Opinion

An indulgent trip to Northcote – Lancashire’s Michelin-starred gem doing fine dining the northern way | Review

A true way to treat yourself.

Will Kendrick Will Kendrick - 17th July 2025

Some meals are just meals. Others stay with you, not just because the food is great, but because the whole experience feels special.

That’s exactly how I felt after spending an evening at the well-renowned Michelin Star restaurant, Northcote – tucked away in the beautiful Ribble Valley countryside.

The place itself is stunning. Northcote is a countryside manor that manages to feel grand without being stuffy, and not to mention the views are picture-perfect too. A pre-meal perch on the terrace outside with a glass of non-alcoholic elderflower spritz set me up for a perfect afternoon.

But of course, I wasn’t there just for the scenery. I was invited to dine in a private dining room with an open kitchen, where Great British Menu star and MasterChef: The Professionals judge, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, and her incredible team cooked right in front of us. Lisa recently returned to lead the kitchen after a brief time away, and so this meal felt like a celebration of her return. From the moment she stepped into the kitchen, it was clear she was exactly where she belonged.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen at Northcote
Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Chef Patron and Director at Northcote / Credit: Jonny Lake (Supplied)

The menu was thoughtful, seasonal, and beautifully put together. Every course felt carefully considered, with bold flavours but nothing fussy or overdone.

Words from Lisa herself endorse this, as she says: “This menu reflects everything the Northcote kitchen stands for – a deep respect for produce, a commitment to innovation and a passion for pushing culinary boundaries. It’s elegant, playful and full of flavour and more than that, it’s significant, because it marks the start of a new era.”

My favourite course was the chilled Isle of Wight tomato. I’m absolutely hooked on goats cheese at the moment and it paired so well with the fresh tomatoes. The bread meant you could just rip it apart and scoop everything up so the plate was well and truly spotless afterwards. 

An honourable mention has to go to the beautifully-simple way we ended the meal too. Having been watching Wimbledon all week, I was craving some strawberries and cream. The strawberries were full of flavour, the elderflower gave a gentle lift, and the clotted cream made it feel indulgent. 

‘Northcote is more than just a place to eat, it’s an experience’ / Credit: The Manc Group

I was driving, so wine was off the cards… or so I thought. The sommelier had a whole non-alcoholic wine pairing option. One non-alcoholic pairing really stood out. It was a tea served in a wine glass, not just for the look, but because it shared the same flavour-enhancing compound found in wine.

During our afternoon of indulgent food and drink, Managing Director Craig Bancroft offered us an exclusive look at some of the exciting developments on the horizon at Northcote. These include a full refurbishment of the hotel’s bedrooms, a refreshed restaurant design with an expanded private dining area, and the addition of a brand-new on-site spa.

Plans are also underway to relaunch Northcote’s outside catering arm, with a focus on high-end, small-scale events such as private dinner parties and boutique corporate gatherings – all delivered with the same signature quality the brand is known for.

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Northcote is more than just a place to eat. It’s somewhere that brings together setting, service, and food in a way that feels personal and memorable. Whether you’re there for a special occasion or just looking to treat yourself, it offers an experience that’s hard to forget.

With Lisa Goodwin-Allen back at the helm of the ship, Northcote feels grounded, inspired, and full of promise.

Featured Image – Supplied

Opinion

What it’s like to fly from Manchester Airport’s ultra-luxury new private terminal

Will Kendrick Will Kendrick What it’s like to fly from aether, Manchester Airport’s ultra-luxury new private terminal

I’ve always accepted that commercial air travel comes with a certain level of chaos: the lines, the noise, the stress of checking your pocket for your passport every five minutes or checking the screens for that inevitable delay. It’s not glamorous, but it’s just part of the deal. It’s the price to pay prior to a holiday of good food and weather. Or so I thought.

Last week, aether turned that belief entirely on its head.

Upon arrival at the private terminal – located away from the main airport, near Runway Visitors Park – we were greeted outside by the most lovely host and welcomed inside. It was surreal; there were no crowds, no lines, no barking announcements – only calm, quiet luxury. Granted it was 6am, but let’s admit it, even Manchester Airport can be chaotic at that time.

