The Dining Room at Whatley Manor

The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Michelin Starred Dining at Whatley Manor
Seasonal & Sustainable Tasting Menus by Chef Ricki Weston

01/03/2026

As part of its reinvention, our Plum dessert has multiple elements that need to be experimented with to create something new…

Plum Wine Custard starts with a reduction of plum wine, which is then cooked into custard with cream, eggs and sugar. Previously firm and set, in this stage of development played around to see how it could become aerated instead.

The joy of trial and error to find the recipe that works.



25/02/2026

What happens when a packet of Cherry Bakewell Hot Cross Buns from inspires the reinvention of a dessert that’s been on the menu for 4 years?

Ideas for dishes can come from anywhere, and the development of a new menu is an exciting time for any restaurant. The creativity is what loves most about being a chef and for the first time ever, we’ve been able to capture his process as he changes the iconic Plum dessert that has been a signature of the restaurant ever since he took over.

Here, in the first part of a series of films documenting its reinvention, he explains how the change came about whilst sharing his initial ideas with chef

Stay tuned as we share what happened next… 👀

22/02/2026

“It’s simple when you think about it”

Playing around with texture as part of the development to reinvent our dessert, see how mixes sugar and citrus to create delicate sugar tuiles with the help of a stamp from

Partly for athletics, but there’s rhyme behind his reasons, stamping the tuiles changes the shape on the plate without loosing the all important surface area of crunchy texture.

18/02/2026

It’s an exciting time here at the restaurant as and the team are almost finished developing our new menu.

Here he speaks about his commitment to working through every dish with a new recipe from scratch, to not only make it truly his own, but to embrace the best part about being a chef - the creativity!

This clip is from the Obsession podcast, recorded in January as part of the food & wine festival - you can watch the full episode over on YouTube or Spotify. Link in bio!

Ricki’s OBSESSION’26 menu was a celebration of dishes from our menu past and present. A true reflection of his creativit...
07/02/2026

Ricki’s OBSESSION’26 menu was a celebration of dishes from our menu past and present. A true reflection of his creativity and personality on a plate, the guests enjoyed a wonderful taste of The Dining Room in Lancashire.

The menu features (in no specific order)…

*TURBOT, SMOKED BEURRE BLANC, TOMATO
*VEAL SWEETBREAD, TOASTED GRAINS, WINTER TRUFFLE
*CORNISH LOBSTER, CRISPY RICE, SPICED BLANQUETTE
*BEEF & BEETS FROM THE MANOR
*PLUM, SN16

The team are busy developing some new dishes coming to the menu soon and we can’t wait to share them.

04/02/2026

“If you get the bread and butter right, everything will follow suit”

Everyday, our chefs turn butter into ribbons using tools inspired by playing with playdoh with his son. But making 100 of them for Obsession last week was no easy feat….

Here you can see the technique behind one of the most important courses on our menu. With a new interpretation coming very soon!

We’re at Obsession! is cooking tonight on Day 7 at the iconic food & wine event in Lancashire. Thank you to for the i...
29/01/2026

We’re at Obsession! is cooking tonight on Day 7 at the iconic food & wine event in Lancashire.

Thank you to for the invite - we can’t wait! Stay tuned on our socials to see how they get on.

20/01/2026

A beetroot sauce, not a beef sauce, finishes our main course. Hear why chose to make the beetroot the star of the show, and see how he still applies classic techniques to this velvety vegetarian sauce.

18/01/2026

“Essentially, just like a really naughty triangle chip filled with bourguignon. What’s not to like?”

Have you ever wondered how and the team make our potato sfogliatelle? These little triangles were inspired by a trip to Puglia, and are a savoury take on the little Italian pastries.

In the beginning, it was a labour of love to perfect the technique to stop them splitting open, but now they’re a permanent fixture on our menu.

15/01/2026

What happens when you cook beetroot for 56hrs at 77degrees?

The Confit Beetroot element on our main course is a match made in heaven alongside slow-cooked beef brisket. Chef uses the same cooking technique to this beautiful vegetable, grown in our kitchen garden.

12/01/2026

Every 8–10 weeks, a whole Aberdeen Angus arrives from the fields next door. Buying the entire animal means our chefs can use every part - from prime cuts on the restaurant menu to slow-cooked dishes, stocks and sauces across the hotel.

It’s a simple approach: respect the animal, reduce waste and make the most of exceptional local beef.

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Northcote Road, Langho, Blackburn BB6 8BE
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