Three superb courses with bread, petit fours and a glass of wine, for a mere £30

Oliver Thomas, head chef at The Lowry, has produced a masterpiece of a three course, three choice meal for Confidential readers. It will be served at the Restaurant of what is arguably the finest hotel in the North West, a place owned and run by one of the world’s greatest hoteliers, Sir Rocco Forte.

Oliver’s dishes recollect spring at its most delicate, with stand-out flavours that sing to you.

Starters include a true broth of vegetables and lentils; healthy, slimming yet sexy as hell with a masterful use of herbs. The goats cheese and tomato puff pastry slice could have been assembled by the master three Michelin starred chef Michel Guerard in south west France. It’s a while since we have been to his restaurant Les Pres d’Eugenie, but this dish brought the memories flooding back. Lamb sweetbreads did that thing that this writer has banned from his writing. 'Melted' is the naughty word.

Mains of Cornish red mullet could compete with Rick Stein’s courses for simplicity of texture, and flavours knitted together to produce a golden fleece that dazzled. A mashed potato, painted with horseradish and married to Ox tongue and Ox tail, with a couple of cheeky baby carrots was polished off at a tasting where we were only supposed to be having a mouthful. Meanwhile, a vegetarian dish delighted. Not the usual boring risotto, oh no; this was a filo pastry parcel, stuffed with spinach and ricotta and married to a tomato sauce so velvety and pure it would make The Godfather weep.

We are not sure that we haven’t discovered the best pastry chef outside London in Austin Appleton, who has bowled us over on three separate occasions. Look at the pictures. The reality is many, many times better.

The River Restaurant is managed by Husseyin Boskut, one of the three best restaurant managers in the North West. Whatever your occasion, you can be assured that he will ensure it is memorable in this, one of Schofield and Gordo’s favourite food destinations.

This is a menu that any food lover will find delightful. At the price, you could be forgiven for ordering an extra treat from one of the best cheese boards in the region. A little bit greedy, we know, but you only live once.

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3 courses, plus bread, petit fours and a glass of carefully selected wine
£30pp

To Start

Root vegetable and lentil broth with soft herbs

Kidderton Ash goat’s cheese and tomato filo pastry

Pan-fried Welsh Salt Marsh lamb’s sweetbreads with smoked bacon and Noilly Prat sauce

Mains

Cornish red mullet pan-fried with fennel, saffron potatoes and orange dressing

Braised ox tongue and ox tail with horseradish mashed potato

Ricotta and spinach filo parcel with tomato sauce

Dessert

Chocolate and pumpkin cake with pecan ice cream

Manchester tart with Boddingtons ice cream

Snickers brulee and peanut butter mousse

Offer available now until the end of April.

Broth

Chocolate and Pumpkin Cake

Goats Cheese Pastry

Manchester Tart

Red Mullett

Snickers Creme Brulee

Sweetbreads

The Filo Parcel