Our roving food critic Mark Anderson travels to Knutsford to check out family run restaurant Linden Stores
In the heart of Cheshire, Knutsford offers Linden Stores, a family run restaurant, owned and run by the food industries, AA rosette award winning partners Chris Boustead and Laura Christie.
Since the doors opened back in November 2023 this intimate friendly restraunt has been a favourite with the locals of Knutsford & surrounding villages.
Now diners can experience the new “Chefs Menu” which comprises of some of Chris & Laura’s signature dishes.
The menu centres on a selection of smaller plates, showcasing regional produce and fresh ingredients.
On arrival the staff guided us to our table & ensured everything we needed to our dietary needs was available.
The staff advised us on drink selections, we opted for the “Wine Paring” option which came in at £42.50 per/ person, with 5 different wines to match the 5 different dishes.
As each wine was presented by Ella the sommelier, she explained the story behind the glass, very knowledgeable and interesting stories.
From the Chefs Menu, the small plates offered:
The House Focaccia, served with a garnish of wild garlic creamy butter.
Cheshire Smoked Duck, Served with pickled walnuts & Lanchire cheese, garnished with mustard cress.
Spring onion and Cornish quartz croquettes. With a light dressing of roasted red pepper sauce.
Torched mackerel, served on a layer of golden beetroot gazpacho and cucumber, with a crumble of crisp shallots.
Braised pork cheeks, Bath chaps, crispy pigs ears, served along side are pea’s, broad bean & sweet onion puree.
Desert consisted of Strawberries, White Chocolate, and meringue. This desert was out of this world, I refused to share it with my wife as she opted for the cheese board.
The menu presented an excellent choice for all tastes with the food being plentiful.
The restraunt staff indicated the most popular & firm favorites of the customers which were:
Spring onion and Cornish quartz croquettes, and Braised pork cheeks.
Our preference went with the choice of the staff as we enjoyed both dishes very much.
The dish of Cheshire Smoked Duck, Served with pickled walnuts & Lanchire cheese, wasn’t to our choice and a bit disappointing.
The pickled walnuts had a strong vinaigrette flavour which over powered the lightness of the smoked duck and lightness flavour of the Lancashire cheese.
Portions sizes are about right, as there are five individual portions with the addition of a desert or the cheese board selection.
If you felt you needed a larger meal, then there is also a selection of add on’s from the menu that are available at an extra cost.
I must state that some of the dishes are not fitting for vegetarian or vegan needs, and wasn’t aware of a veggie or vegan alternative menu.
The price of the “Chefs Menu” is £47.50 per head which isn’t overly expensive when you consider the amount of dishes available.
