Take the M66 J1 and head south towards Bury. An innocuous side road, a few hundred yards off the…read moreA56, called Walmersley Old Road takes a surprisingly cobbled and twisting rise towards Nangreaves and the village of Mount Pleasant, high up on the moorland that dominates the landscape between Bury and Rochdale. The Lord Raglan stands proudly near the top of the hill at the edge of the village - an oasis in the midst of the barren, yet beguiling Lancashire moors. There is probably nothing this pub lacks. One might quibble and say - a decent jukebox or pool table, but although I would usually cite both of those as key ingredients in the Ideal Pub - the pub that bides its time, unchanging and enduring in the realm of Platonic Forms - both would be out of place in this somewhat comprehensive establishment. Essentially The Lord Raglan is a three legged dog, but as Michael Stipe once said, A three legged dog is still a dog and what a hound it is. The first leg is the restaurant, the main attraction for anyone travelling more than a few miles to this beautifully isolated outpost (although there is a very regular bus service to Bury and Manchester). Leg number two is the pub itself, nourished by leg number three - The Third Leg, if you will: Leyden Brewery, situated in the cellar beneath the pub itself. The pub is eclecticly furnished with all manner of curios including ornate thrones, the odd far eastern relic and more traditionally rural items pertaining to the world of hunting. Somehow though, none of this is overfacing and the pub treads the fine line between cosiness and clutter very steadily. It is split into three large rooms - the restaurant, the main bar area which includes a small lounge and a further main lounge which affords spectacular views towards Holcombe Hill and Ramsbottom. Sunsets to through the lounge windows to the west are often mesmerising in the summer. There is a congenial atmosphere throughout with a good ratio of locals to visitors and everyone seems happy to chat. That's not always the case in such rural establishments. The landlord and bar staff are efficient and friendly though not effusive - they leave the small talk out of it by and large. The service is of a good reliable and consistent standard, though there can often be a long wait for food - so prepare for this by arriving in plenty of time befor ethe hunger pangs become too painful. This is due to the small size of the kitchen, also situated downstairs. The restaurant serves the gamut of traditional rural pub fare with the emphasis on meat. That encompasses grills and burgers, steaks, gammon and some excellent Bury Black Pudding Tower dishes. Hot steak sandwiches and the like are also served as lighter bites with specials including bakes, fish such as Red Snapper and Thai curries adding a less usual flourishto the menu. Whatever you order, make sure it comes with a helping of Raglan Fries - they are an essential part of the Raglan Experience. Desserts are also highly recommended and come in the form of traditional staples such as sticky toffee pudding, spotted dick and apple pie. Diners are welcome in the restaurant itself or anywhere throughout the pub. My advice would be to go for a table in the one of the lounges as the ambience and mix of clientele is one of the main lures of this place. As you enter the main lounge, skirt along the bar and head up to the enormous table in the far left corner. It is surrounded by a very comfortable high backed leather couch and offers great views towards those sunsets. The pub is dog-friendly and often hosts a variety of canines, even in the main lounge. Children are also welcome although there may be a time limit on having them at the bar. In summer, the outside seating also comes into its own for such puposes, althought the beer garden in the yard to the rear could be improved with a bit of TLC. Perhaps the best reason to visit The Lord Raglan is the Leyden Brewery, the brainchild of Brendan, brother of Terry the landlord. It's a formidable micro-brewery offering a wide selection of fine ales. Four or five of those ales are usually on offer at any one time, including staples such as Raglan's Sleeve and Nanny Flyer (named after the local bus to Nangreaves) round about the 4% mark, the latter being the lighter. They range from Leyden's own wheat beers and premium style lager to Crowning Glory which approaches the sweeter style of 6% ales. Inbetween are classics such as Bury Forever (depicting the crest of Bury FC), Balaclava and Sebastopol Road and Charge of the Light Brigade. Other ales come and go and many are included in the annual (July 20th) beer festival - though it appears to me that the Raglan houses a permanent beer festival, such is the variety of choice available. Of course, they also serve the usual suspects such as lagers, Guinness and ciders on tap, but even those are accompanied by Frambozen fruit beers and white beers. The Lord Raglan is a classic

Good family pub restaurant, great food and friendly hard working staff. Will come backread more

Middle of nowhere, casual dress, Michelin-starred…read more My husband and I went out of our way to eat and stay here. Was it worth the 3 hour journey from London (2-hr train ride, 1-hr by car) to make our reservation from 6-months earlier? Absolutely. Courses are small, but plenty. Staff are immensely courteous and thoughtful (they made a custom menu for our dietary needs and even had the chefs sign it before we left). And the setting couldn't be more idyllic. I'd suggest getting the wine pairing as it really completes the meal. Go ahead and stay the night as breakfast is included the next day. Just make sure to work out your travel from the train station to the restaurant. It really is out in the sticks.

