Why I’ve not been to Bollington
before, I do not know. As well as boasting the Michelin rated Oliver,
which overlooks the village green, the charming limestone town is also home to
the sister restaurant of West
Didsbury’s The Lime Tree and nearby Kerridge’s The Lord Clyde has just
been taken over by, blogger’s favourite, chef Ernst Van Zyl. It’s no
wonder they call this area the “Happy Valley”.
What’s more, it’s less than ten
miles from my house and made for a pleasant drive out; we even found time to
stop for a stroll in the September sunshine and look at the boats lined up
along the Macclesfiled Canal.
What Michelin say, ‘Bright
neighbourhood restaurant opposite a tiny village green, run by an enthusiastic
young couple. Light lunches and an interesting evening à la carte of refined,
flavoursome dishes. The breads, ice-creams and chocolates are all homemade.’
The enthusiastic couple in question
are chef / proprietor Scott Oliver and his, restaurant manager / girlfriend,
Jaydean. (The family run restaurant is co-owned by Scott’s father.)
Scott’s skills in the kitchen are
not in question. He trained under Andrew Nutter and held his first head chef
job by the age of 22 (he’s still only 26). All of our food was cooked and
seasoned well with hearty portions and well-balanced flavours. Front of house,
Jaydean conducted a friendly, relaxed and swift service with a smile. What we
ate:
Oak smoked salmon & horseradish arancini with a tomato chilli & herb
relish and chive aioli – I’d have preferred the arancini to have had a little
more moisture inside but the flavours all came through well, given a kick with
a potent balsamic reduction.
Hazelnut Buttered Chicken Liver Parfait with fruit ‘n’ nut loaf slices and
a pear & currant compote – the hazelnut butter on top of the parfait was a
nice touch that complemented the nuts in the fruity toasts.
Roasted Loin of Cheshire Pork with all the trimmings: Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, “proper”
gravy and roasted veg (squash, parsnip carrot, celeriac & garlic) – it was
all very good but the crackling really took it up to the next level.
Pan Baked Fillet of Atlantic Cod with cauliflower cheese beignets, sautéed snow peas with a
pea & shallot dressing – a beautifully cooked, succulent piece of fish with
silky smooth cauliflower cheese beignets.
I also ordered a side of Extra Roasties and some delightfully
chunky Truffle Chips – the portions
were substantial and having previously eyed up the dessert menu, as good as
they were, I was beaten by the extra
roasties… I did manage to polish off the chips thought that had been coated in
a heady mix of truffle oil and powdered cep.
Tonka Bean Infused Crème Brûlée with white chocolate krispies and dried raspberries – this
was my wife’s choice and I didn’t see (let alone taste) much of it! You could
say it went down well.
Lemon & Almond Frangipane Sponge with a lemon & vanilla posset with lemon gel
– I do like a lemon dessert when the chef is not afraid to allow the sharpness
of the lemons to sing… they certainly warbled in the fantastically flavoured
lemon gel; the flavour of the posset was spot on too.
I rarely mention prices on my blog
but this was such great value, it would be unfair not to: starters all £4.95,
mains £9.95 and desserts £3.95. Not only was it excellent value, we enjoyed a lovely
meal in a quality family, owned and run local restaurant, set in a charming
location… what’s not to love? We’ll be back!
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