Bury and Rochdale Old Road, Heywood
The Bird at Birtle is what
should probably be called a ‘gastropub’. Owned by renowned local chef and
restaurateur Andrew Nutter, the former public house is a sister venue to his
famous country retreat Nutter’s, a
stunning converted manor house in Norden which showcases some of the best fine
dining in the North West.
The Bird at Birtle is a
smaller, more relaxed venue located on the outskirts of the Lancashire
countryside. It may be more casual, but the quality of the food is just as
stunning and the surroundings are just as sophisticated as the award-winning
original. The tables are opulently laid and the staff are very friendly and
attentive; you’d be hard-pressed to find fault.
The menu changes regularly to
reflect in-season local produce. There’s a wide selection of starters, main
courses and desserts. Starters on the current menu include tomato soup with
truffle oil, chicken liver parfait with toasted brioche and red onion jam and
tempura Bury black pudding, all sounding as delicious one another. It was a
toss-up between creamy garlic mushrooms, an ultimate favourite of mine, and the
hoisin duck wraps.
I worried the garlic mushrooms
would be too safe. After all, they do grace many menus and I felt I should be
ordering something a little different. Luckily, the risk paid off as they were
absolutely delicious. They were incredibly garlicky and coated in creamy
cheese, sat on top of toasted sourdough and topped with shredded lettuce for an
added crunch, it was a lip-smackingly gorgeous way to begin an exceptional
meal.
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| Garlic Mushrooms |
The duck wrap looked equally
impressive. You had to shred the duck yourself, but this couldn’t have been
easier because the meat was so perfectly cooked it fell apart. Served with
hoisin sauce, cucumber and leek, you were able to neatly fold it all into mini
pancakes. The portions were very generous and the prices were very reasonable.
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| Duck and Hoisin Wrap |
For main course, there’s an
array of meat and fish dishes, as well as vegetarian options and pub classics
such as steaks and pies. Tempted as I was by the cheese and onion pie, in the
end I opted for the sumptuous-sounding roast feather blade of beef. It was
served with a caramelised onion and red wine jus, roast fondant potatoes and
carrot puree. The succulent beef fell apart and melted in my mouth, with the
onion and red wine jus adding depth to the flavour. The roast fondant potatoes
were like a perfectly cooked croquet; layers of thinly sliced potatoes roasted
to a splendid colour and texture, nice and crispy on the outside. The whole
meal was delightfully satisfying. At £18.90, my beef main was very reasonably
priced and worth every single penny.
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| Roast Feather Blade of Beef |
As you know by now, for yours
truly, dessert is the highlight of any meal and here, the desserts are nothing
short of the exceptional quality I had, by the third course, grown to expect. The
choice of British classics was endless and included jam roly poly, sticky
toffee pudding, chocolate brownie and one of my favourites, the lesser-spotted
banoffee pie.
It was a superb banoffee pie,
deliciously sickly sweet toffee and cream encased in pastry and finished off
with caramelised banana, it was enough to satisfy even the most sweet-toothed
of people. I do prefer a nice crunchy biscuit base on a banoffee pie, but it
was excellent all the same.
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| Banoffee Pie |
The Bird at Birtle is a truly
exceptional dining experience. It’s fine dining without the pretentiousness.
Instead, it’s relaxed and friendly and extremely reasonably priced, but still
with the finest quality of food. A faultless restaurant which proved so good I’m
not sure I’ll be able to reserve it for special occasions. I can’t wait to go
back.
A sample menu can be viewed online: http://www.thebirdatbirtle.co.uk/.
