On our date night a while ago, Emily and I ventured to Salt Bar in Macclesfield to try something…read moredifferent (I work in Macc so it's not like it was a trip for both of us) On entering Salt Bar it's quite minimal and small but pleasant. To start we shared the Smörgåsbord which was a large crispbread covered with various things including mackerel, prawns, beetroot and apple salad, ham, meatball, pickled veg and probably a few other things I can't remember. It was all very good and an excellent start to the meal. For mains we decided to share lamb with red cabbage and potatoes, and venison meatballs with liquorice sauce and fries. Both dishes were very tasty and very rich, although I have to say the meatballs were my slight preference. After eating all this (it was a lot of food) I had to dig deep to find room but sure enough we both did and ordered a chocolate and ginger trifle to share. This was quite decadent but not too sweet which was perfect for the end of the meal. Upon getting home we both laid on the sofa feeling sorry for ourselves but very content at the same time. The meal came to about £60 I think which isn't bad, not cheap but not too expensive either. I would definitely recommend people try it if they're in the area.

After an evening that included several beers and a thorough exploration of Macclesfield, we'd…read moredefinitely worked up a hunger. I was a bit worried that it'd be pushing our luck trying to find a decent place to eat at 7.30pm on a Saturday night with no reservation, and when we were both utterly clueless about what was available. Turns out I was wrong, and The Salt Bar was exactly what we were looking for. An independent bistro offering Scandinavian cuisine, with a fairly meat and fish orientated menu. It was small enough to feel intimate and cosy, yet large enough to feel relaxed and have two spare seats available at the last minute. The waitress was super friendly when we inquired about not having a booking and gave us a seat in the window. I ordered Kåldomar, which is a beefy-porky-cabbage wrapped dish and my OH ordered what can only be described as a sort of meatball bruschetta e.g. on toast. Now, my other half is a fan of what is officially termed "A square meal" whereas I'm all for picky bits - this meal satisfied both of us by serving two hearty main dishes with a few additional swedish pickled veg and garnishes on the side of our plates, nothing excessive, (think Wagamama style, when the menu states you get a few pickles) but these were a welcome and tasty surprise! Both dishes were very tasty and the meatballs were so heavenly, that I felt that my meat in the Kåldomar was slightly dry in comparison, it didn't ruin my meal but I did get major meatball lust. We stuck to beer and other than Swedish Åbro lager and Rekordelig, drinks-wise they've interestingly chosen to support local breweries instead of opting for Scandiavian. Stocking a wide selection of pales, ales, bitters and stouts from both Wincle and RedWillow. If I were to make any recommendations, it'd be about the music, The Salt Bar had a fantastic atmosphere and the ONLY thing that didn't feel right was the music - generic mellow poppy chart tosh, pretty sure I heard Taylor Swift at one point *shudder*. Now I'm not suggesting that they have to be overly themed, but if they're promoting Scandinavian cuisine then why not slap on some Scandi artists? Bit of Lykke Li, Neneh Cherry, The Cardigans, Peter Bjorn and John... etc. Would have been much more in keeping with the vibe in my opinion.

Delightful Bakewell tart and tea for an afternoon celebration. They welcomed a group of us for…read morepudding with open arms and delicious food. Inside is warm, green, and just a touch rustic.

Delicious brunch and a lovely setting! We came for breakfast…read moreand then a walk and this was perfect. The breakfast was yummy and well cooked and we wi definitely be back!

Oooh this pub is looovely, especially on sunny days when you can sit outside in their garden…read more They seem to cater to both locals (lots of old folks) and people like us who were driving though. The staff were all very welcoming, and we were all really impressed with the friendly, efficient service. The menu was full of English comfort foods...and they executed everything beautifully. Just look at my photos to get an idea...I tried the goats cheese and caramelised onion strudel, which came balanced on potatoes and perfect ratatouille. If you ever find yourself in this part of the country, it is definitely worth popping in here for some lunch! *Pro tip: It sounded like they get very booked up in the evening, so ring ahead to ensure you get a table!!

A very busy Old English pub doing Great food and Great Beer(Cask Marque)…read moreYvonne and Gary run a first class pub and have a great team working with them. If going for a meal ring and book it gets busy at the weekend!! always a good sign.

This place is great, the chef is in the know. All the food was amazing, it's romantic but it's…read morealso great for families. The menu is extensively pleasing, there is literally something for everyone. I had a venison dish of the special menu, the flavors were constructed very well. They have pizza, pasta, salads and main meat or vegetarian dishes. My wife had a great dish with pancetta, mushroom and truffle oil. It was perfect. They have Italian beer on tap, local beers in the bottle, Italian beer on tap and a great wine selection.

