Dining at Langley Castle
The restaurant team at Langley Castle is led by Head Chef, Mark Percival, a former winner of the North-East Chef of The Year. Mark’s favourite ingredients include seafood and shellfish, which is very evident when browsing the restaurant’s fine-dining menu.
Mark has also been instrumental in making game a hugely popular menu choice at Langley, resulting in diners regularly putting their preconceptions aside to try game dishes such as pheasant, venison, partridge and pigeon.
Langley sources its game from nearby Ridley Hall at Bardon Mill; all naturally raised and fed in the Northumberland landscape. Taking that one step further, sous chef, James Fisher, regularly heads out with Ridley Hall’s gamekeeper, to bring back pheasant and other game birds in season. All these factors are enticing visitors to Langley Castle, as well as non-resident local diners, to choose meat from animals that have foraged for their food and roamed freely in the neighbouring estates.
Dishes that have graced Langley Castle’s more formal menu have included a starter of roast breast of partridge, confit leg, red cabbage and fois gras Hollandaise. There have also been main course choices of venison loin, parsnip, haggis roll and port sauce, and Ridley Hall pheasant, bread pudding, blackberries and damson jus.
For those wanting a less formal dining experience. Langley offers a decent selection of sandwiches, desserts, cooked dishes and their highly popular Afternoon Tea for Two.
With no strict dress code, fine dining at Langley Castle should appeal to the majority of guests, unlike like some restaurants we’ve dined in where more than a hushed tone is frowned upon. The décor of the restaurant is elegant and continues the rather regal theme found throughout the castle.
The fine-dining menu at Langley is not overly extensive or stacked with confusingly named dishes and at £42.95 per person, provides good value for your money. The backbone of the menu consists of six starters and six main courses, and is a well-structured starting point for those wanting to experience refined cuisine.
We tried a variety of starters during our stay, including crispy hen’s egg, scallops and Lobster Risotto, all of which were well plated and coupled with a warm and efficient service. The main dishes were a pleasant surprise; the amount of food was such that in addition to the starter, we found little room for dessert. With head chef Mark Percival’s fondness for seafood, it was no wonder that the Dover Sole was the clear standout for us from all the courses on offer. The sole was cooked to perfection and so tasty that it really didn’t need the melted butter and caper dressing.
In addition to the main dining room, Langley has built a modern standalone extension to the restaurant. Here, the décor is far more contemporary and is perfect for those wanting a little more privacy or a change from the lavish regal decor found within this beautiful castle.
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