THERE comes a time when the bird has to fly the nest. When second generation talent matures enough to go it alone into the big wide world. But when you’ve been a key influence in the kitchen team that helped to create the UK’s best restaurant, the pressure is on to build something special once more.
L’Enclume is a restaurant that has hit iconic status and will continue to blossom, but this is something I’ve always wanted
So there is much eager expectation from North West food lovers as they follow the progress of Mark Birchall’s upcoming project, Moor Hall in Aughton, near Ormskirk.
Scheduled to officially open in early autumn, the impressive Grade II star listed gentry house with Tudor origins, is being transformed, in partnership with friends and business partners Andy and Tracey Bell, into a contemporary restaurant and small hotel with seven bedrooms.
As part of the major renovation, the building and five-acre site will be developed in two stages; initially with the restaurant and bedrooms, and then, in mid-2017, a large barn will be restored into a second, more informal dining space that will also feature a small dairy, charcuterie and curing room, as well as a meat ageing room, wine cellar and somewhere to brew.
All of these rooms will be accessible for guests to view at their leisure. Mark told us he was “keen to break down those sometimes intimidating barriers which can come with lengthy wine lists and over loaded cheese trolleys.”
During his decade at L’Enclume, where he worked from 2006-15, Chef Birchall helped them achieve five AA Rosettes, two Michelin stars, and the title ‘UK’s Best Restaurant’ in the Waitrose Good Food Guide with a full 10/10 rating. He also won the Roux Scholarship in 2011, enabling him to spend time at Michelin three-starred El Celler de Can Roca in Spain.
Moor HallBut having worked under Simon Rogan for over ten years, was it difficult to step away?
“L’Enclume is a restaurant that has hit iconic status and will continue to blossom, but this is something I’ve always wanted and what I’ve been working for my entire career,” said Mark, “I felt the timing was right for me personally and professionally.”
At Moor Hall, interior designer Martin Nealon has been tasked with retaining the traditional aesthetics of the 16th century Jacobean manor while introducing contemporary features. There will be two reception rooms on the ground floor, plus a wood-panelled bar and a lounge, carved fireplaces that will be lit by rows of handmade crystal-cut lanterns, hammered steel surrounds, fossil slab tables, and saddle leather sofas.
In contrast, the 50 seat restaurant, with adjacent cheese and wine rooms, will be more modern, with porcelain floors, and surrounding glass walls giving panoramic views of the property. An oak panelled private dining room for up to twelve will be more intimate, featuring a handmade oak dining table and a large fireplace.
Mark’s menus will showcase his own style of modern British cuisine, using produce grown on site, and reflecting the broad culinary experience he has garnered over the last fifteen years. Born in Chorley, Lancashire, he began his career working at The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, Wales, with Franco Taruschio, and then at Northcote Manor with Nigel Haworth.
Will it be difficult for him to develop his own style after working under another such exalted, top rate chef for so long? “Not hard at all,” says Mark, “I was as much a part of L’Enclume as L’Enclume was a part of me. I was more than content with what I was doing with the guys in Cartmel. In between developing the project I’m giving myself a little time to experience different restaurants and cultures.”
Overall, the setting of Moor Hall will provide an idyllic rural destination for guests from throughout the North West (being just 25 minutes drive from Liverpool, and 45 minutes from Manchester) further rubber stamping the region as an area for excellent dining.
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