windows are going to deliver some spectacular views come the summer months, that's for sure.
Groobars Field Kitchen is at Wild Farm, Mag Ln, High Legh,WA16 0AA. Reservations are by advance only on their website with guests seated at large wooden tables of between six and 12 diners, with sittings are at 1pm and 7pm
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