The Galloping Major Restaurant Review: Fine Dining at Oddfellows on the Park in Cheadle, Manchester

If I had to pick the one thing I love most about blogging, it would have to be where it’s taken me. Social media has really taken me off of my sofa so much more than I could have ever anticipated and for people who say we’re always on our phones (which is probably true) – we’ve forgotten just how much it’s opened up the world to us and got us exploring through other people’s influence. With all of that said, we recently found ourselves at a relatively new luxury hotel named Oddfellows on the Park in Cheadle, Greater Manchester.

The hotel’s restaurant, The Galloping Major is visually a thing of beauty and its looked after by young head chef, Ross Chatburn. Ross comes to this hotel with a fine CV, having previously worked at Manchester’s Hotel Gotham and The Bells at Peover. Ross also grew up just minutes from Oddfellows On The Park and spent his younger days playing in Bruntwood Park – so it seems only fitting he’s made this gorgeous restaurant his new home.

Some delicious warm bread arrived as we looked over the menu, and our starters quickly followed. We were dining on a Sunday menu does vary somewhat to the usual a la carte, but its excellent value priced at just £25 for three courses. First dish out was a rich venison tartare with fennel, blackcurrant and bone marrow. Just leaving Autumn and moving into Winter when we dined, this was the perfect dish to start with and one I firmly believe should always make an appearance on the menu when possible. Or at least variations of it.

Equally as lovely was this medley of mushrooms with peach, truffle and sunflower seeds. The earthy smell when it arrived at the table was so alluring. The mushrooms so meaty that if you closed your eyes you might mistake it for a piece of meat and with Ross drawing inspiration for his dishes from his environment – this was a plate of food where you could really feel that, both visually and taste.

As far as Sunday roasts go, this was up there with some of Manchester’s finest. A huge plate of all of my favourite things, each one cooked with care. Big crunchy roast potatoes, a huge Yorkshire pudding, carrots, greens and a generous helping of sliced sirloin beef which was packed with flavour. If that wasn’t enough, the gravy/jus had such a depth to it which really brought everything alive. If you dine here on a Sunday – order this.

If the classic Sunday roast isn’t quite your thing, then other main courses such as this sea bass might take your fancy. A stunningly cooked piece of white fleshed stone bass with capers, Jerusalem artichoke, chard and grapes. Flavour wise this dish was spot on, with those grapes really cutting into the oil of the fish. I wasn’t quite sure on the large chunks of crunchy artichoke casing (well that’s my best guess anyway) as I felt it was just a little too hard for the dish. If there was more of a sauce on the plate then perhaps it might have been different, but for me it was the only element I wasn’t madly in love with. The rest was delicious.

A selection of local cheeses went down perfectly and each of the four piece selection I can report was of excellent quality. With an assortment of fresh cheeses, biscuits and condiments, it was refreshing to see it being served without any usual set menu supplements and not matter how full you are – cheese is always a good idea.

If any of you know me well, you’ll know I’ve developed an insatiable appetite for cheesecakes and so if it’s ever on a menu – I simply can’t resist. Here it was a perfectly crafted vanilla and passionfruit cheesecake with a scoop of raspberry sorbet on the side. The biscuit base was excellent, the vanilla in the cheesecake ran all the way through it and the sweet, but zesty passionfruit was everything I hoped it was. Another must order.

We had a really lovely meal at The Galloping Major and it was exciting to see Ross settling into his new home nicely. There were one or two ingredients I wasn’t in love with (such as that crispy artichoke) and the blue table lighting was a bit Sci-fi for my liking, but overall it was a really exciting meal – especially for a Sunday set menu. Would I come back? Yes, and you will too – especially when you see inside this gorgeous hotel and its restaurant.