The Nag's Head
Haughton Moss, Cheshire
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The influential reforming spirit of Altrincham Market and its offshoots – making the food hall cool again since 2014 – comes to the countryside in the group's first rural outpost. Set in blowsily ravishing gardens and with a focus on community activities (including walks, garden parties and playgroups as well as the traditional imbibing of booze), the revival of the Nag's Head comes close to being a 'wonderful utopia'. With hops drying on the beams, cakes on the counter and a succession of good-looking spaces inside and out, it's all 'very charming', though sharper service would be the icing on the buttermillk banana bread. Hits include a giant's 'snack' of oozy cheese and mustard beignets (middles barely restrained by their feather-light shells) and simple, buttery mushrooms on sourdough toast. Occasional collaborations with kitchens from across the group's refectories move things away from the pubby heartland of pies and sausages; perhaps a Mumma's Fried Chicken plate with sweet crumbly cornbread and tangy hot sauce. On the trad side, haddock with crushed new potatoes and a poached egg ticks all the boxes, while desserts such as chocolate millefeuille with macerated strawberries – the pastry caramelised and flaky – show more-than-average thought. Drinks including 'British and artisan wines, spirits and ciders' mean that 'it feels like a special occasion just going for a pint.'