An absolutely fantastic experience enhanced by the charming and beautiful countryside that The…read moreBlack Swan at Oldstead is nestled within - an area that I wouldn't have visited otherwise but am grateful for having done so. Make sure to make a small detour to Kilburn to see The Kilburn White Horse which stands firmly in the hillside. The Black Swan is a beautiful picturesque old pub full of warmth and charm. Upon arrival you are welcomed into the bar area for aperitifs where a log fire crackles and glows. Make sure to notice the Robert Thompson mouse carved into the bar. Great selection of small batch gins - I enjoyed a glass of Sir Robin of Locksley from Sheffield with tonic. Amuse bouche are served here before moving upstairs to the restaurant. The Smoked Eel and Apple Tartlets were light and well balanced in their flavours whilst the Chicken Dumpling was rich, satisfying and would sit well on the finest of dim sum plates in Hong Kong. The restaurant is more modern in decoration with an "open kitchen" where some of the dishes are prepared with a clear artistic love and attention to detail. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Good selection of wines for most palates and wallets. I had the 10 course tasting menu which, at £85, felt like a bargain compared to the price of Michelin starred food in major cities. To start, a Mussel with Oyster Leaf canapé - so perfectly decorated that it felt wrong to eat it, but so tasty. Next up Langoustine with Caramelised Whey, served like a lollipop with a twig to hold it with - lovely textures and cooked to perfection. Venison Tartare followed - a small dish but rich in flavour and beautifully prepared and decorated. Sour Bread and Sour Butter was distinctive and a good filler in preparation for the main courses. The Monkfish with Asparagus and Onion, although delicious, was probably the weakest dish. The sauce tasted like heavy sweet soy sauce and was a bit overpowering in its saltiness for the delicate flavour of the fish. Still very enjoyable though. The Slowly Cooked Crapaudine Beetroot was the star of the menu. Cooked in beef fat (I believe), the beetroot takes on a heavier composition and is chewy and almost glutinous with all of the accompanying decorations providing broad and bold flavours. Absolutely fantastic! Scallop Cured with Rhubarb was another standout with the smoothness of the slightly charred scallops countering the tartness of the rhubarb, all tied together with a rich and balanced sauce. Herb-Fed Chicken with Wild Garlic from this Year and Last was another amazing creation with a blanket over the chicken in the form of a garlic leaf. The chicken was more warm than hot but extremely tasty. The first dessert was ice cream (or iced yoghurt?) Lollipops which were wonderfully innovative with their unique flavours. The Sheep's Milk with Douglas Fir Oil was also an memorable dessert with natural tastes of the season. The final dessert, served with coffee was Cake made from Artichoke, Chicory Root and Thyme. The combination worked well although the chicory root (?) was slightly bitter. A great end to a fantastic meal and experience. For most who visit The Black Swan at Oldstead, a significant journey will be involved but don't let that put you off...It's well worth the effort and will be one of those great food experiences.

I came to eat here last week with my boyfriend and his family. I was especially looking forward to…read morecoming here as it had won Restaurant of the Year 2011 by Eat Sheffield! The drive to the restaurant was lovely and scenic, going down dark and winding country roads until suddenly we drive around a corner and The Devonshire Arms appeared! We'd got there a little early and we sat down by the bar for some drinks. The menu was displayed on a chalkboard by the seating area and it all looked yummy! The dining area was quite small but very nice and cosy. The kitchen was open and you could see the chefs chopping and cooking away which I quite liked. I chose the rabbit and pheasant terrine with grape chutney as my starter; it came with onion bread and the slice of terrine was huge! I really wanted to finish it, but I couldn't as there was no way I'd be have enough room for my main! For the main, I had venison steak served with new potatoes (usually served with mash which I couldn't have as it had milk/cream in it) and braised red cabbage. The steak was pink and cooked to perfection and the red cabbage was sweet but with a little tart edge to it. I didn't have a dessert but the rest of the party did - my boyfriend had a deconstructed banana cheesecake and his sister had a brownie (I overheard her saying it was the best brownie she'd ever tasted!). All of the staff were really nice, especially the lady who served us that night, she was really lovely and very attentive. The Devonshire Arms fully deserves it's awards and hope it gets more in the future. If you're ever around the Sheffield area and want to venture out of the city centre for some food make sure you come here. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect meal.

