La Popote Restaurant & Bistro

An Evening at La Popote, a Gem in the Cheshire Countryside

by Bea Parkin

 As you drive through the pretty village of Marton near Macclesfield, you happen upon a little courtyard with a  stunningly, caringly renovated barn taking precedence. An idyllic setting for a delightful restaurant. Victor and Lynne  opened La Popote at the beginning of 2009, right in the heart of the recession when staying in became the new going  out. “We moved to Cheshire from the Scottish Highlands where we managed the Award Winning Minmore House, a  small country house hotel” Lynne, joint owner of the restaurant tells me. “But we didn’t own it and we felt it was high  time to find our own place.” And take a risk. The move from Scotland to Cheshire was more luck than judgment,  owing to the couples ability to make a friend of any guest. When a guest at their hotel in Scotland discovered the  couples desire to move and open their own restaurant, he made it his business to find the perfect location in his 
  home town for the restaurant, and their risky move south of the border became a reality.

 The gamble paid off. When you walk through the door of La Popote, you are instantly greeted by the whirlwind that is  Lynne, warm and funny, her unusual sometimes-South-African-sometimes-Scottish accent makes you feel as  welcome as the roaring fire, comfy chairs and tray of nibbles that await. Asking about Lynne’s accent, I discovered an  amazing past that led the couple to the UK. “I met Victor [head chef and joint owner at La Popote] at his restaurant in  South Africa, as a Scottish girl looking for a waitressing job. We fell in love and ran our award-winning restaurants in  the country we loved and raised our two boys in for many years.” Unfortunately the fairytale ends there after an  armed robbery left the couple seriously injured, left for dead. For their families safety, they left South Africa for  Lynne’s homeland.

 It’s clear that Victor and Lynne have spent most of their lives running top restaurants. Their passion for food, quality  and service shines through and ensures La Popote have a dedicated customer base. As Lynne told me “Saturday  Nights are like having friends round for dinner” and it certainly feels that way as you enter the intimate dining room. 
  In fact, La Popote recently hosted a Wedding Anniversary celebration and the couple have already booked their next  celebration in 10 years time! L Popote’s household name in South Africa became synonymous with the highest quality  possible, allowing them to caterer for dignitaries such as HRH Prince Philip and two South African Presidents, 
  amongst others. It’s clear that their standards of quality came with them to England as we were handed our menus.  My companion for the evening, Sally, decided before looking at the menu not to eat too much, but as her eyes fell on  the lavish list of delicious foods, she quickly changed her mind.

 As Lynne reeled off the specials, not only did I marvel at her memory, I marveled at the range of dishes available,  with every special using local, seasonal ingredients. Whilst Sally and I sipped on our drinks in front of the fire, we  read and re-read the menu trying to decide, not at all rushed. Dishes chosen, we caught up on our day before we  were led into the dining room, resplendent in the early evening sunshine that had just peeked through the clouds, 
  with flowers on the table that looked like they had been plucked from the neat, fragrant garden just hours before. 
  Had we been just two weeks earlier, we would have been sat in the Cheshire sunshine as we sipped our drinks and  ate our meals but unfortunately the weather wasn’t as kind to us on our visit.

  

 We sat at our table and waited the short while for our starters, nibbling on the delicious bread, a La Popote special  that people travel from miles around to buy. Fresh from the oven, scented with cumin and rosemary from the garden  and sprinkled with seeds, we ate this smothered in butter as we eagerly anticipated our starters. We were told that  the furthest this bread has travelled to date is Crete, as one local family going on holiday there just couldn’t go a day  without it!

 Bread eaten and tummies rumbling, our starters arrived; Scallops with a Champagne Beurre Blanc for me, Salmon  and Prawn Croquette for Sally.

 The scallops were cooked to perfection, the sauce creamy with just enough acidity to bring out the true flavor of the  scallops. Simple, but perfectly executed. The croquette, thick with fishy filling that was complimented by lime and dill,  didn’t contain too much potato and were covered in panko breadcrumbs for that all important crunch. Serving this 
  dish with Thai and tartare sauce dips brought everything together. When asking Sally if she was enjoying her dish, I  received a very enthusiastic thumbs up. A fantastic start to the meal, perfectly presented.

 As the plates were cleared and I sipped my glass of wine, South African, naturally, we eagerly anticipated the main  course as Lynne flitted in and out of the dining room, making sure things were perfect for her guests.

 With a flourish, our main courses arrived; Lamb Shank for Sally, and Medallion of Scottish Venison for  me, again, presented to perfection.

 As Sally tucked into her lamb shank, slowly braised so it fell off the bone, I looked on in envy at the rich Madeira  sauce… until I cut into the pink, juicy Venison, perfectly complimented by a blackberry and thyme jus that  complimented the natural sweetness of the meat and gave the dish the tartness it needed. The meat was served on 
  a potato rosti, surround by tender but crunchy green beans.

 Nothing was too much trouble for Lynne, ensuring as we ordered that we were happy with the vegetable choice  (happily swapping Sallys haricot beans for seasonal vegetables) and checking we were pleased with our dishes, but  not so often that we felt interrupted. A pleasant visit from head chef Victor half way through our meal was very  welcome – it rarely happens these days – as he stopped to chat to diners to make sure his ever present standards  were met.

 When we thought we couldn’t handle another bite, it was time for dessert. What started as a cursory  glance turned into full on greed as I ordered Tarte Tatin "Normandy" and Sally ordered “Lynne’s Famous  Pavlova.” With a name like that, and available for guests to buy whole and take away, how could you  not!?

 My french apple tart, served with Calvados, Saffron Honey and Vanilla Pod Ice Cream was the perfect  end to my meal; the pastry light as a feather, the ice-cream and apples refreshing, but I couldn’t help  have dessert envy when I saw Sally’s Pavlova. I now know what made it famous. Billowing Meringue  standing nearly 3 inches tall, piled with fresh cream and strawberries, served with a raspberry coulis. I  knew it must have been gorgeous as my dining companion didn’t utter a syllable as she finished the lot,  not long after declaring ‘I couldn’t eat another thing!’. The power of the Pavlova.

 And so, the end of the evening arrived as we took our coats and bade our farewells; if it weren’t for the drive home,  the offered glass of dessert wine would have been a wonderful finish to a wonderful meal in the warm hospitality of 
  a couple who have made such a success of something that any financial advisor would have warned against – 
  opening a  fine dining restaurant in a recession. But a success it is, a resounding one at that.

 Lynne and Victor have worked very hard to make this restaurant the success it is. Having recently celebrated the  second birthday of La Popote, it seems we are lucky enough that Lynne and Victor have found their home, and  captured our hearts, in Cheshire. Here’s hoping they choose to stay for many years, both for our appetites and for the  couple with the anniversary celebration in 10 years time.

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 You could be in with a chance of winning a meal for two at this stunning restaurant.  All you need to do is enter your  name and email address in the form on the left hand side of this page.

 For more information on La Popote, please visit http://www.la-popote.co.uk
  For bookings, please call 01260 224785  or email bookings@la-popote.co.uk

 Writer and blogger Bea Parkin and her companion were kindly hosted by La Popote. All opinions in this review reflect  the honest opinions of the author.  Visit Bea's blogspot here http://beafoodlover.blogspot.com