Very good Italian, very garlicy so if your not so keen you'd have to let them know, me on the other…read morehand I love garlic! Lovely house red as well. All round fantastic meal. Decor was really nice as well, not at all what you'd expect from a quaint little English village, very modern. They also have one of those open kitchens where you can watch them cook the pizza's in a big stove.

Stumbled across this place completely by accident! Mrs G and I decided to take a nice drive through…read morethe beautiful Peak District on a gorgeous sunny December day. First stop was Matlock - cute little village, powerful river flowing though town, nice views all around. We wanted to have lunch but hadn't really seen anything and so we decided to head to Bakewell (about 20 minutes drive) when I noticed a classy, inviting, purple sign by the road "The Orangery". We quickly turned around and are so glad that we did! We had a really GREAT lunch and have already booked again for Christmas Eve when our daughter and new husband visit. It may sound odd but it used to be part of a very prestigious school for over a century - the most famous "Old Girl" was Richmal Crompton who wrote all the "William" books that I devoured as a kid. Now the whole complex is basically a old peoples home (Man are they lucky!!). So the lunchgoers were, on average, grey haired (but I am going that way too) - but it was fairly quiet in terms of lunchgoers and music (just the right volume - Christmas songs, Wham and many many more of the favorites. The restaurant drips class, the bistro also (full bar). A wide selection of offerings _ I seriously wanted the prawn curry but got lured into a Christmas special. Wonderful staff, great food, excellent service - and beautiful nooks for a quiet or romantic lunch. Try it you'll like it! Two big thumbs up Review #108 2019

My wonderful housemate took me here for a birthday treat and I felt spoiled and ruined in one go!…read moreSo... we arrived and were told where our room was, bags were offered to be taken on etc, so all good to start off with. We entered our room to find it fairly dated, but clean and tidy and with all that it promised so were more than happy. There was a wedding going on, and we had to go through the crowd in order to get to the restaurant, but that wasn't a big problem. Dinner was boasted to be a wide selection from a set menu.... this wasn't the case! There were only a couple of options, and to be honest none of the starters or mains were that delicious.... especially for a 4* hotel. The restaurant itself was overly lit, and the service was surly to say the least. Still a bottle of wine and food done, and off we went to our room.... Following day was the breakfast and treatment day..... we went to breakfast with plenty of time, but the service of coffee etc was slow, and we had to wait a good 10 mins to be signed out from breakfast. Sadly this meant that we were running late for our treatments (5 mins). We rang the spa and were told that it was ok and to come asap. Sadly the signage for the spa was poor and we arrived at the spa 10 mins late - we were told that it was still fine for the treatments, and were showed into a stunning room with several massage tables - was a little strange to be in the same room but that was fine really. So the therapists went out to allow us to change, but there was no privacy from each other....thankfully neither of us embarrass easily! The therapists returned after 5 mins and began their treatment. The therapist asked me if I had any problems with my back, and I told her of the 2 trouble spots on my back.... she ignored these! After 15 mins the therapists stopped massaging and said we were done. A little dismayed we went pool side and decided to have a bit of time in the pool to further stretch out the muscles..... sadly it was closed for the rest of the day!!! We then were called for our second treatment and they did a pedicure for both of us. Mine was brilliant and I loved the finished look, sadly my housemate's coats had been put on too closely together so they chipped and smudged within 5 mins of leaving! I heard the manager apologising to some others, but was feeling a little left out that we had had no comment so went to see him. I have to say that he handled our complaint fantastically, and was brilliant in his response. He immediately sorted out a comp voucher for both of us to have a day pass and an hour long massage each - boom, that is complaint resolution right there!!!! On the overall impression, I would say that this is great value for money for a beautiful spa retreat. It seems that I had a bad day, but am happy that the return will bring a more positive review...... keep you all posted.

