Dinner at The Botanist Knutsford...

It is always good to get the opportunity to go somewhere slightly further afield for dinner and that is exactly what I did recently when I was invited to dine at The Botanist* which has just opened its doors in the quaint town of Knutsford, Cheshire.
We wandered down the hill past a church and fragrant cherry blossom trees, before finding that the restaurant was conveniently located right at the bottom of the hill. A cheery green striped canopy bearing The Botanist name greeted us along with an outdoor area with a wooden barrow full of plants and a red post box.

We were welcomed by the friendly team and led to a window table, allowing us to watch the world go by. The bar area was busy and the reclaimed glass chandelier shimmered in the fading daylight as groups sipped wine and cocktails. 

We nibbled on salt and pepper onion petals with sour cream which were piquant and tasty as well as some moreish Cumberland and pork chipolatas with honey grain mustard, whilst we perused the menu. 

I sipped a crisp Pinot Grigio and settled on spiced parsnip soup with crusty bread for my starter. This was a thick homemade soup with bags of flavour and a peppery kick, perfect with the two wedges of crusty farmhouse style bread. Meanwhile my dining companion dived in to his baked Camembert with fruit and flatbread; the creamy richness of the cheese was counterbalanced by the fresh array of fruit and the doughy flatbread.

On to mains and there could be only one winner for me which I order most times I see it on the menu, the cauliflower cheese pie with chips, HP sauce and mushy peas. As always this was comfort food heaven, with a generously proportioned crusty pie with plenty of cheese flavour competing for space on the plate with the heaps of crunchy chips and smooth mushy peas. The HP sauce, gherkins and pickled onions added a sharp tang to this hearty main.

My dining companion enjoyed a juicy 9oz rib eye which was cooked to tender perfection, dripping with garlic butter and served with his choice of cheesy chips on the side. As usual I hardly got a word out of him until he set down his cutlery and proclaimed it was every bit as delicious as it looked. 

After a pause to chat, soak up the surroundings and enjoy the live music, we moved on to dessert. I went for the apple crumble with custard, a crumble topped apple tart full of zesty flavour offset by the custard. This is a classic pudding which is hard to beat and I was pleased the apples had that lovely sharpness which I think makes crumble even tastier. 

My dining companion had again fallen into muffled raptures as he devoured a large slab of warm chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream. I managed to salvage a spoonful for myself and I can confirm that it was a treat with rivers of chocolate sauce atop the springy sponge cake. 

We enjoyed relaxing over a coffee to round off our meal as the lights were lowered and the hubbub of music and chatter filled the air. The Botanist Knutsford is a great new choice for dining in the area, with the traditional aesthetic of The Botanist including art work and gardening ephemera and a cosy bar area as well as restaurant covers across two floors. 

The menu has something for everybody with hearty comfort food classics alongside options such as Malaysian chicken curry and Mediterranean style deli boards. The cocktail list has an impressive array of options and the live music really added to the ambience. I did not want to leave, but we finally went on our way after an extended evening of fun.

The Botanist 

41A King St, 

Knutsford, 

Cheshire 

WA16 6DW

http://thebotanist.uk.com/

What do you all think, would you like to dine at The Botanist and which of these dishes would you choose? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Please watch my YouTube vlog of the evening here:

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo



*Disclaimer
I was invited to dine at The Botanist Knutsford as their guest. Opinions stated herein are my own.