The lounge area was super relaxed. Ambient music echoed quietly throughout the room and large panoramic windows meant you could watch the spectacle of every take off and landing right from your armchair.

But the real highlight? Breakfast by Adam Reid. Yes, that Adam Reid – the mastermind chef behind The French restaurant at The Midland Hotel. aether serves a three-course breakfast experience that wouldn’t feel out of place in a five-star hotel.

We enjoyed the fresh fruit in elderflower cordial, the buttery jammy croissant pudding and a bowl each of overnight oats. Already this was more than I’d have for breakfast any other day, nevermind the day you go on holiday where you’re usually too stressed to eat.

Then we opted for the smoked salmon and scrambled crumpet and the breakfast bun. The breakfast bun was huge, and kept me full all the way to Seville.

Finally, we finished off with a small smoothie and a cake each, before sitting back down to await details about our flight. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the beer and prosecco, because we were on our holidays after all.

If that wasn’t reason enough to fly with aether, the level of luxury had only just begun. When our flight was almost ready to board, we were asked to head on through to security. It was identical to that seen in any other terminal, except once again, we were the only people there. In fact, we were through security in less than two minutes. I think it was at that point I said to my partner: “I can never go back to normal.” These are the things worth paying for.

What it’s like to fly from aether, Manchester Airport’s ultra-luxury new private terminal
What it’s like to fly from aether, Manchester Airport’s ultra-luxury new private terminal
What it’s like to fly from aether, Manchester Airport’s ultra-luxury new private terminal

Obviously, we still had to get to the plane. You’d assume they have a bus? You’d be wrong. We were chauffeured to the gate in a luxury BMW quite literally driving alongside the runway with a couple of stops whilst we had to wait for planes to reverse. We felt important.

If I let my imagination get the best of me I’d have thought we were heading to a private hangar to board Air Force One. But lo and behold, we had to enter the airport for all of 30 seconds before we boarded the plane. God forbid! Our chauffeur even made sure we boarded through the priority queue, and that concluded the coolest and smoothest way I had ever boarded a Ryanair flight.

It’s easy to scoff at the idea of a ‘private terminal’ until you experience it for yourself. But aether isn’t just offering luxury for luxury’s sake – it’s redefining what the start of a journey can feel like. No queues, no noise, no stress – just calm, care, and an exceptional breakfast to send you on your way.

Would I use it again? If I could, every time.

See more and book aether here.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Opinion

Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | June 2025

Danny Jones Danny Jones New Manchester music artists June 2025

Hello there. That greeting may be giving Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars vibes, and we can’t lie, we have listened to some cantina music while working this month… but not as much as we’ve been immersing ourselves in more new Manchester artists.

You should know the drill by now, and it is very much a what-it-says-on-the-tin scenario, but every few weeks, we round up some of the music – all crucially hailing from the Greater Manchester area – that we’ve been listening to of late.

We don’t discriminate when it comes to genre either. There’s only one simple rule: if it’s good, then we listen to it and then, hopefully, so do you.

Get your playlists at the ready.

Five Manc music artists we’ve been listening to recently

1. Arkayla

First up for June are relative newcomers Arkayla, whose name is inspired by “a terrible Oasis demo” from 1991 (their words, not ours – thought it is…) of the same name, a.k.a. ‘I Will Show You’, in which describe Liam Gallagher’s now legendary as once sounding “like a dodgy Ian Brown impressionist.”

However, there’s nothing dodgy about these lot and, thankfully, they’re in an era when you don’t have to hand out tapes recorded in the Boardwalk basement on the street to be heard. The Manchester band, which only formed in 2020, may be Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, but they’ve already got a sound.

There’s an unmistakable British indie element to them and hints at everything from The Kooks to The Lathums, but most notably, there are ’60s guitar notes and some real maturity already. Standouts include ‘Ella Malone’, the acoustic version of ‘Lost In a Valentine’, where the lead singer, Cal Blakebrough, really shines, and ‘Rita’ is such an addictive track.

