The north’s hospitality scene is catching a lot of eyes these days, with another big accolade landing on the doorstep of Farlam Hall this week.
The beautiful Cumbrian hotel was just named the Best Foodie Hotel in the entire UK by The Times in its annual list of the Best Places to Stay in the UK.
And that claim comes not long after the hotel’s restaurant, The Cedar Tree by Hrishikesh Desai, was awarded its first Michelin Star.
The Times placed Farlam Hall in 64th place overall on the list of the best 100 hotels in the UK, but singled it out for its culinary excellence.
They praised the ‘crisp, comfortable and beautifully lit’ rooms, and the staff that ‘could grace any London five-star’.
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The judges continued: “Neither will dazzle you as much as Hrishikesh Desai’s cooking. Up here, on the edge of the Pennines, where every passing winter storm seems to fell a tree, he is doing wonderful things with English ingredients and the subtle and well-judged use of spice.
“Never mind the Cumbrian wind — dinner here is a breath of fresh, invigorating air.”
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Hrishikesh Desai was formerly of The Gilpin Hotel, where he also held a Michelin star.
Farlam Hall wrote of its accolade: “What a wonderful end to another amazing week! We are honoured to have been awarded the “Foodie Hotel of the Year” in The Times’ 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2024!”
Cedar Tree at Farlam HallThe beautiful grounds at Farlam Hall
Admittedly a couple of hours north of Greater Manchester, this glowing review from The Times has rocketed Farlam Hall onto our wishlist of northern gems to visit.
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Also scooching onto the list, and a little closer to home, is Langdale Chase, impressively taking home North hotel of the year just months after it reopened from a major refurbishment.
Judges said: “This classy revival of a gothic pile right on Windermere’s waterfront opened at the end of 2023 and is exactly what the local tourist scene has been so desperately lacking.
“Its grand interiors, complete with minstrels’ galleries, elaborately carved oak panelling and stained glass manage to be opulent and yet winningly informal.
Bedrooms at Farlam Hall
“The bar is as sexy as any city big-hitter, there’s a cinema with daily screenings and complimentary popcorn and bedrooms that are layered with thoughtful touches including binoculars for closer inspection of life on the lake (most rooms have lake views).
“The redevelopment of its historic garden and the opening of a spa is next on the agenda.”
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And representing Manchester itself is Whitworth Locke, the Princess Street hotel placing 83rd.
The beautiful city centre hotel was praised for its ‘trendy lobby bar and friendly ‘house hosts” as well as its apartment-like hotel rooms that are fitted with kitchens and living spaces.
One of Manchester’s grandest restaurants has finally reopened TWO YEARS after fire
Daisy Jackson
One of the most historic restaurants in Manchester has reopened at last, two years after a fire forced its closure.
Mount Street Dining Room & Bar – which many of us may remember as Mr Cooper’s – stands within the Grade II-listed Midland Hotel.
The grand dining room dates all the way back to 1903, when it opened with the hotel as the Grill Room.
The restaurant was at the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution and was frequented by railway travellers, perhaps best-known for hosting a lunch between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1904, who went on to form the world-famous Rolls-Royce brand.
The Midland’s restaurants has gone through several changes in the decades since, undergoing a major £14 million refurb in 2020 to relaunch as Mount Street Dining Room & Bar.
Its interiors are inspired by the hotel’s early 1900s art deco and railway heritage, with a menu that focuses on locally-sourced British produce.
But the restaurant has been shut since early 2024, when a fire damaged the entrance and trellising around its main entrance on Mount Street.
The beautiful bar areaA glimpse of the menu at Mount StreetCocktails and British food
The Midland has finally managed to get the restaurant back open again this month, with a new food and cocktail menus, which aims to offer refined but simple British dining.
Expect dishes like pork and black pudding bonbons, white onion soup with crispy potatoes, smoked British salmon with lemon gel and dill mascarpone, and slow cooked beef daube with confit garlic mash.
Plus desserts such as rice pudding with Anise glazed pearsand Bakewell pudding with cherry syrup.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen inside this beautiful, storied dining room – and it looks just as beautiful as we remember.
The Oldham Man and The Sea: the documentary about the Latics owner’s record-breaking Atlantic voyage
Danny Jones
It doesn’t matter if you’re not an Athletic fan or native to the borough; we think everyone should go along to watch the much-anticipated documentary about football club owner Frank Rothwell and his record-breaking journey across the Atlantic Ocean: The Oldham Man And The Sea.
One of the simplest and most satisfying names for a film we’ve heard in a long time.
For anyone who doesn’t know about the Oldham Athletic FC chairman turned OBE’s incredible story, Frank Rothwell has set multiple records with his impressive sea-faring feats in recent times.
This new doc, which just premiered at this year’s Manchester Film Festival, charts his latest trip across one of the biggest bodies of water on the planet in March 2024.
As you can see from the recent trailer, it’s almost as arduous a tale as the original Hemingway story.
This movie – produced by Journeyman Pictures and Chief Productions – made its full debut at the Odeon in Great Northern Warehouse for MFF 2026, and is set to have a number of other screenings in and around Greater Manchester in the coming weeks and months.
One of those is happening rather soon, in fact, over at Saddleworth’s Millgate Arts Centre on Saturday, 28 March, which is ideal for those local to the region; grab your tickets now.
ln fact, there’s also one happening even closer to his hometown the following month, with Oldham’s very own Queen Elizabeth Hall also hosting a special screening of Rothwell’s incredible achievement.
You can reserve your seats for that one right HERE.
Having not only become the eldest (70) Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge finisher back in 2021, but now holding the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to ever complete the crossing while rowing solo at 73 years old, he’s become nothing short of a local hero – and that’s just his stewardship of the Latics…
The film does, obviously, touch on his time at the helm of the League Two side, who finally returned to the EFL last June, but the heart and soul of this inspiring watch is the sail itself.
More importantly, it also documents not just the gruelling nature of the 64-day, seven-hour and 53-minute trek, but also how Frank has now helped raise more than £1.4 million on behalf of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
What an absolute icon.
Hopefully, this should be just about all the reason you need to watch The Oldham Man And The Sea the very next opportunity you get to do so – and, of course, all proceeds from ticket sales will also be going to charity, because just the kind of bloke he is.
And here’s hoping we get a streaming version sometime soon.
Daisy Jackson -
8th March 2024 
