Barristers Restaurant at The Courthouse, Knutsford: Reviewed

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Barristers Restaurant at The Courthouse in Knutsford after been invited along to try out the new winter’s menu. Being December, it was a fabulously festive treat without being another Christmas dinner. The food was delicious and the setting luxurious.

Disclaimer: I was invited to review the new winter’s menu and as a result my meal was complimentary. All opinions as always are my own.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve passed by The Courthouse as I’ve driven through Knutsford. You can’t miss it – it’s the magnificent Georgian building fronted by impressive Ionic columns that dominates the main A50 road through town and home to the former Knutsford Crown Court. People were originally tried here and if found guilty sent to the prison which occupied the site next door (now Booths Supermarket.) The last vestiges of court proceedings were wound up in 2010 and all local judicial activity moved to Crewe leaving the building empty. I didn’t even realise it was a courthouse, assuming it to be the town hall as it certainly has the air of a civic building. I never would have guessed it was now a hotel and restaurant.

Run by Cheshire based hotel group Flat Cap Hotels who also own The Vicarage near Holmes Chapel and The Bridge in Prestbury, The Courthouse reopened in 2017 following an impressive (and still ongoing) restoration programme. The ground floor space where the large courtrooms were, reopened as an events venue and is now one of Cheshire’s most sought after venues for weddings and conferences. You’ll find Barristers Bar and Restaurant at the heart of the venue. Three hotel rooms have recently opened too with more due next year. Designed by George Moneypenny and built in 1818, The Courthouse is now a Grade II listed building and has celebrated its 200 year anniversary with an exciting programme of events.

But don’t let me digress too much as I get totally fascinated by the history of buildings – let’s get back to the restaurant!

The Courthouse Interior

Barristers Bar and Restaurant at The Courthouse has the most unassuming entrance to a restaurant I’ve seen in a long time – it’s not immediately clear from the car park at the front of the hotel and is hidden from sight by foliage. You’ll find it to the right of the grand columned front which will eventually be the main entrance to the hotel. Flanked by two flaming lamps, candle lit steps lead up into Barristers Bar and its clear from the moment you walk in, you’ll be dining somewhere a little bit special.

Flat Cap Hotels have sensitively restored the building to keep many of the beautiful courtroom features and the court theme is carried throughout the venue from the name of the place right down to the menu choices.

The bar is in the centre of the restaurant in what were originally the docks and wooden panels which marked the tiered public gallery around the edge of the room still remain, now lined with tables and plush comfy velour chairs. This means you could get to sit (like I did) in the jury box. You will certainly dine in comfort here – nothing ruins a meal out more than uncomfortable seating in my opinion but you won’t have that problem at Barristers Restaurant. These seats are super comfy with a touch of ‘regal’ about them.

The intricately decorated high ceilings make the restaurant appear very spacious, aided by the plethora of mirrors hanging on the walls. Between all the gilt and gold frames and the centrepiece glass dome high above, Barristers Restaurant has the air of a grand and elegant ballroom and you can just imagine the tables being moved from the main floor and dancing the night away with cocktail in hand.

Your eyes will no doubt be drawn to the hotch-potch of artwork on the walls, interspersed amongst the myriad of mirrors (not to mention a Betty Boop statue), but a special mention must go to the portraits of famous celebrity criminals which couldn’t be more at home than on the walls of an old courtroom. These include Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and rather amusingly the fictitious Sirius Black and even Preston from Wallace & Gromit’s ‘The Close Shave’.

Then when you venture beyond the restaurant to locate the toilets you’ll see the art work, collection of quirky objects and courtroom paraphernalia (like the judges gavels) continues throughout.

As you come back through the door to the restaurant note the bowler hats surrounding the doorway – each one commemorates a hanging that happened at the court in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

So despite being in elegant surroundings, The Courthouse still makes the space inviting, cosy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. There isn’t a single ounce of stuffiness one might expect from entering such a beautiful space.

Barristers Restaurant Menu

Settling down to examine the menu, I smiled at the genius naming of courses keeping the judicial theme going strong. Instead of Appetisers you order an ‘Opening Statement’, starters become the ‘Proceedings’, main courses are the ‘Main Evidence’ (but if you fancy a steak you’ll be ‘Grilled on the Stand’) and desserts form the ‘Closing Argument’.

