Michelin-starred chef opens second Lancashire restaurant

A second dining room is to open this week on the grounds of Moor Hall, in Aughton, Lancashire. The Barn will be a more informal dining experience than its sibling restaurant next door, which opened in spring 2017 and has accumulated a number of awards in its first six months – including the only new Michelin star to be awarded to a restaurant in the North West this year.

The Barn, a bar and more casual dining experience, features a 65-seat dining room on the first floor of a converted building near to the main manor house. Its rustic interior features original beams and exposed brickwork with an integral bar and an open kitchen. There will also be a small seating area outside, for use in better weather.

Head chef of The Barn will be Aaron Harris, who previously worked at Sixty One restaurant in London. Aaron has worked closely with chef-patron Mark Birchall to create a menu which celebrates many of the top quality ingredients they have sourced locally. Birchall and his team have spent the past year establishing an extensive kitchen garden on the grounds, the produce of which will help make the entire food operation more sustainable and increasingly self-sufficient. 

As part of the on-going business development plan, Birchall, together with business partners Andy and Tracey Bell, are also in the process of converting the ground floor of The Barn to include an in-house dairy, bakery, meat-ageing and curing room along with a miniature brewery.

The Barn will offer excellent value for money. Starters will range in price from between £6-£13, main courses £12-£33 and desserts at £7. At lunchtime, they will offer a two course menu at £19 or three courses for £23. There will be a more extensive á la carte menu on offer in the evening with dishes such as baked scallop, leek and potato; mushroom risotto with marrow and crispy chicken wing; 35-day aged rib-eye steak; Goosnargh chicken with celeriac purée, grilled lettuce, grains and cheese; and Herdwick lamb with broccoli, whey onions and anchovy.

Desserts will be difficult to refuse with temptations such as chocolate délice with almond and bitter orange or carrot cake with salted caramel, walnut and gingerbread ice cream. The Barn will also offer a dedicated children’s menu.

The international wine list will feature over fifty different bottles (starting from £20), of which fifteen will be offered by the glass (from £4). There will also be a selection of hand crafted cocktails, bottled and draft lager and premium spirits.

The Barn will be open for lunch between 12-3pm Wednesday-Saturday and dinner from 6pm-9.30pm. It will open on Sundays between 12-7pm.