St John is my all time favourite restaurant. Having eaten here before many times it seemed the perfect place to hold a big birthday party.
I booked the private room, which is just off the dining room, it seats a max of 18. I had 15 people and it was snug so I'd say 18 might be a bit too cosy, but that's my only negative point.
For larger groups you choose in advance from one of their feasting menu's, which basically means they serve giant platters on the table.
From an extensive list I chose two starters (that's the max) ox heart, beetroot and pickled walnuts, and octopus, rocket and jersey royal salad. A veggie guest had simple steamed asparagus and hollandaise.
The ox heart was delicious, tender and went perfectly with the grated beetroot that came with it, the pickled walnuts were more of a nutty dressing, it was perfect. The octopus was faultless too, the rocket and new potatoes had a tangy lemon juice dressing which was great.
Then we had whole roast suckling pig. As the waiter carried her in he announced the piglets name had been Geraldine, which made us all laugh and will be a memory i'll never forget. Geraldine was sooooo delicious, crispy skin, tender on the inside and the tastiest pork I have ever had. She was served with simple steamed veggies and potatoes and a great tasting gravy, which had been made from the cooking juices. The stuffing that filled Geraldine was so so simple but very tasty too, just bread onion and apple.
I can't recall what the veggie option was for my friend, but I know it contained goats cheese, she enjoyed it, whatever it was!
After that we had Eccles cakes and Lancashire cheese, and choc mousse.
The Eccles and Lancashire is St John's signature pud, the Eccles cakes are huge and after a big meal one portion is great to share between two as the cheese portion is always generous. They are def the best Eccles cakes you will have anywhere, the pastry is so buttery and flaky, and the bottom nice and sticky with juices from the fruit. The choc mousse was good, but way richer than your average mousse, more like a dense chocolate truffle, but it rounded off the meal nicely.
We had copious bottles of the St John house red which is a Cabernet syrah, good and reasonable at £19.90 choice from the entirely French wine list.
A couple of friends drank cider, which was a lovely cloudy French pressed apple cider which they rated highly.
There was quite a lot of Geraldine left to take home, which I did happily. I made her into a terrine and popped her in my freezer at home, she will be a great reminder of a fab night.
St John isn't cheap, but for this standard of good seasonal British food it's worth it. Stand out dishes for me in the past have been ducks hearts with celeriac, chitterlings, mash and parsley sauce, roast bone marrow and parsley salad or the smoked eel, bacon and mash which was soooooo godo we still tell people about it a year after we had it and we even ordered some of the eel online for xmas lunch!
The Bill: £40 each