The Courthouse prides itself on offering an inventive British seasonal menu with only the finest locally sourced ingredients used. On the reverse of the menu, you can see where many of the main ingredients come from. At the helm are Head Chef Jake Rossington and Executive Chef for Flat Cap Hotels, Steven Tuke.

First up to nibble on while deciding on our menu choices was a pairing of Pheasant Arancini with artisan breads and gorgeous sun-blush tomato butter with basil and pine nuts. If you’re in two minds as to whether nuts in butter works, I assure you it does despite it altering the normally smooth texture you’d expect from butter. Once you get past this, the flavour is fabulous.

I settled on the Game Terrine to start with Earl Grey tea and date compote and accompanied with a ciabatta crisp and tart fresh berries. (£8) The terrine was super meaty and I could quite happily have had this made up as a main course, it was so delicious!

Other options included a Chowder (£8), Scallops (£12), Duck Liver Brulee (£7), Goats Cheese Mousse (£7) and Venison Carpaccio (£10). I had a sneaky taste of the scallops which were excellent too. What was immediately evident is that the food is served up extremely creatively and you almost don’t want to destroy such wonderful presentation by digging in.

I decided to stick with game for my ‘Main Evidence’ as I am always drawn to Venison on any menu. This was served with apple and burnt onion arancini, charred onion puree, pressed apple, sweet apple crisps, spinach and blackberry jus. (£22) Wow: what a wonderful combination of flavours.

Although the venison was a little underdone for my liking, I know I am in the minority of people who would think this (I’m regularly labelled a heathen for overcooking red meat!) and despite my personal preference, it was still yummy! To accompany my main, I ordered a side of roasted root vegetables which included parsnip, carrot, red onion and celeriac. Roasted vegetables are perfect on a winter’s menu to accompany hearty mains and I’m glad Barristers offered this option. I can also recommend the truffle chips and I’m not sure you’d ever want to return to normal chips after tasting them!

Other mains included Roasted Pumpkin Risotto (£14), Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder (£17), Smoked Cod Loin (£17) and Swordfish Steak (£18). Each of the menu descriptions had me drooling so it was difficult to choose. Venison may have won this time, but I could easily return several times to try different things.

Now can I get a round of applause for this exquisite looking dessert (£7.50), which couldn’t look less like a Black Forest Gateau if it tried (in a good way I hasten to add!)

The pastry chef (who I got to meet at the end of the meal) really excelled herself here. Break into the ‘cherry’ and you’ll discover a ridiculously rich and thick dark chocolate mousse, which when accompanied by the cake crumb, jelly pieces and wickedly strong Kirsch infused cherries, you’ll be in food heaven. Black Forest Gateau will never be the same for me again!

The Sticky Toffee Pudding (£7) was also devilishly indulgent and the Baked Apple and Brioche Pudding (£6) with toffee crisp and caramel sauce was outstanding. I got to taste the latter and I’ll certainly be ordering it for myself next time.

I didn’t get chance to sample the cocktails on this occasion, but their espresso martini looks sublime, which means only one thing – I’ll just have to go back!

I can without a shadow of a doubt recommend the menu at Barristers where you’ll find excellent local produce, lovingly and artistically crafted on the plate and served up by attentive and friendly staff. The refurbished courtroom provides quite the dining experience and is a great addition to Cheshire’s fine dining scene. But don’t worry: no matter where you’re sitting you won’t be sent down. That door and staircase do still exist but are well and truly hidden by the bar. See if you can spot the door…

Part of the future plans for The Courthouse in addition to developing more hotel rooms, includes the transformation of former cells located underneath Barristers Restaurant into private dining facilities. Having seen the cells on my visit to Barristers, I can’t wait to see this development come to fruition. I’ll be booking my place ‘in prison’ as soon as possible! Guilty as charged!

You can visit The Courthouse Restaurant here: www.thecourthousecheshire.com

Or check out their Instagram Feed for more pictures of their mouth-watering food, delectable desserts and enticing cocktails.

What do you think? Would you try this restaurant out? Let me know in the comments below…

Why not check out Amy’s Courtyard in Macclesfield next…

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