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Dinner with The Duke of Portland
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It was a still, dark night. The Duke of Portland stood shrouded beneath an autumn moon. My expectations were high.
Voted one of the UK’s top 10 gastro pubs and recommended by The Times, La Belle Époque’s country cousin was going to have to work hard to impress me. |
I hate to see lovely old pubs ‘done up’ with muted mocha, nylon cushions and bits of driftwood.
But, no question of that. I stepped inside and was greeted by lofty beams, lashings of Farrow and Ball and real carpet underfoot. Around me, beneath windows crowned with a flourish of tartan, the faces of contented diners were lit by unpretentious candlelight.
The simple truth is that The Duke of Portland doesn’t need to try too hard. It’s in a league of its own.
Dine here and you are, for a while at least, Lord of the manor. It’s as if you’ve been out hunting and come in to recline by the fire while the kitchen prepares the spoils.
| That the Mooney family has translated the success of La Belle Époque into a different format is perhaps not remarkable. They have style and flair and insist on sourcing the finest local produce. The Duke is still a country pub (favoured by the horsy set who stand at the bar with the locals) and yet also a classy dining |
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experience. (And remember, it is local – just a short drive from Knutsford on the Lach Dennis road.
By the way, watch out for The Mooneys’ new venture - a 300 year-old coaching inn - opening in Tarvin in December.)
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The menu at the Duke of Portland reads like a tale of Olde Cheshire, whetting your appetite with a subtle blend of humour and detail. How can you not be tempted by ‘Andy Holt’s prize winning black pudding and Cornvales brilliant smoked bacon-cumin scented Madeira gravy and duck egg set on home-made toasted bread’? Or ‘Slow roasted belly pork from Allison Nichollson at Applegarth farm, sweet potato mash and apple and sage jelly’. Even the words have the right consistency! I found the flavours on my plate elegant and imaginative. The pork melted in my mouth… (if only I had been less ladylike and picked up the crackling for a good crunch). The menu claims that the fish and chips are legendary. The night I |
was there, platters were leaving the kitchen in droves. As for dessert: ‘Unlike most places, we insist on making our own…’ And that’s the difference; exceptional quality English fayre served up with passion and pride.
So, go. It’s an experience you really shouldn’t miss out on.
I’ve always felt lucky to live in Knutsford. Having the Duke of Portland on my doorstep makes me
feel even luckier.
www.dukeofportland.com
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