Nigel Haworth and Craig Bancroft’s Highwayman in Burrow, Lancashire has been named the county’s Dining Pub of the Year in the next edition of The Good Pub Guide 2010, published today by Ebury Press.
A substantial old stone house with country interior, the Highwayman serves carefully sourced and prepared food, set within lovely landscaped gardens. This upmarket dining pub is a really special place, beautifully refurbished a few years ago by the owners of The Three Fishes at Great Mitton (under the Ribble Valley Inn Group). Although large, its stylishly simple flagstoned 17th Century interior is nicely divided into intimate corners, with a couple of big log fires and informal wooden furnishings.
Craig and Nigel are keen to actively promote local suppliers, hence the Black and white wall prints (and placemats) showing the characterful local farmers and producers from whom the pub gets its ingredients. Local Thwaites Lancaster Bomber, Double Century and Wainwright and a guest such as Bowland Sawley Tempted are served on handpump, alongside good wines by the glass, just over a dozen whiskies and a particularly good range of soft drinks. Service is busy, welcoming and efficient. French windows open to a big terrace and lovely gardens. They don't take bookings at the weekend (except for groups of eight or more), but write your name on a blackboard when you arrive, and they will find you when a table becomes free.
Traditional Lancastrian recipes are tweaked to bring them up-to-date, and prepared using those carefully sourced products (marked on a map on the back of the menu). As well as bar nibbles and imaginative sandwiches, ploughman's and platters of local seafood and cured meats, starters might include slow cooked pork belly with crumbed black pudding and deep fried apple purée, crab cake with tomato and caper sauce, twice baked mushroom soufflé omelette and seared tuna salad, with main courses such as battered haddock with marrowfat peas, mutton pudding, cheese and onion pie lamb hotpot with pickled red cabbage, dry cured gammon steak with poached egg, and puddings such as Lancashire curd tart and bread and butter pudding.
This is welcome news for Celebrity Michelin starred Chef Nigel Haworth (of Great British Menu/Saturday Kitchen fame) who has also just been awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism in the North West Tourism Awards.
“Here at Northcote, the Highwayman and all of our superb Ribble Valley Inn pubs, we are delighted and honoured to have been given these awards. It is a testament to the hard work of our staff and the strong relationships we’ve built with some of the best producers the North West has to offer.”
Nigel Haworth