Home & Away with Robert Walshe
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Weekend Hotspot – Northcote Ribble Valley Lancashire
Northcote is a renowned country hotel and restaurant in a 19th-century listed manor house located at Langho, Ribble Valley, and Lancashire, England. Rich furnishings and wall coverings including ultra contemporary bathrooms and designer toiletries give a luxurious feel to the bedrooms in the manor house and newly opened garden lodge which also has a beautifully appointed lounge area for relaxation with pantry kitchen,
boot and drying rooms. Despite this remarkable redevelopment, Northcote still has food and drink at its very core. Chef Patron Nigel Haworth has retained his Michelin star status here for the last 15 years, with other notable achievements including a place in the final of BBC2’s Great British Menu 2009. Northcote has also been promoted to 4 Red Stars and 4 Rosettes in the prestigious AA Awards, as well as being voted ‘Hotel Restaurant of the Year’ in the National Restaurant Awards 2010. Also under Haworth’s direction,
n Northcote from Pride of Britain Hotels.
Northcote has always had a loyalty to artisan producers in Lancashire, with the Ribble Valley Food Trail nowadays showcasing the finest food producers, retailers and restaurateurs for miles around. Nigel’s prestigious cookery school offers a range of courses graded by level of difficulty and by categories so you can pick your ideal Northcote cookery experience. Northcote’s annual gastronomic event, “Obsession” returns in early 2016 promising to be bigger and better than any of its predecessors. Expect a series of high profile dinners that will showcase local produce with truly global flavour. We stayed at Northcote on a two night gourmet break, which included a five-course tasting menu on one evening and traditional breakfast on both mornings. Expect delicious British cuisine presented in an unpretentious manner. Northcote is a member of Pride of Britain Hotels a consortium of privatelyowned independent British hotels. Stay overnight from £255 per room (two sharing) including full English breakfast. Guests attending a full-
(074) 9131018
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day cookery course stay for a special rate of £130 per room (two sharing). To book visit www. prideofbritainhotels. com The famous Ribble Valley positioned in the landscape of rural Lancashire remains relatively unexplored, the majority of which forms part of the Forest of Bowland. Time appears to have bypassed this historic area, leaving it immersed in a rich hern Chef Nigel Hawo itage, including the rth at Northco te Cookery Sc stunning Clitheroe hool. Castle, the Roman sites at Ribchester and the famous Abbeys at Whalley and Sawley. Ribble Valley also market town of Clitheroe is fresh air, walk the hills, stroll became the inspiration for a shopping haven with in- along the riverside paths or J.R.R Tolkien’s ‘Middle Earth’ dividual shops and historic explore numerous ancient with local place names find- treasures you wouldn’t usu- villages. www.visitlancashire. ing their way into his famous ally find on your everyday com Robert Walshe is a travel Lord of the Rings trilogy. The high street, Clitheroe is the historic market towns of Clit- perfect place to pick up a broadcaster with Q a netheroe and Longridge are sur- gift for that tricky someone work of seven radio starounded by 44 villages; the or simply a place to treat tions broadcasting from largest being Whalley, each yourself from the eclectic Belfast & other regional set in serene and unspoilt range of shops on offer. With studio’s across all of countryside. It is this time- hundreds of square miles of Northern Ireland. He is less beauty, along with the glorious and peaceful coun- also Travel Editor for River warm hospitality, which at- tryside, Ribble Valley is the Media newspaper titles on tracts visitors to return time perfect gateway destination. the island of Ireland. www. and time again. The bustling You can sooth yourself in the robertwalshe.com