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.

Great night here for bf's birthday…read more We started in the downstairs pub area and bf tried some of the ale brewed in the basement, which he said was very good. The bar staff and manager were really friendly and also nice to each other, which gave an overall very positive impression of how the Clarence is run. Upstairs in the attractive restaurant area we were seated by the window and were quickly approached for our drinks order by the server who was brilliant throughout the meal. She was very pleasant and efficient and gave me helpful advice on what to order. We started with the generous-sized black pudding and leek croquettes with a pear and porter sauce which bf loved. Next up I had the roe deer and bf had strip steak. Bf extremely happy with the steak and also commented that the chips were "American standard." I ate most of his perfectly cooked greens. My own dish was really interesting - it was cooked perfectly and also featured a little pie which I was not expecting! The menu has many good points. It's varied both in type of dish and price, so you can come for a special occasion or weekday dinner. It features local elements like the Bury black pudding. It has a good range of steaks. And it has more unusual dishes like the roe deer, venison in my experience being comparatively rare on Manchester menus. Drinks-wise, we enjoyed the light Sauvignon Blanc rose and some kind of delicious port-like dessert wine which was basically like drinking raisins without the plastic aftertaste. Unfortunately we did not get to sample the cocktail bar as it is only open Fridays and Saturdays but bf says it is v nice and if you dine you can normally get in for drinks, even though it's otherwise members only (£250 a year). Will have to return for that, and also for the great-sounding Sunday lunch! Overall well worth a little excursion to Bury and a no-brainer if you're in the area. Only word of caution is that there may not be a lot of choice for vegetarians, so check menu on website before you go.

The best Sunday Roast in North Manchester!!…read more Such a lovely pub, it's hard to believe that i've lived a few miles from here all my life and have never tried it. Downstairs is a traditional pub and a few tables. I can imagine it gets very busy at the weekend. The restaurant, upstairs, is lovely and very large. After looking at the menu, it was clear that the sunday roast was going to be the winner, so i opted for the beef Sunday roast with yorkshire pudding and all the veg! We also ordered cauliflower cheese on the side as an extra. Overall i couldn't fault the meal. It was excellent and the service was impeccable too!

"Amazing food, shame the service was all a bit rushed" should be the headline on this occasion!…read more We did go on Mothers Day and pre-booked with them doing 3 services but although everyone was friendly it did really seem like everyone was on a mission to get you in and out as fast as possible! In fact our main server probably would have given us the card machine with our dessert if he'd got the chance - I thought we did quite well to nail 3 courses in 90 mins! But all this we're putting down to Mothers Day and hope to go back soon because the food was amazing. 3 courses each - I enjoyed the monkfish and prawns to start, with amazingly cooked lamb to follow and a dessert of sticky toffee pud -all were so so good! At £30 per head it was fairly well priced for a great meal and the drinks were pretty good with a pint of Elland Pale and a large glass of MOMO NZ Sauvignon Blanc polished off pretty quickly by yours truly!

Heart of the Ram seems like a nice environment although it seems like it's really more of a…read morerestaurant than a pub...I might have been missing where some more non-eating tables were though. I had a very nice gin & tonic and sauvignon blanc from a pleasant bartender who seemed knowledgeable about the ales on offer. Bf tried some sort of vanilla ale which he said was pretty good but his Timothy Taylor pint tasted sour. The Christmas menu looked nice (quite expensive though) and I'd be interested to try the food here.

This pub has been under new ownership since 2015 and had a much needed makeover last year. The new…read moreowners have truly reinvented the traditional English country pub, it has been sympathetically renovated to the highest standards and ties in wonderfully with the existing features and country surroundings. The new extended restaurant is a stunning light space, Chef Gareth Ward continues to produce innovative menus and consistently delicious food - trust me, you will be spoilt for choice! The bar serves excellent cask ales and craft beers and an impressive drinks menu - 3 pages of speciality gins, Monkey 47 a particular fave of mine - this alone is worth the 5 stars!!

