How Longridge's newest urban bistro is keeping customers coming in throughout the cost of living crisis

Fell Bistro opened its doors last year with a trio of Michelin Star and Masterchef professional chefs - becoming the newest kid on the Longridge block with a fine-dining twist. But with the cost-of-living crisis dominating the news, it’s been a tough time to start out in hospitality and the Fell Bistro took an obvious risk while local residents are cutting their expenses.

Despite this, the Berry Lane-based restaurant has turned out to be a hit and they invited the Post down to find out why.

We spoke with the team at Fell Bistro to find out what they have done to ensure the venue appeals to consumers and how they’ve found fitting into the small Ribble Valley village of Longridge, while also trying some of their best-recommended dishes.

Matt Willdigg, Chef Director at Fell said: “We’ve always wanted to open a neighbourhood bistro, somewhere where the food is prepared fresh, comes in daily and there’s a lot of love put into each meal. We wanted to use local, fresh produce and cook it well. We all come from a Michelin Star background, it’s been all about taking what we learned there, stripping it back so you still get that level of service and that quality of food but without the pretentiousness involved. So you’re not worried about speaking to a friend at the table or asking someone about a bottle of wine, or asking about a component of the dish. Somewhere where everyone can afford to come and enjoy.”

Fell Bistro was named after the Longridge Fell which surrounds the village, its branding inside is simplistic, modern, fresh and bright. Dissimilar from typical fine-dining experiences where the rooms can be quite dark and busy with decoration. Something else that stood out on arrival was the open-plan kitchen allowing diners to watch their food be prepared in the Fell kitchen.

Sean Wrest, award-winning Chef at Fell Bistro said: “There’s definitely a shift, with people like myself and Matt (Willdigg) who come from a fine dining background, going into bistro-style hospitality. I think that’s the way the world’s going. I’ve worked in restaurants that are counted as ‘destination restaurants’ but the problem is people go once or twice in their whole life, but it’s not a sustainable business. We need people who want to come here every week.

“It’s true as a society we are struggling, people are struggling to heat their houses. But if we can do an accessible menu for everybody and bring someone a bit of joy for a few hours, that's what it’s all about. It’s not about the accolades or our egos, it's about feeding people and doing what we love. We want lots of people coming into an accessible menu, where the food is really good, it’s not daunting and overcomplicated and people will come through the door week in and week out. And that has been what we are seeing, and it’s working. There are so many restaurants closing and people leaving the industry, for me this is the way to go forward.”

Trying three courses from the menu on offer at Fell Bistro, the size was consistent throughout each dish, as each meal was provided as a hearty portion that left a pleasantly full feeling that wasn’t overbearing in the slightest. Starting with chicken liver parfait, spiced chutney, and toasted brioche. The first standout quality of this dish was the immediate freshness of each component. The thickly sliced bread tasted freshly made and the chutney was fruity and sweet yet not too tangy it was overpowering.

The parfait was smooth and in good quantity matching perfectly alongside the chutney, topping off the trio of my first course. To accompany the food we went for a light, zesty bottle of Rose in the form of Segno Librandi. Served in tall wine glasses with ice to keep fresh.

Alex Blamier, Company Director said: “We’re in an amazing position with the three chefs we have. Sean Wrest who has Michelin stars, Matt Willdigg, and Oli Martin who have both been on Masterchef the professionals.”

While awaiting the main course, I couldn’t help but notice the atmosphere in Fell Bistro, as lively conversations continued around me and groups of diners of all different demographics walked through the doors. It was clear that the new diner had established itself as a town favourite.

Sean said: “The response to the food has been really good. We’ve seen a lot of repeat custom. Everyone always talks of Michelin stars and accolades but the biggest thing for us is that people are coming back week in and week out and that is the biggest compliment.

“No matter what we do, we always aim to come in and do better than the last day. I’m personally kind of bored of the whole Michelin cooking now, I want to strip things back and have a bit of fun with it. But we make sure each dish we do is really well thought out, and we’ll keep progressing.”

The steak arrived cooked as requested, with a sauce that complimented without fault. Easy to cut through the steak was tender and fresh, showing it was sourced from quality suppliers. Fell hadn’t cut corners on any of the ingredients from my dish. The food was of really high quality without the qualms of keeping quiet while eating it. My friends and I referred to the experience as fine dining without the formality, which meant we could eat comfortably and enjoy the conversation as well as the dish.

To finish up I had sticky toffee pudding, an old-school classic too tempting to turn down. The sauce was generously poured over the dessert and led to the perfect finish for a delish dining experience.

The Lancashire Post attended as guests of Fell Bistro