White Hart gets another bite at prestigious guide

Paul Cookson celebrates

THE White Hart at Lydgate is the only Oldham restaurant to feature in the latest edition of a prestigious pub directory.

The 2009 edition of Michelin’s “Eating Out in Pubs Guide” is recognised as a catering industry benchmark for diners seeking quality and good value.

The White Hart also receives a Bib Gourmand Award as one of the Michelin inspectors’ favourites for quality food and value.

The inspector says: “The White Hart provides good food at moderate prices.”

Chef Paul Cookson (32) said: “We are delighted and honoured to be included in the guide again. It’s a credit to my team and to our customers.

“Our new menu, aimed at giving great value at the right money, is going down a storm.”

This year’s guide includes 563 of the best pubs serving good food in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and of these 84 are new.

All the pubs have been selected for the quality of their cooking. However, 110 earn a special mention as they boast at least one extra quality.

Commenting on the evolution of pub food and its rise in popularity, Derek Bulmer, the guide’s editor said: “The standard of cooking in British pubs and those in the Irish Republic keeps getting better and better.

“We are seeing a growing confidence in our culinary heritage, greater use of local, seasonal ingredients and a rediscovery of regional specialities.”