I pitched up in early January on one of the windiest nights of the year. I hail from Blighty so…read morelike to think I have modest expectations. The hotel setting is beautiful and I was expecting so much.....and how underwhelmed I became. I also must state i co-own an award winning inn in Woodstock Vermont so I do have high expectations. The staff were all personable and tried hard but plainly were not encouraged to make many decisions. I had booked a dinner bed & breakfast package in a top room (the Lowther) at 230 quid....I now reflect that this represents poor value. My room was tired, the furniture a mish mash, the breeze through the original windows was terrible. They had placed 2 additional fan heaters in the room so plainly the cold situation was not new to them. The bathroom had been refitted and could have been impressive....but the filler handle on the bath came apart in my hand, which illustrates poor maintenance. The bedroom was not luxurious, the sofa uncomfortable and the room had no clock. I asked for one and a very efficient member of staff managed to get me a massive wall clock for the room, plainly taken off the wall of the office or alike. However 10 out 10 for initiative! The bed was tired with the mattress being too used, but the duvet was warm and I like a cool room, which was good as the wind blew the curtain all night long and in the morning the room was fresh to put it mildly. I toddled off to the health club, which offered so much potential, but again the mens dressing room was tatty, with hand written notices about a scalding shower, and plaster peeling....not the sophistication I was hoping for. The steam room did the business and pool was clean...but I was disappointed. The very jolly health club manager was most impressed that I was in the 'honeymoon suite' by myself....my feeling was that had I taken my bride to the Lowther suite we would have had a quick divorce! I enquired about using the internet on the house computer in the lobby area, as I had left my laptop in the US. Certainly the duty receptionist replied but there is a 3.50 charge if you don't use the free wi-fi that is available for your own machine! This to me is just plain stupid and also takes the piss.....why charge at all???? If McDonalds can give you free wi-fi why in heavens name is a 4 star hotel going to charge you to use the helpfully provided in-house computer????? Onto a pint before dinner, again the staff were friendly........and I discover the restaurant is closed. The bar area had a few tables laid up with candles and the staff had tried to make it welcoming, but it was like a bar area with tables and the place was like a funeral parlour.....little positive movement! I sank a pint, read the papers and decided to seek some life in a village pub.....so asked to be removed from the dinner service as there were just 2 travelling salesmen ( a profession I used to do and I no longer need to have dinners in a morgue for one....) sitting down for supper. More onto this charging issue later..... I return to the hotel after a fish supper in the local village and toddle off to my 'cool' in the sense of cold room for the night. A new day dawns...the wind still blows and the curtains still move so I bathe and off to breakfast I go. A very personable breakfast manager 'meeted and greeted' me, and took my order. To say my kipper was underwhelming would be a compliment to the producer. It was a kipper fillet reminiscent of a 'boil in the bag' type. It was however warm and had some taste...but my hope a fresh grilled kipper was not achieved. Maybe I was expecting too much for a 4 star hotel? I could only see strawberry jam on the self service counter so I asked for a small portion of marmalade.......... off the ever helpful manager goes, I hear doors open, see him return and disappear to another cupboard....and then go off in a fresh direction for he was a man not to be beaten....BUT...he returns about 5 minutes later and very apologetically says 'they must have run out over Christmas and have not got any'. This is an honest answer...and I commend him for being frank....but in a four star hotel in Blighty to not have ANY marmalade reflects I feel on having poor supply management. On checkout I was credited with one dinner @17.50, after I raised the issue ...but I had booked a room for two even though I was a single traveller. I noted my dissatisfaction on the ubiquitous survey that followed my stay, and Stuart the new manager, who in all fairness has only just taken over the running of the hotel (in addition to his own hotel in Troon) replied quickly. I followed up his note with a request for a refund on the additional dinner that I had not taken. After 10 days I had heard nowt so I wrote to Stuart, who quickly apologised and stated that they had indeed refunded 17.50 for dinner as i requested, but no one had informed me. 200 quid a night....no way! Stuart...good luck in fixing the place!

Great little restaurant we ended up in as our usual (The Legh Arms) was closed due to a fire…read more Sometimes it's the places you find by accident that turn out to be the most memorable. Although the name and the interior is a little deceptive, the menu is superb. The Prestbury Rarebit was a feast of oozy cheesy goodness, and the grilled goats cheese and beetroot salad was superb. I have it on good faith that the mushroom stroganoff was excellent as well. Sadly I was too full for desert (eating out three times in one day will do that to you) but the home made cakes looked delicious. According to the front-of-house manager (one half of the two sister owners), everything is made fresh in house using quality local ingredients. Definitely worth a visit if you're down that way.

Excellent traditional English cafe, really tasty food and very friendly service. I can highly…read morerecommend the quiche of the day and the fresh scones and cakes.

The best Indian resturant around for miles. It also does takeaways!read more

Had fish, chips and gravy from here after a long trek back from the London…read more Took a while to be cooked, but the place was really busy, plus I think the fish was cooked fresh, which is a plus point. Was really good and reasonably priced too. Can't wait to try the Chinese - looked and smelt fab - I could eat it now! It also always seems to be open which is pretty good.

Great Chinese food but if you want a real treat try the Sambal off the Malaysian menu its really…read moregood. The owners here have a full Malaysian menu as well as the normal Chinese ones as well as doing zero MSG on request

I honestly can't think of anything to complain - pretty extensive menu, huge portions. You can…read morechoose certain elements of the food - such as sour cream or side sauce. Comfortable sittings, very modern decoration. The place was quite busy, so better to book in advance.

The decor and the furniture of the venue fits well with the tex-mex theme…read more However, we had a Lonestar starter plate for two persons, which was quite nice. The main courses,chicken + beef Fajitas were too salty and the seasoning too dominant. Overall, the portions are quite big and the price average as well as the food. The staff was very unmotivated and did not pay attention to their customers although just three tables were occupied.