The Station, Clitheroe

I'm loathe to give a pub a less than stellar review, but The Station is one pub where I've never left feeling anything but glad that I'm off to somewhere else in town. It's location near the railway station (of course!) lends itself as a good place to kick off a night on the town, and as a consequence, I've been there many more times that I would do under my own steam.

It's difficult to put my finger on why I'm not keen, after all, it's in a classic pub building in my favourite town. Well, the beers are at the less adventurous side of the Thwaites range, and they appear to sell more lager here than bitter. I usually opt for the mild, which is served well. It's not an unfriendly place, but it can be very quiet at times.

My guess why I'm not keen is that the subdued lighting would go well if they had retained the original decor, but combined with an ill-judged refit some decades ago give it an feeling of gloom. It's a shame, as it's not far from being a good pub. Perhaps Thwaites will see fit to do it up a bit and give it the life it needs.

The Coach and Horses, Bolton by Bowland

The Coach and Horses looks like a solid coaching Inn from the outside, but it's something quite different when you walk in. Check out their website http://www.boutiquedininghouse.co.uk/
to see what I mean.

"Woah, I just want a pint and a bite to eat", I hear you say. Well, you'll be very pleasantly surprised at the Coach and Horses as they stock excellent beer (Bowland Brewery & Copper Dragon) and the food is some of the best we've had in a pub. The first time we ate there, we went straight back the next week and it was just as good. All the dishes we had were excellent, which is something that can't be said of the Three Fishes. (A little too random there - see previous review).

It's a very friendly place too and we were impressed by the fact that you could just nip in and get takeaway fish/chips if you were in a hurry. Somehow the owners seem to have pulled of the spectacularly difficult trick of combining a proper local that serves the community with an upscale eating place that doesn't cost anywhere near what it should do.

The Bay Horse, Barrow (Near Clitheroe)

Just outside Clitheroe lies the tiny village of Barrow, hidden away from the A59. Built mainly along the road that connects Clitheroe with Whalley, it's the sort of place you could easily drive through in your hurry to get somewhere else. Leaving aside the quietly excellent Chinese and Itlian restaurants, Barrow is well worth popping into just to have a pint at the Bay Horse.

This to me is what a real Lancashire pub should be like - one that hasn't really changed too much over the years. It's worth just nipping in for a pint of their superb mild, which is as good as any I've ever tasted. As you sup your pint, take a look at the area behind the bar which has managed to survive passing fads and looks much like it did when it was originally installed.

It's a very friendly place too. We were once there fairly early on on a Sunday, and were delighted to be given a piece of home-made cake from one of the regulars!

Tough days for pubs in the Ribble Valley

It's my sad duty to re-start the blog with some pretty dismal news about pub closures in the Ribble Valley. The Craven Heiffer in Chaigley, The Freemasons Arms at Wiswell, The Castle at Clitheroe, The Bridge Inn Clitheroe, and the Edisford Bridge also in Clitheroe are all currently shut.

I'm particularly saddened by the closure of the Craven Heiffer as it had quickly become my favourite place to eat in the Ribble Valley. The food there was exceptional and it always felt like you were visiting old friends when you popped in.

The Freemasons had also turned a corner. My review on this blog criticized the unfriendly owners, but it was sold on to new proprietors who had turned it into a much more welcoming pub.

The Castle & the Edisford Bridge appear to be the victims of PubCos - venture capitalist funded companies who buy up pubs and milk them for all they are worth. Pub managers are often bullied and charged exorbitant rents and costs. These managers don't last long, hence all the signs you see about saying "You can run THIS pub!" If you see such a sign, just keep walking.

Anyway, the reasons for pubs going under are many - the smoking ban, the wider economy, the rise in home-drinking, PubCos etc etc; so all I can say is support your local pub. Instead of downing a bottle of red at home, go out and have a couple of pints of good real ale in a pub that knows how to serve it. Your money will have helped keep a real British institution open rather than have it go into the ether that is the big supermarkets' overflowing bank accounts.

*Edit Oct 09*

Good news!

