If there’s anything this year has shown to be really important, it’s the art of staying in touch. That’s why we want Executive Club Members to know that we are listening.

In fact, we want to hear you from so much that anyone who takes the time to enter this year’s Readers Survey will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win a two-night stay at Northcote, a luxury Lancashire hotel (pictured above). The prize includes:

• Two-nights’ accommodation in one of Northcote’s Garden Lodge Junior Suites
• Northcote’s cook to order breakfast each morning,
• First evening: Lisa Goodwin-Allen’s five-course gourmet menu with wine pairing
• Tour of the kitchen
• Second evening: a stunning three-course meal from the à la carte menu

Why have I heard of Northcote?
Northcote is the destination hotel for Lancashire – a county of warm welcomes and sweeping valleys, proper good grub and pretty villages. But, more often than not, it’s the restaurant, helmed by Michelin-starred chef and cooking show regular Lisa Goodwin-Allen, that keeps Northcote high on the list for locals and out-of-towners.

Why have I heard of the restaurant?
Before being taken over by Goodwin-Allen in 2017, Northcote’s restaurant was helmed by Lancastrian chef Nigel Haworth. Together, the two have ensured that Northcote has retained its Michelin star for more than 20 years. The hotel’s main dining room doubles up as the made-to-order breakfast spot, while its Chef’s Table experience (six courses for six guests) and Cookery School (run by the larger-than-life Chef Bruno) take place adjacent to the live kitchen.

What’s on the menu?
The winner of our Northcote prize will get to enjoy two nights’ worth of Goodwin-Allen’s extraordinary cooking. On the current gourmet menu, salt-aged Scottish venison is served blush pink; squab pigeon from Anjou, France, sits alongside heirloom beetroot and 12-year-old balsamic; scallops swim in curried pearls and pomegranates; and a raft of new desserts include the orchard apple pie with maple and caramelised milk – a delicate orb of crunchy and creamy goodness.

What else is there to do?
If you can extricate yourself from nursing G&Ts at the hotel’s fireside bar, there’s a world of jaw-dropping scenery just beyond the hotel’s doors. Discover the outstanding natural beauty of the Ribble Valley, with its ever-changing views of the moors, fells and the Forest of Bowland. Follow in the footsteps of JRR Tolkien, who spent time at Stonyhurst College working on The Lord of the Rings during World War II, or explore – by foot or bike – the nearby historic market towns, picking up treats from the area’s artisan food producers. You can even make your own gin at Brindle Distillery, home to local success story, Cuckoo Gin.

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This article has been tagged Opinion, Hotels