“Taste of the North” has recipe for success in Nantwich

Nantwich’s oldest pub has announced a new foodie attraction celebrating all that is great and good about the North.

This October will see The Black Lion on Welsh Row launch “Taste of the North”.

It aims to give customers a chance to savour the region’s most iconic dishes and learn more about their historic origins.

A menu featuring favourites from Cheshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Merseyside, Yorkshire, Cumbria, and Northumberland has been devised by landlord Darren Snell.

Darren once cooked for the rich and famous while working as a chef at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

Northern greats such as Lancashire lamb hotpot, Liverpool Lobscouse, Northumberland Pan Haggerty, Bury Black Pudding, Derbyshire Bakewell tart and Cumberland Rum Nicky will get a five star twist.

From Cheshire comes Chester Pork Pye, an age old recipe made with pork, apple, bacon and white wine.

From across the border there are Staffordshire oatcakes combined with Pease pudding and Nantwich Blue Cheese.

Cheshire cheese is further celebrated with a vegetable and cheesy broth and special Cheshire croquettes with mustard and leeks.

Seaside favourites such as Potted shrimps from Morecombe and Britain’s national dish, fish, chips and mushy peas, first served in Oldham in 1863, will be on the menu alongside fascinating accounts of their origins.

Darren, one of the top chefs who appeared at Nantwich Food Festival, said: “Nantwich is a mecca for foodies and it’s fantastic to see so many people turn out year after year for the event.

“Local people and visitors enjoy food from around the world and now The Black Lion wants to celebrate all things Northern.

“The region has the most hearty of all the country’s favourite dishes and is famed for its warm welcome.

“We want people to enjoy all the North has to offer under one roof and turn this into an annual celebration.”

‘Taste of the North’ will offer an insight into dishes that began as ‘peasant’ food and are woven into social history such as 14th century Pease Pudding made with split yellow peas, meat and spices.

The nursery rhyme ‘Pease pudding hot, Pease pudding cold, in the pot nine days old’ pays homage to its long shelf life.

And its older than The Black Lion, dating back to 1664, when bread, mutton and cheese would have been served to Dabbers and visiting Welsh bringing items into town in return for salt.

Later they would have eaten a form of Lobscouse stew, first brought to Liverpool by Scandinavian sailors in the 18th century.

‘Labskause,’ as they called it, became a working class hero dish made with mutton, lamb or beef.

Darren, who began his career in a Southport hotel after training in the town’s technical college, added: “Taste of the North gives a modern twist on food eaten in the North for centuries.

“It’s a celebration which we hope will help promote the whole of Welsh Row as a destination and if successful we would love to see more establishments adopt the concept and create another foodie attraction on the Nantwich event calendar.”

The Black Lion freehouse will also showcase regional beers and gins during Taste of the North running throughout October.

The pub is highly-rated by CAMRA enthusiasts and is marking another year in the 2024 Good Beer Guide.

Meanwhile, there are many glowing reviews on Trip Advisor for ‘outstanding food’ and old world charm.

For more information on ‘Taste of the North’ go to the website or follow on Facebook @The Black Lion Nantwich.