Richie's Menu

Head Chef Richie works very closely with many local suppliers to ensure that the food he produces is the best it can be. He has hand picked these companies to ensure that the ethos of his kitchen and the integrity of his dishes can be consistently maintained. This in turn transforms your experience of dining at Northcote Manor from a pleasurable one to a memorable one.

Having trained for five years at the Montagu Arms hotel in The New Forest under a Michelin starred chef named John Mann Richie then worked his way up through the ranks to become the youngest sous chef in the hotel's history, gaining NVQ levels 2&3 in kitchen & larder and NVQ Level 3 in kitchen management.

Richie moved to Llangoed Hall and became Head Chef, where he and his brigade gained 2 rosettes. It was at this time that he was introduced to Jan and Pierre Mifsud, who own our sister hotel The Lake Country House in Llangammarch Wells. They had recently purchased Northcote Manor and were keen to get Richie involved, where he has know been for the past five years as Head chef.

Having progressed ‘on the job’ Richie understands the need to nurture a sense of dedication in creative raw talent and works year on year with our local college to give apprenticeships to promising young chefs.

Richie has a team of four including Russell Stach, his sous chef and Will Taurines. Both Russell and Will have been at Northcote for over four years and are dedicated to helping Richie drive the restaurant forward.

If you have enjoyed your dining experience at Northcote Manor please tell the Good Food Guide about us at www.which.co.uk

Richie and his brigade wish you a stay of gastronomic excellence.

Seasonal Recipe

Seared diver king scallops
with Jerusalem artichoke and chive cream and chive oil

Serves 2

Ingredients:
6 large sized scallops
6 Jerusalem Artichokes
250ml of whipping cream
1 bunch of chives
250ml of olive oil
Seasoning

Equipment:
1 frying pan & 1 saucepan
Liquidizer
Chopping board & Knife

Recipe:

1). Peel the Jerusalem artichokes and chop roughly into evenly sized pieces. Place into saucepan and cover with whipping cream.
2). Place the saucepan onto the heat and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the artichokes become very tender.
3). Place the artichoke mix into the liquidizer and blend until it becomes smooth, pass through a sieve and place back into a clean saucepan. Season to taste.
4). Very finely chop some 6 of the chives. Cut another 3 into evenly sized lengths. Then place the rest of the chives into the clean liquidizer and cover with the olive oil just leaving small amount of oil for the cooking of the scallops.
Blend the chive mixture for about 2 minutes until the chives have all blended in and the mixture becomes nice and smooth. Taste and season
5). Place the Jerusalem artichoke sauce onto the stove and allow to heat up slowly.
6). Slice the scallops in half width ways and place on a tray.
Heat the saucepan up until it starts to smoke a little then add the oil. Place the scallops into the pan and season once in the pan and not before.
(this prevents any additional moisture coming out of the scallops).
Cook the scallops until they have gone golden brown then turn them over this should take about 2 minutes. Once turned over leave for approximately 1 more minute, then take off and place onto some kitchen roll.
7). Add the chopped chives to the artichoke sauce and place the sauce in the middle of the plate. Place the scallops in a circular shape over lapping each other on top of the sauce. Drizzle some of the chive oil around the edge of the scallop dish and decorate with the chopped chives. Serve immediately.

Other useful hint is that there should be some chive oil left this can be kept for a week in the fridge and is excellent drizzled on salads or with fish.