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

* Edit - Jan 2011 - At the time of writing, The Freemason's Arms, The Castle, and The Edisford Bridge have all re-opened and are hopefully doing well. I'll keep this post as a historical record of how the 2009 recession hit pubs hard.

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.