The Barn at Moor Hall

A more casual alternative to chef Mark Birchall’s fine dining magnum opus Moor Hall, The Barn is a charming, rustic space next to the main manor house. Whilst Moor Hall is quite a specific dining experience, The Barn is rather more accessible, open for lunch and dinner with seating spread between the barn itself and a large terrace area just in front.

The Barn was renovated and reopened as a restaurant in 2017, and great care has gone into the tasteful, conscientious refurbishment. In line with Moor Hall’s sustainable ethos, as much of the original material has been reused in the renovation as possible - either in the restaurant or around the grounds - and the results are beautiful. The Barn’s vaulted ceiling towers overhead as you climb the stairs into the restaurant. Exposed brick walls and lots of timber help the space feel rustic and homely, but still elegant, and the long space points you towards a bustling open kitchen at the far end.

This restaurant may seem to play second fiddle to two Michelin-starred Moor Hall nearby, but the cooking at The Barn is, in many ways, just as accomplished as it is next door. Alongside an a la carte packed full of delicious dishes, The Barn still makes your visit feel special with snacks and petit fours bookending your meal. Some in-house charcuterie kicks things off, which is made in Moor Hall’s curing room downstairs, and goes down nicely alongside a refreshing gin and chamomile aperitif. Among the starters, a tartlet of Spenwood cheese, violet artichoke, duck ham and walnut catches the eye, each of its components perfectly presented and bundled harmoniously into a crisp, buttery shortcrust shell.

The setting is a little more relaxed, but there’s a precision to the cooking in The Barn that signals a really top-tier restaurant. The pick of a few outstanding mains is a ballotine of Saint-Sever guinea hen, wrapped in crispy skin and served with girolles, wild garlic flowers, smoked potato sauce and a pool of glossy sauce. It’s pretty as a picture, and absolutely delicious. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention also a beautiful, pearlescent piece of turbot, cooked on the bone and served on a sticky, glistening crab sauce. 

The crowning flourish is a prune and amaretto souffle which rises proudly from its mould, and we spoon a rocher of almond ice cream into the middle and devour. With reasonably-priced set menus, Sunday lunches and more also on offer, the people of Aughton are lucky to have not just one, but two outstanding restaurants on their doorstep.

The Barn at Moor Hall is a more accessible sister restaurant to two Michelin-starred Moor Hall in Aughton, Lancashire. Overseen by Moor Hall executive chef Mark Birchall, The Barn at Moor Hall also has a Michelin star, and though it sits somewhat in the shadow of it’s older, more luxurious sibling, it remains one of the best restaurants in the UK in its own right.

Moor Hall itself is a stunning, Grade II listed country house, complete with extensive surrounding gardens, a large lake, overnight rooms and cabins in the heart of West Lancashire. Husband-and-wife team Andy and Tracey Bell bought the property in 2015 and spent millions on the renovation, working alongside Birchall to turn it into one of the UK’s most notable restaurants.

The Barn at Moor Hall sites in a renovated barn in a separate part of the grounds, but it shares much of what makes Moor Hall so special. Moor Hall’s grounds are used to grow produce for both restaurants year-round, and Moor Hall also produces its own charcuterie, cheese, honey, beer and lots more - a benefit that The Barn shares in.

That makes the Barn a great choice if you want to experience a bit of that Moor Hall magic, but on a more flexible budget. The Barn at Moor Hall offers a great value set menu, as well as a more affordable a la carte than next door, including dishes such as chalk stream trout, radish, sea greens and malted wheat, and roasted Sladesdown duck with organic carrots, red kale and girolles.

The Barn at Moor Hall also serves a very popular Sunday lunch, which includes 60 day aged Belted Galloway sirloin, slow cooked shoulder of Herdwick lamb, and a selection of starters and desserts.