2. iNNAFIELD

They don’t get more unknown, undiscovered, but sure to be up-and-coming than iNNAFIELD, who are a female-fronted psychedelia-forward five-piece with roots in Brighton but building a career in 0161. Having recently shone at The Deaf Institute playing a support slot at Academy 1, they have our interest.

If a glimpse of lead singer Jessie Amy Leask’s curly hair, 70s belts and long, flowing skirts plants Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac in your mind, you’d be right in thinking so; a listen to their other live tracks scattered across their socials confirms there’s plenty of other influences going on too, though.

Now, they’ve only got one proper recording out on Spotify called ‘Tell Me What’s On Your Mind’, but we’ve had it popping up on our algorithms everywhere, and we can see why: there’s soft, twinkly strumming, soft almost sleepy vocals before a nice big breakout at the end. Glorious stuff.

@innafield.band Tell Me What’s On Your Mind. On all streaming platforms now. #fyp #foryoupage #music #stevienicks #indie #band #wunderhorse #keo #pinkfloyd #fleetwoodmac ♬ original sound – innafield.band

3. Grace Kelly

No, not that one, the Princess of Monaco isn’t back from the dead, but ‘r Grace Kelly, who is based right here in Greater Manchester, is playing her part in the ongoing country revival taking place across the music world, offering her soulful voice and faux American-folk vibes to our ears.

She may not be a Mancunian by birth, having moved from New Zealand to our shores back in 2022, and although the weather change might have been a big sea change for her, there’s no culture shock to be found in her style; from the audio to the aesthetic, it still somehow feels pretty authentic.

Uplifting acoustic guitars, drum brush strokes, solos, Southern-twang harmonies – you name it, all the ingredients are there. The thing is, if you spend enough time immersing yourself in a genre, you can still pull off tracks like ‘Carry On’, ‘San Jose’ and the intimate ‘For Us To Change’.

We’d also give her Nashville twist on ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams, too – trust us, it works.

4. Prido

We’re really lane switching when it comes to genre this month; maybe it’s because festival season is in full swing and we’re just being exposed to so much different stuff in a short space of time, all we know is we’re not complaining about it.

And neither should you, especially when you’ve got names like hip-hop, grime, soul and flag-flying Afrobeats rising star, Prido, being platformed. Blending all the above with R’n’B and a sprinkling of not just Northern but easily detectable Manc slant, it makes his music stand out in the ever-thriving space.

‘Free Ur Mind’ was the first track we ever heard, so we’ve struggled to shake that as our favourite, but ‘DND’ is a supremely dancey but chill example of laid-back of the genre that you need in your mixes this summer, and we also have a soft spot for his verse on the sensual ‘Lifeboat’ by Prima.

5. Josh Baker

Last but not least on our list of new Manchester artists for this June, we’ve got local DJ Josh Baker, whose name you might recognise from the headlines surrounding Parklife 2025, as his set was unfortunately cancelled due to problems out of his control.

Festival-goers flocked to The Matinee Stage for a highly anticipated back-to-back bill of Baker followed by Dutch counterpart Chris Stussy, both of whom have thrilled some of the biggest club crowds in the country – sadly, he didn’t get to do so this time. That being said, we thought we’d give him a shout-out.

We’ll confess to only having got around to his discography following this news, but ‘Back It Up’, ‘Something To Me’, and ‘You Don’t Own Me’ with Prospa and RAHH are all bangers. We’re looking forward to listening to more.

DJ at centre of Parklife cancellations speaks out over ‘unsafe’ crowds

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And that should just about do you; there are five artists and, at the very least, 15 new tracks for you to give a go – there should be at least of few of them you like.

But, let’s be honest: be it unheard, new, current, old or anything in between, Manchester music very rarely ends up being filed in the skippable category.

Then again, you can always check out last month’s list of Manc artists from last month and see if you get a better hit ratio.

See you next time.

Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | May 2025

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Featured Images — Prido (via Facebook)/Arkayla (via X)/Grace Kelly (via Facebook)

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