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Manchester Evening News

Entertainment

Jenna Campbell

Restaurant named best in England is less than an hour from Manchester

Restaurant Manchester England Moor Hall Higher Ground Mark Birchall Michelin Michelin Star

Moor Hall in Aughton has been named England's number one restaurant at the National Restaurant Awards for 2023.

The acclaimed Lancashire restaurant, which holds two Michelin Stars, also held onto second place in the UK overall, after coming first in 2021. The annual list of 100 restaurants features eight restaurants in the north west region, including two Manchester spots - one of which has made the cut less than six months after opening its doors.

The list, which is decided by an industry panel of leading chefs, restaurateurs and food writers, was announced last night (June 12), at a ceremony held at The Hurlingham Club in London by Restaurant. After its debut on the list last year, Ynyshir in Wales has retained the poll position as Restaurant of the Year. The restaurant with rooms on the west coast of Wales is overseen by chef-patron Gareth Ward, and was declared to be "a restaurant like no other".

Restaurants are judged on a number of factors including menus, quality, and presentation, and Moor Hall, a Grade II-listed manor house with seven luxurious guest rooms, boasts not only two Michelin Stars for its restaurant, but also a Green Michelin Star and five AA Rosettes. Set within the hall's five-acre landscape, the glass-fronted restaurant enjoys views of the lake and is run by acclaimed chef patron Mark Birchall.

Moor Hall's chef-patron Mark Birchall (Mark Bristol)

The chef, who spent almost a decade working at Simon Rogan's L'Enclume, won Moor Hall's first star back in 2017, with 'produce-driven menus' inspired by the restaurant's 'exceptional surroundings'. The entry on the National Restaurant Awards Website says: "At Moor Hall the food really does the talking.

"The ambitious restaurant is tasting menu only, offering four and eight courses although guests can expect rather more than this in reality, such is the restaurant’s generosity when it comes to ‘extras’. An evening meal starts at the bar with a charcuterie selection before moving to the high-ceilinged room for the main event. It’s impressive stuff from a chef at the top of his game, one that marks Moor Hall out as a true Lancashire gem."

The Lancashire village of Aughton may only have a population of around 8,500, but it is home to three Michelin-starred restaurants with four stars between them, including Moor Hall, and it's casual little sister restaurant, the barn, and more recently, So-Lo, which picked up the coveted award back in April.

The restaurant at Moor Hall overlooks stunning gardens in Aughton (Manchester Evening News)

While this year’s list shows the return of the capital’s dominance in the restaurant scene, with a total of 54 restaurants from London on this list, and only three in the top 10 located outside of London, there was plenty to celebrate in terms of north west culinary achievements as the Parkers Arms pub in Lancashire was named Gastropub of the Year - and came in at number 12 in the top 100 restaurants list.

Sharing the good news on Twitter, the owners of Parkers Arms wrote: "Oh my goodness! This just happened. We just won best gastropub of the year in the @nationalrestaurantawards top 100 UK restaurants. We have been listed for quite a few years and watched people we look up to scoop this award and it is a surreal feeling."

Also representing Lancashire, Michelin Star restaurant Northcote in Langho came in 68th position, while L'Enclume - the only three Michelin Star restaurant in the north - came in at number 30 in the list, while Forest Side in Grasemere placed at 60.

Higher Ground is based inside Faulkner House on New York Street in Manchester (Manchester Evening News)

Here in Manchester, Higher Ground, a restaurant which has been attracting a lot of national interest since its opening earlier this year, placed at 51. The restaurant on New York Street only opened in February, but was praised for its "impeccable sourcing and creative cooking", with the listing describing it as a "modern and thoughtful Manchester bistro."

The restaurant, which is the highest rated for Greater Manchester this year, and is described as a "British Bistro and bar", was launched by the team behind Flawd at New Islington Marina. Originally a pop-up, it was created by Richard Cossins, chef Joe Otway and wine expert Daniel Craig-Martin - with all three having worked in some of the world's best restaurants.

Sharing the news on Instagram, Higher Ground wrote: "What a night. Incredibly proud of the team who we are lucky enough to work with. Congratulations to all the other teams involved last night - the future is very exciting indeed."

The other Manchester venue that has made the top 100 is the Michelin Star restaurant Mana, in Ancoats. It has risen up the rankings from 78 last year to now be placed at 71.

The full list of winners at the National Restaurant Awards: