Perhaps some of you may remember (or not), but when I first started this website I’d originally named it LondonFoodholic. Very quickly my love of food expanded to not only outside of London, but across Europe – which eventually meant dropping London from my name. Nowadays it’s all becoming a little out of control now if I’m honest, but the problem still remains the same – I just can’t stop eating! Part of my insatiable appetite meant I’d planned to make a trip to the North – at least what I class as the north anyway. I’d been hearing about a new head chef causing a little stir up in the Wirral and of course I just couldn’t resist the temptation, planned the trip and jumped in the car.
The Lawns Restaurant is housed inside Thornton Hall Hotel, a lovely serene haven located in a gorgeous village called Thornton Hough – apparently the village derives its Tudor style buildings from its origins as a Model village, which was developed by a philanthropist named William Lever. The newly appointed head chef here at The Lawns Restaurant is Michelin starred chef, Matt Worswick. Matt has lots of experience under his collar and went on to receiving his first Michelin star in 2013 while working in Scotland at Glenapp Castle. Since then this Liverpool born chef has come back to his home town and is now serving up some exquisite food. From the moment a small farmhouse loaf and onion seeded version arrived, I was put at ease and instantly knew I was in safe hands. Gorgeously fluffy, crisp on the outside and their freshly baked aromas seeping out from the hot steam. It was all simply perfect.
Things continued to wow us with a small amuse bouche. Mushrooms (or for the sake of fine dining – champignon) with some gorgeously scented truffle foam. A great start to our tasting menu. One thing I will say and wasn’t expecting for Wirral were the fine dining prices to match. The tasting menu here will set you back £75 or £120 with wine pairing. Still, at least its high price is worth every single penny. Another surprising thing about the dining room too, were the clientele – it was a very young crowd. Looking around people were still stuck on rose wine, pints of lager and fascinators (big bow ones) seemed to still be in fashion. Perhaps the whole wine thing just hasn’t hit the north yet? One table seemed to be in awe at our flight of wines – either that or they thought we were just a bunch of snobs from London.
Another dish that made up part of this tasting menu was a single large tortellini with duxcell (type of mushroom) and a barley broth. There was very little I could criticise about the food here at The Lawns Restaurant but this was one dish I felt was holding back a little. The pasta itself couldn’t be faulted, nor could the filling, but the broth surrounding/filling it just didn’t quite get me excited, mainly because there was too little of it. I think a nice clear consomme keeping the tortellini afloat would have been much more successful. The taste of this dish also reminded me a little too much of the amuse bouche, so could have perhaps been served later on in the meal if possible.
Suddenly, things here started to get even more serious and the kitchen came in to their own, pumping out consistently good dishes. Chicken and ham hock terrine with salt baked swede, oddly tasted not too dissimilar to a chicken Sunday roast – a revelation in my books. With the moist chicken, swede, puree and pressed cabbage topping, well this time I was in awe. It was quite easily one of the best terrines I’ve ever eaten, being perfectly seasoned, beautifully arranged and with an unforgettable flavour combination. I also look forward to its recipe on it way to me after this review *hint hint*.
I’m yet to mention service here too. A young chap named James Campbell was churning out some very well polished service here indeed. Each course was well presented and wine pairing quickly, yet informatively described what we were about to sip on (or down in my case). One thing I will say though is the restaurant was completely packed and at times service became a little slow – no fault to the staff, they just simply needed another body in the room as some were split between the bar. Smoked salmon is one dish that so many restaurant have on their menus right now, but unfortunately so many places still get it wrong. Thankfully that wasn’t the case here and this chunk of salmon couldn’t have been more perfect. Beautifully smoked, a little salty and ever so slightly coloured to the skin from perhaps a little grill action. The wasabi paste I was at first a little worried about it overpowering the delicate salmon, but instead it gave the perfect amount of flavour and heat, while cucumber brought a little freshness. I can’t remember exactly what wine we drank with this dish, but I do recall it pairing incredibly well.
Ox cheek, soy and coffee was next up and was another very skilled plate of food, but was holding back on the one thing I was most looking forward to, that coffee element. I’ve no doubt it was in this dish somewhere but I just couldn’t taste it, at least not enough anyway. The fact that it was described so prominently on the menu meant I was really looking for it, otherwise I’d have had not a single ounce of criticism for this dish. The soy was certainly detectable with its hint of saltiness on the other hand and went very well against those stunning Ox cheeks – they quite literally fell apart from the moment my fork got anywhere near them.
Desserts were just as tantalising as I’d hope for, with the first out being light, yet still just as decadent. A well executed and firm pineapple cheesecake with pineapple sorbet and dollops of coconut cream. The flavours were incredibly fresh and the acidity from all that pineapple really left the mouth salivating. The coconut on the other hand gave it a nice bit of creaminess and body to it all which ended up making this dish taste a little like a dessert version of my favourite cocktail, pina colada. Importantly it also looked great too and as they do say, you eat with your eyes.
Extremely full by this point, Matt and his team decided to completely tip us over the edge with one hell of a rich and delicious dessert. A show-stopping salted caramel fondant which when cut through reveals its oozing sweet caramel goodness on to the plate. Once that spoonful of yogurt sorbet started to melt in to it too, there was no stopping me – heart attack on plate? Maybe – but one certainly worth it risking it for. By this point I was ready for my bed – after a quick nightcap of course.
The Lawns Restaurant was certainly one experience I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on in my journey up North. This place has all the elements and traits of a Michelin starred restaurant that I only hope in time, receives the accolade it will no doubt soon deserve. For now there is of course still some small areas which need fine tuning, but they’re all very minor and for a restaurant which been open occupied by Matt Worswick for very little time, him and his team have created something very special here in the Wirral, which will no doubt grow only from strength to strength.
8/10