Edisford Bridge appears to have re-opened under new management & The Freemasons has also opened again after being refurbished.

http://www.freemasonswiswell.co.uk/

Tillotson's Arms - Chipping

One of the main reasons for finding ourselves in Chipping is to have a pie at the Sun Inn, but recently we've been gravitating first to The Tillotson's Arms first for a pint or two. The beers here are well served and it's a treat to have Tim Taylor's Golden Best on tap in Lancashire. The Tillotson's is a very friendly pub, and you're made to feel very welcome, but it's also a great place to sit outside, and watch as bicycles, farm vehicles, and the like try and navigate the narrow windy road that goes past the pub.

The Three Fishes Mitton Near Whalley

The Three Fishes is certainly one of the best known pubs in the Ribble Valley, getting much publicity in the national press for it's food. In many ways it represents the Ribble Valley to those visiting the area, but I find it has a lot more in common with the foodie pubs you find in places like Berkshire or Oxfordshire.

Arty photos of local food producers adorn the walls and your menu has a map showing the location of the various ingredients of your food order. I always permit myself a slight chuckle at the fact that most of the fish comes from that famous nautical town Clitheroe (no sea for 50 miles?). Saying that, the Wellgate Fisheries in Clitheroe is top notch.

This being a foodie pub, you're not encouraged to hang around the bar, though you are supposed to order everything there. I'm still not 100% sure how you're supposed to order at the Three Fishes, sepite having eaten there 5 or 6 times.

Beer is mainly Thwaites with a good variety of wines and some rather expensive soft drinks for the kids. The main draw is the food, though, so it's not the kind of place you'd feel comfortable in if you're dripping in sweat after a 100km cycle ride through the Ribble Valley hills.

Food, it must be said, can be a disappointment at times. On a number of occasions we've walked away thinking that this isn't really the best local food. The 'House Cured Meats' was meagre and rather bland while the 'Goosnargh Chicken in Broth' was like something you'd knock up at home when you'd run out of ingredients and had to raid the cupboard. Saying that, we've also had some excellent food there. A recent Christmas dinner was superb and their chicken liver pate is the best I've ever tasted and a meal in itself. My advice is to read between the lines of the rather flowery description and realise the food is actually going to be more basic than it sounds.

My advice is to lower your expectations slightly, get in there early as it gets packed, and realise that this is actually a Southern style gastro pub rather than a true Ribble Valley Pub.

The New Inn - Clitheroe

Situated at the foot of Clitheroe Castle, The New Inn is certainly the best place in town to get a pint of beer. There are 4 real ales on during the week, with a couple more at the weekends. All are served perfectly, and so it's no surprise that it's in the 2007 Good Beer Guide. The choice of ales varies with the season, but there's always a mixture of classics and unusual beers. Coachhouse Coachman's is always on tap, and it's a great choice if low on pennies.

They have managed to avoid the urge to knock out interior walls, like so many pubs of it's age, and instead there are a number of rooms, each with individual character. They have concentrated on the beer, so there's no food available. No fruit machines or jukeboxes either.
It's usually pretty busy attracting an older crowd, including what seems to be an inordinate number of teachers. Undoubtably the best pub in Clitheroe.

Swan and Royal Hotel

Situated bang in the middle of Clitheroe, the Swan & Royal is difficult to miss, and a typical old coaching inn. Rooms are available and the yard behind now full of small shops must have been stables in the past. It's famous for having both Winston Churchill and Ghandi stay there, which is really quite extraordinary when you know the size of the town.

It's a large building, with many of the original features. Large rooms too, with quieter ones near the front windows, a slightly more raucus one (at times) at the back near the bar. Beer is mainly by the Cumbrian brewery Jennings, and my usual 'Cumberland Ale' is found both on smoothflow or cask.

Food is decent enough - nothing particularly special, and service tends to be friendly. The Friday night disco is a bit dire, and my advice is to avoid it if you can hear music leaking out the doors!

*Edit Oct 09*
Currently closed due to fire damage. It looks like a lot of work is being done on it to get it open again.