British, Modern Restaurants in Lancashire
1. The Inn at Whitewell
British, Modern restaurant in Clitheroe
Forest of Bowland - BB7
“A great escape” – this famous country inn (dating from the sixteenth century) provides a “delightful setting” thanks both to its picturesque situation, by the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, and also its cosy and traditional interior and rooms: “idyllic for a romantic break”. Chef Jamie Cadman has been at the stoves for the last 20 years and maintains a very high quality of traditional-with-a-twist cuisine, backed up by the impressive wine list one would expect of an establishment with its own onsite retail wine merchants (‘Bowland Forest Vintners’, which has operated for over 40 years). “Dining outside in summer on the terrace is a particular pleasure”.
2. Northcote
British, Modern restaurant in Langho
Northcote Rd - BB6
“Going from strength to strength under the stewardship of Lisa Goodwin-Allen” – this much-extended manor house in the Ribble Valley (just off the A59) built its renown under chef Nigel Haworth and his former-protégée Lisa’s “exceptional and innovative” cuisine maintains its reputation in fine style, thanks to the “really excellent layers of flavour and texture running through all her dishes”. Although its nowadays in the same group as that of The Stafford in London’s St James’s, long term MD Craig Bancroft remains at the helm and “the fact that he is so closely involved and so passionate about wine just shines through in the wine list (of course there are well-known vintages from France etc, but many other interesting options)”. The odd regular fears that “a corporate approach is taking over the uniqueness that is Northcote”, but most accounts applaud the “lovely” setting. A highpoint of the year here is the annual Obsession food festival, which runs annually for two weeks in January and February with a series of guest meals from famous chefs – it has established itself now as a key event in the UK’s annual foodie calendar.
3. Breda Murphy Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in Whalley
41 Station Rd - BB7
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.”
4. Freemasons at Wiswell
British, Modern restaurant in Wiswell
8 Vicarage Fold Clitheroe - BB7
“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”).
5. The Higher Buck
British, Modern restaurant in Waddington
The Square - BB7
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”.
6. The Parkers Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Newton-in-Bowland
Hall Gate Hill - BB7
“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!”)
7. The Cartford Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Little Eccleston
Cartford Lane - PR3
“A beacon of hospitality and gastronomy in the desert of the Fylde” – “the Beaume family’s quirkily decorated riverside inn” is “a great example of what can be done in a pub with rooms to make it interesting” (and incorporates a deli, art gallery, farm shop, plus greenhouses for all-year dining). Amidst the selection of hearty yet enticing dishes, “there’s lots of good stuff”. Top Tips – “the French Onion Soup is still the best I’ve had, and oxtail suet pudding is always impressive. And if you can get one of the tables with a river view, you may get to see the striking sight of the river changing direction when the tide starts coming in. If you are very, very lucky, you may even see the tail end of the Wyre Bore”.
8. The Bay Horse
British, Modern restaurant in Ellel
Bay Horse Ln - LA2
2023 Review: “Hardly any further from Junction 33 of the M6 than Forton Services”: Craig Wilkinson’s “always popular”, “railway-side pub” has, say fans, “always unjustly sailed a little below the radar, while food and cooking continue in their accomplished, classically inspired, utterly satisfying way”. “In a time when so many places turn out Identikit dishes from the same playbook, it’s somehow refreshing to get a really good terrine, confit duck legs etc”. Top Menu Tip – “Meat is first class, the Sunday roast beef is the best ever: pink and melting in the mouth”.
9. White Swan at Fence
British, Modern restaurant in Fence
300 Wheatley Lane Rd - BB12
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”.
10. Eagle & Child
British, Modern restaurant in Ramsbottom
3 Whalley Road - BL0
2022 Review: “Great food and also a sense that they are putting back into the community” inspires support for this pub-with-rooms on the village green. Run as a youth-focused social enterprise, supporting young people to access training and paid work experience, it has won a string of awards over its almost ten years in operation. In summer, its ‘Incredible Edible Beer Garden’ comes into its own: almost an acre in size and with lots of interest as well as outside seating.
11. Twelve Restaurant & Lounge Bar
British, Modern restaurant in Thornton Cleveleys
Marsh Mill Village, Fleetwood Road North - FY5
2021 Review: “A top option on the Fylde coast” – Paul Moss and Caroline Upton’s well-established and jazzily decorated bar/restaurant near Blackpool only attracted limited feedback last year, but still good all-round.
12. Banny’s Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in Colne
1 Vivary Way - BB8
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.
13. Haighton Manor
British, Modern restaurant in Haighton Green
Haighton Green Lane - PR2
This crowd-pleasing pub once served as a hospital, but since its takeover and refurb’ by the Brunning & Price group some years back, it’s now a proper country gastroboozer (also with a handful of rooms); on the menu – high-quality British dishes abetted by some more exotic influences from around the world.
14. Coach And Horses
British, Modern restaurant in Bolton By Bowland
Main Street - BB7
In a “lovely setting in an archetypically unspoilt Ribble Valley village, complete with stocks on the village green”, Susan Lord and Dutch husband Ko Labeij’s slick village inn is a “wonderful find” by all accounts; “the menu reads well: simple and manageable” pub classics (or more adventurous tasting menus on Fri & Sat nights), and it’s a proper boozer too – “now with its own microbrewery” tapping the local well water in its 4 Mice ales.
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