7 Mar 2020
We can barely believe it, but come Sunday, Moor Hall is celebrating its THIRD birthday.
Where have those years gone? We’ve achieved so much in such a short space of time, and it is thanks to our fantastic team that we continue to do so.
To have retained two Michelin stars, five AA rosettes, a #5 ranking in the Waitrose Good Food Guide and to currently hold the title of No.1 Restaurant in the UK, as voted for at the National Restaurant Awards 2019, reflects the passion and pride we have opening our doors each day.
A huge thank you to all our guests who have joined us over the years, many of whom since the very beginning. You are at the core of everything we do. Each morning, we strive to make today better than yesterday, continually enhancing your experience with us.
Across Moor Hall & The Barn, there are SO many reasons to join us. Given it’s our birthday, we’ve totted up three we think make us pretty special.
1) PASSIONATE ABOUT PRODUCE
We are immensely passionate about excellent, well-sourced produce.
As a result as many of our ingredients as possible are grown within Moor Hall’s five-acre landscape, harvested daily for use in the kitchens of both the Restaurant and The Barn.
Items we cannot grow ourselves are sourced locally from the West Lancashire region wherever possible. All of our meat is reared in the North West and we only use sustainable fish from the UK.
Moor Hall is completely self-sufficient with regards to sourcing micro herbs and baby vegetables, with around ten different micro herbs grown at any one time depending on the season, such as celery, anise hyssop, fennel and baby carrots.
All our edible flowers are grown on-site too, such as cornflowers, violas, primulas, calendula, marigold and borage flowers, as well as additional garnishes such as oxalis, wood sorrel, buckler sorrel and nasturtium.
During the summer, our gardens turn an impressive crop, growing the likes of peas, broad beans, French beans, runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers, beetroot, turnip, carrot, fennel, agretti, crosnes, wild strawberries, raspberries, heritage apples & pears, peaches, plums, medler, quince, artichokes, cabbages, kales, leeks, New Zealand spinach and baby red onions.
We also cure our own meats for our charcuterie, and in our dairy we produce cheese, butter and yogurt using raw milk from a small, local herd of Holstein Friesian.
Our kitchen waste is minimised, with as much as possible funnelled back into the garden full-circle, for homegrown compost. There are no chemicals applied to the produce grown here, we employ only organic farming methods.
2) WE ARE AWARD-WINNING
Within six months of opening, the Restaurant at Moor Hall was awarded its first Michelin star.
A second star followed in the 2019 Michelin Guide, which we retained for 2020! We also achieved five AA rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide 2020, and a #5 ranking and cooking score of 9/10 in the 2020 Waitrose Good Food Guide.
In 2018, The Barn was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand and named Best Newcomer at Lancashire Life’s Food & Drink Awards. The Barn also holds two AA rosettes.
In addition, just last year, Moor Hall was awarded:
- ‘Restaurant of the Year’ at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards 2019, ranking #1 of their UK Top 100 Restaurants
- A #5 ranking in the 2020 Waitrose Good Food Guide’s Top 50 list – cooking score 9/10
- Special Achievement of the Year at the Lancashire Life Food & Drink Awards (a year after Mark won Chef of the Year)
- Square Meal’s ‘Best UK Restaurant’ 2019
- A #5 ranking in Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2020
- Best Restaurant; Best British Restaurant & Best Breakfast at the Book-a-Table Diner Awards
- A 94/100 scoring on La Liste, based on the compilation of hundreds of guidebooks and millions of online reviews globally
Other accolades include Best Breakthrough Restaurant in the GQ Food and Drink Awards 2018, and Lancashire Life Restaurant of the Year 2017.
3) OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM
Mark Birchall brings over 20-years of experience to the tables at Moor Hall.
His own style of British modern cuisine, inspired by our exceptional surroundings and home grown ingredients, breathes magic into our menus.
And it is with the support of a fantastic team that we are able to extend to all our guests the very best of experiences when they dine or stay with us. There are almost eighty people employed across Moor Hall and The Barn, each dedicated, passionate and thorough. From our green-fingered gardeners to our talented chefs; knowledgeable sommeliers to smiling receptionists; attentive waiters to impeccable housekeepers, we ensure every aspect of your journey with us is carefully crafted for an experience like no other.
Don’t just take our word for it!
Below you’ll find snippets from Moor Hall’s features in the press, from reputable and respected food guides and publications.
We’re also incredibly proud of our excellent customer reviews.
Moor Hall is rated 5/5 on TripAdvisor based on 528 reviews, and is the #1 Restaurant in Aughton. We are rated 4.9/5 on Bookatable, based on 516 reviews with a recommendation rating of 98%.
The Barn is rated 4/5 on TripAdvisor based on 233 reviews, and 4.5/5 on Bookatable, based on 513 reviews, with a recommendation rating of 95%.
“Mark Birchall brings his knowledge and experience together in a style of his own, where skilfully executed dishes combine the classic flavours of the region with modern techniques and a light touch.” – The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2020
“Without a doubt the hottest restaurant in Lancashire by a country mile.” – The Waitrose Good Food Guide 2020 (Cooking score 9/10)
“…everything coming out of the kitchen is exquisite. What Mark Birchall can do with carrots and turnips is just remarkable…” – Harden’s Restaurant Guide UK 2020 (Score 5/5)
“Expect virtuoso creations built on ingredients that can’t be bettered, executed with unsurpassed attention to detail and a highly evolved way of doing things.” – The AA Restaurant Guide 2020
“Mark is an incredibly talented chef… Moor Hall is an almost immaculate experience – Mark’s food is clever and inventive but also delicious… It’s an outstanding restaurant that deserves its title as the best in the UK” – Stefan Chomka, Editor of Restaurant Magazine (No.1 Ranking restaurant in the UK, National Restaurant Awards)
“Mark’s food was sheer joy… the dishes, served on local pottery, tasted natural, seasonal and delicious.” – The Sunday Telegraph/*