The Church Green British Grill

The name Aiden Byrne will immediately strike a chord with avid followers of TV cheffery. This rising star of the modern British foodie scene served his time in an impressive slew of premier league kitchens (Tom Aikens, Pied à Terre, The Grill at the Dorchester to name but three) before setting up his own stall together with his partner, Sarah, in the Church Green, a stylishly scrubbed-up old inn in a Cheshire village handy for the M6. The setting is the very image of the modern British dining pub, all bare brickwork, natural wood, leather seating and neutral hues, with tables spilling out into a luminous conservatory area off to one side. Sarah presides over the front-of-house team, ensuring that the place ticks over at an unbuttoned pace without slacking off on the essential elements of polished service. Byrne's food is naturally centred on impeccable local and regional materials which his exemplary technique allows to speak boldly and eloquently for themselves. A broad spread of menus has something to keep everyone happy, kicking off at entry level with an all-day lounge menu serving up crowd-pleasers done right - say, crisp pork belly with thyme mash and apple, braised lamb shank pie, or a bavette steak sandwich with English mustard mayonnaise, gherkins and chips. Crank things up to the next level with the full-on restaurant or tasting menus, and you move into an altogether higher realm where the likes of veal shin ravioli with smoked oxtail consommé, or poached cod pannacotta with spring vegetable salad get the palate working overtime. Next up, braised pig's head and trotter might share a plate with carrots, walnuts and apples, while a carnivorous couple could share a rib of beef served with cep and foie gras foam and mushroom bourguignon. Desserts are equally distinguished ideas - apple millefeuille with rosemary ice cream, or pineapple cheesecake with lemongrass ice cream. The wine list is put together with the same passion for gastronomic excellence as the food, with a global spread taking in French appellations to please the classicists and funky stuff from the New World for modernists.