It’s been over three months since I intended to get this ‘First Look’ of Solita Preston published. They’re pretty fast movers so there’s every chance a new Solita has popped up to join it since. (As it happens, there haven’t been any more openings but they have announced a couple of new ventures. More on that later). Solita Preston is ... Read More »
The Parkers Arms is one of my favourite places in the world to eat. I was blown away during my first visit on Good Friday three years ago. I’ve been back many times since and always loved it. But never again on Good Friday and never quite as much as that magical first time. Until the start of Easter weekend this ... Read More »
As we entered 2016 I made a culinary resolution to rectify three glaring holes in my dining out back catalogue. St. John, The Man Behind The Curtain and Freemasons at Wiswell. Before Spring even arrived I had reservations at the first two – in April and May respectively. The latter I visited before the end of January. Freemasons is an old fashioned country ... Read More »
Jay Rayner has clearly had a better upbringing than me; in his review of The White Swan, he’s quite dismissive of Fence, the small village near Burnley in which it’s set. I’m sure he was exaggerating to make a point, and it is fairly unassuming. But from the bits I saw it looked like quite a charming area. Including The White Swan itself, ... Read More »
I get the impression that Jon Jones, head chef of The Farmers Arms, doesn’t really like Christmas. That’s just from talking to him, thankfully it doesn’t show in his menus or cooking. I had a jolly festive feast there a couple of years ago so booked a table just before the Christmas madness started to get 2015’s festivities underway. The pub ... Read More »
If only there were more days in the week, or at least a few more hours in the day. I’d almost certainly visit The Farmers Arms more often. It’s somewhere I never get bored of going back to but just don’t seem to find the time to go often enough. Although, time does appear to stand still in Darcy Lever where the ... Read More »
If you asked 100 foodies to guess where MasterChef judge and well known lover of Asian food John Torode ate the ‘best Thai food outside of Thailand’, chances are precisely none of them would’ve said Bolton. “Hand on heart it was the best Thai food I have had outside of Thailand. Maybe it is Bolton’s hidden gem.” – John Torode That’s ... Read More »
It’s ever so slightly awkward being asked to visit somewhere you’ve previously been fairly negative about. It happened recently when I was invited to Momentum Restaurant & Lounge in Westhoughton. I’m assuming they hadn’t read my less than glowing review anyway. Still, it was over two years ago and my complaints were all service related. I was impressed by the food back then so thought it’d be ... Read More »
As a lover of craft beer I was delighted when micro-bar Great Ale Year Round opened in Bolton Market’s new ‘Lifestyle Hall’ in January. Spending more time (and money) there than I probably should I got to know owners Dan and Gina quite well. When they found out about this blog and my passion for good food as well as beer they ... Read More »
I was asked by the people behind the Britain’s Best Bites website to plan my own foodie road trip around some of the ‘must-try’ food producers in the North West. The Parkers Arms immediately came to mind and became the focal point of the entire trip. Set in the beautiful Ribble Valley, chef Stosie Madi serves stunning food and is ... Read More »
It’s not everyday you get given a car and petrol for the day to go and visit some of the best restaurants and food producers in the region. But that’s what happened after I was contacted on behalf of Europcar and asked to take part in their #BritainsBestBites campaign which aims to promote great local producers. Britain’s Best Bites is ... Read More »
I’ve spent a lot of time at Bolton Market’s new Lifestyle Hall since it opened in January. Admittedly most of it has been at the brilliant micro-bar ‘Great Ale, Year Round‘. During almost every visit I’ve encountered the larger than life character that is Alain Job. Alain runs ‘Nkono’, a stall serving authentic African food and he’s not afraid to ... Read More »
Although my favourite cuisine changes on a fairly regular basis (it’s probably Japanese at the moment), Mexican is never far from the top. It’s definitely the style of food I cook most often at home. So I couldn’t help get excited when I heard about the Mexican Fiesta Night at The Farmers Arms. Arriving on a typically cold Bolton night I ... Read More »
Bolton doesn’t have much to shout about these days; it’s football team are hopeless, Peter Kay seems to have given up trying to be funny and its once excellent town centre now seems to only contain pound shops and banks. Even worse (from my point of view anyway) the latest edition of The Good Food Guide doesn’t feature a single ... Read More »
As 2013 draws to a close and I begin to reflect on my culinary adventures over the past 12 months one of the undoubted highlights was the discovery of The Parkers Arms in the Ribble Valley. My first visit back in March remains one of the most memorable and enjoyable meals this year and I now consider it a firm ... Read More »
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