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When I heard that Aumbry was holding a ‘Gruffalo Lunch’ it was the perfect opportunity to take my 2 young Gruffalo loving children to one of my favourite restaurants. We arrived at the restaurant in Prestwich to find it packed full of small children crawling around the floor, the dining room decorated with Gruffalo pictures and paper cups everywhere. It …

I arrived at Vertigo knowing very little about it other than they claim on their website to be a ‘fine-dining/modern cuisine’ restaurant and the reason for my visit, that they were nominated for 2 awards in the Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2011 awards. For ‘Best Newcomer’ and their head chef Ian Armstrong was nominated for the ‘Chef of the …

Being in Folkestone I really wanted to visit Mark Sargeant’s new restaurant Rocksalt but unfortunately I had a ferry to catch and didn’t have the time. Instead I had to settle for his fish & chip shop ‘The Smokehouse’. Although to be fair I was quite excited as i’m a big fan of fish & chips, especially good ones. I …

I don’t often have much luck when it comes to weather but choosing to visit L’Enclume in the pretty Lake District village of Cartmel on by far the best weekend of the entire year was certainly very lucky indeed. It’s a beautiful place anyway but with clear blue skies and 30degrees heat it was absolutely stunning. It was still hot …

I was lucky enough to be in the Lake District at the weekend, the weather was amazing and I ate at some fantastic restaurants including Michelin starred L’Enclume. One of the highlights of the weekend was much less grand but just as enjoyable in it’s own way, ‘Hooked’. Fusion ‘Hooked’ is Windermere’s newest seafood restaurant opened in November 2010, owner Michael Gould claims …

On my way up to the Lake District to visit L’Enclume I was very happy to stumble upon The Bay Horse Inn, just off the M6 a few miles outside of Lancaster. It has won numerous ‘Gastropub’ awards and been featured in the Michelin Pub Guide, the website promises to deliver ‘Modern Rural British Pub Food, making great use of …

I’d visited The Grill On The Alley several times previously and always had a great time. In January I even chose it above any restaurant in Manchester to take a couple of friends for their Christmas present. Unfortunately this visit was close to my worst experience in a restaurant for a long time. There were just so many problems, some of them fairly minor …

I love seafood so was very excited to try Livebait, i’ve always longed for a great seafood restaurant that didn’t require journeying to the sea. Housed in a Grade II listed building both the exterior and interior is very impressive. They also claim to serve fish that is ethically sourced and support sustainable fishing policies in line with the Marine …

Dockmasters House is located in a gorgeous 200 year old listed Georgian building in the heart of London’s Docklands. It has been restored beautifully but retains all of it’s charm and history. Whilst the inside retains some exposed brickwork and original marble floor it is also light, modern and chic a far cry from many Indian restaurants. The far side …

* This review was written at a time when I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos of food in restaurants. That has all changed now so I hope to revisit with my camera at the ready soon! * The more I heard and read about Aumbry before I arrived the more excited I got. The head chefs are Mary-Ellen McTague & …

* * Please note: this review is from a time when I (stupidly) didn’t feel comfortable taking photographs in restaurants. Some photos have been kindly borrowed from other blogs (credit given) * * This was where it all began for me. Almost 4 years ago, in 2006, my love of fine-dining started with my first visit to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. …

Maze is a very modern fine dining restaurant, in everything from the ambience and dress code right through to the food. The menu is a ‘tapas’ style tasting menu with individual dishes costing between £8 – £15 each. The chef recommended selecting 2 or 3 starter dishes and 2 main courses. I chose 3 starters and 4 main courses, being …

Whilst  visiting London in April I desperately wanted to eat at Petrus (a modern French cuisine in Knightsbridge, part of the Gordon Ramsay group) but I had left it too late and there were no tables free, luckily Gordon has another restaurant in the same building The Boxwood Café that had room for me. The reason for this was because …

* Please note that this review has been written retrospectively and was of a time when I didn’t feel comfortable taking photographs of food in restaurants. * My first genuine fine-dining experience was at 3 Michelin starred flagship restaurant of Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea. At the time it was considered to be the second best restaurant in the country by …