Colne Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: This nautically styled old Harry Ramsden’s remains “very popular with Boundary Mill shoppers” owing to its “great fish ’n’ chips and service” (not to forget the textbook mushy peas.

This “proper local pub but with Michelin star food” is many reporters’ “restaurant of the year” – with service that’s both “fun and professional, not at all stuffy” and “stunningly good food” from chef Tom Parker, who trained at nearby Lancashire powerhouse Northcote. Top Menu Tip – “the beetroot ice cream is sublime”.

2021 Review: This “lovely gastropub in the pretty village of Downham, under the shadow of Pendle Hill” is part of Jocelyn Neve’s Seafood Pub Company – the interior has been “completely renovated”, but retains a proper atmosphere with its “roaring fires”. Views on its performance diverged a little last year: most reports suggest the “excellent fish and seafood is definitely worth going for”, but a couple of mixed reports (“good but not as good as it was”; “trying hard but no organisation”) sound a warning note.

2021 Review: Passed from Northcote’s Ribble Valley Inns group to Brunning & Price in 2018 (and promptly refurbed), this poshified gastroboozer is a “lovely place to visit” for its “agreeable surroundings with nooks and crannies” and “excellent food and service”.

“Set in a tiny hamlet in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley”, Steve Smith’s “fine-dining destination disguised as a pub with rooms” is one of the top 50 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll. “The food is superb, and the wine list well chosen” and it’s all served “in an easygoing atmosphere… you can even take the dog!” Even amongst fans, though, opinions divide sharply over the level of value it provides: what is “very fair” to some is – to others – becoming more borderline (“I know everything is more expensive now, but sadly this is now in the sphere of me not being able to justify the expense”).

2023 Review: “Simplicity” combines with “top quality” at Carlow-born Breda Murphy’s deli-restaurant, a popular destination in the Ribble Valley since 2006 for her Anglo-Irish home-style cooking. “At first it feels overly conservative, but every dish is perfectly cooked, often with a small and interesting twist such as thick-cut lime and soy-cured salmon.”

Chef-patron Michael Heathcote has established a solid following for this Ribble Valley establishment, where he celebrates a decade this year. The “top-value Sunday lunch” is a big attraction – along with “exceptional fish soup”.

Without huge fanfare, Simon Gueller and wife Rena have moved on as owners of this ‘Gavroche of the north’ – set in one of the town’s oldest buildings; a restaurant since 1962; and famously a springboard for the career of the young Marco Pierre White. Since September 2022 it’s moved into the hands of local businessman, Adam Frontal (who ran Cookridge Hall Golf Club for nearly 20 years) and – although reports this year were not super-numerous – feedback is encouraging: “Under new ownership this great old timer is getting back its mojo, with great food and service in a traditional, if quirky, setting… not fully back to their old selves yet but they are getting there”. In October 2023, chef Kieran Smith moved on, perhaps as a result of his recent brush with a serious heart condition – no news as yet as to who will be replacing him, but his Insta suggests a smooth transition is in place, so we have maintained ratings. Top Menu Tip – “a very classy Sunday lunch”.

This “beautiful hotel at Bolton Abbey”, the Duke of Devonshire’s classic country estate, is a well-known getaway, and its very posh and “very good” dining room has also proved a testing ground for exciting chefs (Michael Wignall, Peter Howarth). Chris O’Callaghan, who arrived in 2021, now oversees the British cuisine (afternoon teas and fancier fare), while the open-plan wine cellar feeds into the “superb and very extensive wine list”.

“The pies are world-beating and the staff are the friendliest people ever!” at this ever more famous pub in the Forest of Bowland – nowadays one of the top 100 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll, and fans still say “impossible to fault” thanks to its “brilliant and varied cuisine at great-value prices”. “Chef Stosie Madi’s star is burning bright, and rightly so, with daily- or twice-daily-changing menus using produce that’s as local and as seasonal as possible (which often means foraged by Madi on the days they’re not open)”. “The food continues to be exceptional, and the most reliable for miles, combining an unerring flair for simple deliciousness with a remarkable mastery of a whole range of techniques”. All this said, popularity is starting to weigh somewhat on feedback. “Prices are still not punishing, but they are much-increased, and the menu is now restricted to a three-course format, with appearances on the Hairy Bikers and the Top 50 Gastropubs keeping them full”. And disappointments – though still largely drowned out by fanboying feedback – are no longer completely unknown (“it’s just a pie when all’s said and done, but the cost!”)

The more casual (and vividly hued) dining option at this hotel owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire turns out “good food” of a brasserie bent, featuring plenty of produce grown on the estate and in the hotel’s kitchen garden. A “great open-plan wine cellar” and terrace add to its charms.

Victor Yu’s “exceptional” Ribble Valley landmark celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, serving delicious Cantonese meals with a real sense of occasion. “Love this place, service is brilliant and Victor is an absolute star”, say fans – “the tasting menu offers something for everyone; it’s expensive, but worth it”.

2022 Review: A “very good value, high-quality place in Ilkley” where Joel Monkman’s large and small plates of British seasonal fare continue to win plaudits three years after its founding; also on the menu, lunchtime BBQ Buns and hearty Sunday roasts.

2023 Review: “Afternoon tea IS Bettys!". This old-fashioned tearoom is “always worth the queue” for its epic teas and fine spreads of pastries and sarnies. It’s also “a great place to meet over a very good breakfast. Coffee, understandably, is excellent!”

“Blimey, these guys can cook” – the tenor of most reports on chef Mark Kemp’s converted pub (est. 2018); “the menu (all in the tapas/small plates mode) ranges far and wide” (“something like gyozas stuffed with sobrasada and basil, served with a makhani sauce”), but despite such adventurous combinations, there “isn’t a single duff note” on the menu – which is also “tremendous value” and “utterly, indulgently delicious”. Top Tip – “it now opens Wednesday to Saturday and getting a table at the last minute is nigh on impossible. Book in advance and enjoy… just don’t take my seat!”