Great food, very well priced for such a high calibre. Nicely located with quaint furnishings and…read morefine cask ales. A reccommend

A close friend of mine decided to have her birthday celebration at Nutters with afternoon tea…read morebooked for eight of us. This was a 'dining experience' I'd never tried before, so was looking forward to what I imagined would be the closest I'd ever get to living upstairs in Downton Abbey. When we arrived we were directed to sit at a table in their front lounge which had its own bar to wait to be seated in the main restaurant. This area's decor looked more like a city centre wine bar than I was expecting, what with its light-coloured seating, glossy black fireplace and spotlights. And there we sat, seemingly forgotten about. After 15 minutes looking around expecting service I had to walk over to the bar to ask the barman if we could order our drinks. Not a great start. Once drinks were served it wasn't long before we were all invited to our table which was a large circular one next to some impressive stone arched windows. We ordered more drinks (a mixture of cocktails, soft drinks and of course, pots of tea) and these were followed soon afterwards by three tiered serving trays of sandwiches, pastries and scones with clotted cream and jam. Excluding all drinks except the teas, the price is £15 per person. The majority of the sandwiches were very good, with just a few where the bread had dried up a bit, so that was the only minor issue. The cakes and scones were tasty, and I struggled to restrain myself from eating more than my fair share. All in all, it was a good afternoon, but not amazing, as the initial lack of service and the price of the drinks somewhat dampened the experience. £8.50 for a simple champagne cocktail and £8 for a glass of wine was really pushing acceptability I felt. Tip: their Afternoon Tea menu is available from Tuesdays to Saturdays between 3pm and 5pm. Tip: the 'Afternoon Tea Experience' where you also get a glass of House Champagne cocktail and chilled strawberries is £22.50 per person.

From the moment you turn into the driveway leading into Nutters you know that you have arrived…read moresomewhere special. The winding driveway leads up to a beautiful old building and an ample sized car park. A member of staff greets you on arrival, takes your coat and directs you to the lounge area. Drinks orders are promptly taken whilst you look at the menu. We ordered shortly afterwards and before long we were advised that our table was ready. The waiter showing us to our table also carried out drinks through for us. On arrival at our table we were also offered some iced water. A selection of freshly baked bread was brought. For a starter I had parsnip soup, which could have been really bland, and whilst I did need to add some seasoning it was delicious. My main course was the Limousin of Beef which was served with Yorkshire pudding roast potatoes and veg. It was perfectly cooked and probably the most delicious beef I've ever tasted. My dining partner had the seabass which was served with noodles and was also amazingly delicious. For dessert there were only 2 choices. Either a selection of desserts or a selection of cheeses. I had the cheese and my dining partner had the selection of desserts. The waitress who brought them described each one. The cheeses were arranged according to strength getting stronger as you made your way clockwise around the plate. To finish off we had a cafetière between us. The food was amazing. The service was faultless. The venue has a lovely relaxed ambience. Full marks!! If anything could be done differently, and I'm really having to nitpick here, I'd prefer the same waiter throughout my meal as we were served by many different people, but this isn't a big issue at all.

Last night was a classic Waggon evening; friendly professional service and delicious food in a…read morewarm, tidy atmosphere. The market menu offers a decent choice of seasonal options in a very reasonable price bracket, and this occasion didn't disappoint! As always, staff were more than willing to accommodate any requests or minor alterations to the menu, and knew it inside out. My spiced lamb broth was just what the menu promised, and my steak was cooked to perfection. It was also quite evident that the chef was born with two instincts: to survive and to cook fish exquisitely! Someone else on the table had two fish courses, haddock and mackerel, and each fillet was tender, with some bold and balanced flavours. As for the drinks, I can't remember the name of the dark Belgian ale I had, but I could happily drink it indefinitely, especially when alongside the dishes I had last night. The only observation last night was that the service was slower than usual, but given how busy they were, it was by no means disproportionately so, and we didn't feel neglected or forgotten about once. Good food, good drink, good service, can't wait for my next visit!

The Red Lion is amazing! Would highly recommend staying here. The service was amazing, and everyone…read moreis very nice. They breakfast comes out very quick, and servers are awesome. We stayed in a cottage and a room, and it was great! Will be back!

Set in a beautiful location, but if you go in summer expect lots of children. Food in the…read morerestaurant is subpar and you could tell it was all highly microwaved. We sat in the dining room area and it was very tired and worn, sit in the Pub area instead. Outside seating is very smoky. No A/C or even ceiling fans especially since we were in the new set of rooms. No one opened up the windows prior to our arrival and it was literally like an oven. As secluded as it is there is another hotel/restaurant nearby which we enjoyed better.