EMMA Johnson didn't need an excuse to celebrate a return trip to a restaurant with the right ingredients

THE last time I visited The Coterie restaurant, in Widnes, it was a celebration. I had recently married abroad and some friends had invited us to dinner at The Coterie to tell them all about it.

It was jolly nice of them, considering we hadn't invited them to the wedding ... we eloped to Australia.

This time we were dining with the same couple, only we didn't strictly have anything to celebrate. But it wasn't about to stop us splashing out on some fine food and some very fine wine. Three years ago, The Coterie was The Globe and it could not be more dif- ferent from its former incarnation.

Since taking it over, husband and wife team David and Christine Tearle have completely redesigned it, taking it from a country pub into a swish and much in-demand restaurant, catering for more than 100 diners with a team of eight chefs.

Located on busy Birchfield Road, its style is country mansion meets modern chic. The wine bar area is homely, painted in neutral shades, while the main restaurant has a rustic feel with bare brick and exposed beams, and the conservatory style extension is all white walls and modern art.

We began our evening in the wine bar perusing the menus over drinks. And there was plenty to peruse. The Coterie specialises in quality produce with an extensive a la carte menu, and a lunch menu featuring some 36 options.

While we lounged on the sofas, the owner himself came out to take our order. I chose the homemade chicken liver paté (£6.50), my husband Alan the Thai fish cakes (£6.50), while our dining companions Ronnie and Sue both chose Chilli Tiger Prawns and Monkfish (£9.75).

For mains, everyone wanted something different. Not normally a steak person, this night I had a craving for it, so I chose the 10oz UK sirloin steak with the Coterie Diane Sauce, my other half Alan, who is a steak person, opted for the 10oz rib-eye with cracked black pepper sauce (also £16.95).

Sue opted for the Roast Duck (Goosnargh) and Oyster Plum Sauce (£17.95) and Ronnie chose the Roast Rump of New Season Welsh Lamb (£18.95).

All dishes came with a choice of new potatoes or chips and a selection of vegetables or salad. To drink, we ordered a bottle of Chablis Domaine, Alain Geoffroy (£21.95) and despite the fact this was not a celebration, a bottle of my favourite Champagne Laurent Perrier Rose (non-vintage £63.25).