Weekly Review: Moor Hall
Among London's best, if we stretch our definition a tiny bit to include Liverpool, and lunch included the best thing I ate in 2024.
Quick hit: Top-class everything. Fun without being stuffy. Not far off perfection.
Details: Booking essential. Aughton, near Liverpool. ££££.
Restaurant website. More on Instagram and Michelin Guide.
Find it on Google Maps. Prescot Rd, Aughton, Ormskirk L39 6RT
What are the limits of Greater London? We can all agree that today’s London stretches to the M25. But surely we must also count bedroom communities like Reading and Guildford. I know a number of people who work in London but live in Bristol. Could we regard the boundary as that far? And now that we have allowed for a longer train journey, couldn’t we say that Greater London extends as far as a couple of hours by train, or perhaps just a bit more?
Maybe it would be simplest to say that Greater London extends to a journey of no more than two and a half hours. So, that comfortably takes in the Cotswolds, Paris, and, crucially for this review, Liverpool.
Or if that’s too much a stretch for you, consider the FT, which told us that today’s business lunches might be better in the countryside. And Moor Hall is very much in the countryside.
There’s been an manor house at Moor Hall since at least 1282, and probably before. The current main house dates from the 16th century.
The present operation includes luxury accommodation, the restaurant — with two stars and a green star from Michelin — and the Barns, a “neighbourhood” restaurant with its own Michelin star.
The food is driven by the genius of Mark Birchall, previously at L’Enclume, who has been the architect of Moor Hall’s success since it opened in 2014.
I joined two friends for lunch in the restaurant on a recent Saturday, and it was, without doubt, among the very best meals I’ve enjoyed this year.
First, there’s the venue. The early rounds are served in a soft, comfortable sitting room in the oldest part of the manor house. Our perch had a great view of the front garden and a massive, ancient fireplace that any Time Team fan could get excited about.
After getting our hands on a welcome glass of champagne, there were snacks.
Lots of top-end places have gone big on snacks, and I’ve had some amazing and wondrous bites, not least at Single Thread in California.
But these were next-level epic. The opener was charcuterie, made in house. Wonderfully fatty, brilliantly spiced.
Then there was “black pudding.” If I was to pick the single best thing I’ve eaten in 2024, it would be Moor Hall’s black pudding. A parcel so carefully constructed it was beyond belief, and it delivered soft, warm, perfect flavour.
Then finely grated crown prince squash with a cured egg yolk and homemade chorizo. Then an “english muffin” with buttered lobster, pancetta that was more like lardo, and lemon verbina, which was also in the top five of things I’ve eaten in 2024.
Then a round of caviar, obviously.
I may have needed a second glass of champagne.
After caviar, we were led towards the dining room, pausing in the kitchen for our final snack — a bite of smoked eel served in a tart made from a single, long-strand of potato. It was camouflaged in a display of the day’s fresh ingredients.
From there, we walked through the wonderfully bright, long dining room, which I’m guessing was built as an extension off the main house. We were generously granted the best table, with a view of the whole space.
Then, lunch began.
There was mackerel paired with an extraordinary ‘preserved’ raspberry, the fruit’s acidity balancing the oily character of the fish.
An oyster dish was finished table side, the chef joining our banter and making the whole experience a moment of light entertainment, followed by an exquisite bite of sweet, salty oyster with a hint of dill and creamy but acidic buttermilk.
There were courses focused on carrot then on turnip with crab. Next was an over-the-top take on beef tartare — beef aged for 80 days and served with celeriac, mustard, and shallots. Enough to recognise the classic, but each element cut into big hunks, so that individual flavours really shown through.
Then came scallop with cauliflower, grains, and truffle. and after that, turbot, so artistically presented we felt shame in eating it, though we ate it anyway.
Finally, a filet of sika deer from Dorset served with fruits of the forest, together with a sidecar of the deer’s liver topped with truffled honey.
Four epic, clever desserts followed that, mostly fruit-focused, all refreshing after so many delicious courses.
And then cheese. We were led to the cheese room and asked to select a few. I could have spent the rest of the day. Another banter-filled conversation as the server courted danger by memorising our selections.
After cheese, it was back to the sitting room for coffee and petit fours. If I had been on a sofa, that would have been followed by a nap.
Throughout, all of the service was wonderful, especially considering that one of our group was nearly an hour late. But Moor Hall didn’t miss a beat, although I’m sure they had to move heaven and earth in the kitchen to rearrange the service plans which we had disrupted.
Wine service was stupendous, with expert hands guiding us through their extensive list.
Even accounting for the level of hospitality you expect in a place of this caliber, the Moor Hall team went far beyond. Everyone was friendly, even nice, glad to have a laugh, happy to chat. They felt (to me, at least) genuinely happy to see us.
We could not have been happier to see them.
We returned to Liverpool feeling pretty good and arrived in time for an evening football match. As if preordained, the right team won.
If, in life, there are good days and bad days, this one rated excellent. I’ll remember for it a long time.
And I can’t wait to get back to Moor Hall. Thank goodness it’s just across town.
Thanks for reading this week’s review. Where would you draw the line on ‘Greater London’? Been to Moor Hall? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And please do subscribe if you haven’t already.
It's a wonderful place. Did you have the wine pairing? I don't think I've had a better one anywhere. And I can't believe it's been a decade since they opened, that's incredible. It's pointless making these sorts of predictions or statements but I genuinely don't see any reason why they shouldn't have three Michelin stars.