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.

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.

Guaranteed good food every time. Be warned - portions are large so you could be full after the…read morestarter so make your choice carefully especially if you are hoping to fit in a dessert! There is an extensive choice from the menu and the blackboard which fills the whole wall, though if not to your liking Nick is happy to tweak the dishes to meet your needs. A nice touch is that Nick comes out of the kitchen to check you have enjoyed your meal. A lovely chap, very entertaining and a great chef.

Something of a hidden gem. I've had some reasonably good food in Bolton, but this place certainly…read morestands out. Now it's often said that too long a menu can be a bad sign, but despite that the execution of the food was very well done. I had a rather delicious chicken in creamy peppercorn sauce and my brother had steak and lobster which he enjoyed too. I probably shouldn't have had dessert, but I couldn't resist the bread and butter pudding and I was glad I had it. Prices may be quite high for the area, but the quality of the ingredients and cooking gives good value for money. Boltonians should cherish this place - it's a credit to the town.

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

Meeting an old colleague for a catch up we ended up at one of her local haunts. This place is a…read morevast beautiful pub! Walking in I could see a mature customer base..chilling on chaise lounges and overall being very civilised. We approached the podium where a gatekeeper to the restaurant stood. She pleasantly took our names and said to come back when we fancied to eat. To whet our appetite we chose the berry special gin for £6.50 which was a long refreshing drink while we caught up. When ready we were seated in the restaurant and provided a menu consisting of pub classics. I chose a black pudding..bacon..poached egg with hollandaise sauce concoction while my friend had the cheese potato skins. Both arrived well presented and full of flavour. For mains I struggled to find anything thrilling. Eventually I settled for the fish pie and my veggie companion a sweet potato one. Mine was very decadent..full of cheese ans cream but it had good pieces of fish. My friend seemed to enjoy hers. Overall the venue is stunning with a family friendly vibe. The food just lacked that innovative edge for myself but I would come back for a drink.

I stopped by Tavern Fayre last weekend as I was on my journey back from Blackpool to my parents…read morehouse. Those from Bolton, or the surrounding area, will know this place as Tavern on Hunger Hill or 'Tavern on t'hill' (read that with a Peter Kay accent if you can). It was very busy when we arrived, a good sign! We waited in the bar for around 15 minutes whilst we waited to get a table. The menu is large, and has plenty of starters, lite bites and main meals to choose from. They have a specials menu too, which I find great for a pub! Although the chef must have gone crazy with the mustard this week, because there wasn't anything on the specials I would have liked. Still, others would! I ordered a homemade fish pie and it was lovely!! The service was fast and friendly and the bill was more than reasonable. If you're around on Hunger Hill and hungry - give it a try. They're been around since before I was born so I can imagine they won't be going anywhere soon!

Utterly disappointing is the best I can say. I made the mistake of talking our friends into going…read morehere because we had a positive experience at a Toby Carvery in Gravesend a few years back, First, they stuck us in the back corner of the back room, furthest from the buffet and too close to the table next to us. Second, when we went to the buffet, the scruffy guy with tattoos and a beard serving us was extremely rude. He refused to listen, tossing Yorkshire pudding and sausages on the plate without my input. I asked him for some well-cooked roast beef, an end maybe, because I do not like rare meat, but he just started slicing the red meat and throwing it on my plate. I told him Ï don't like rare beef¨ several times, but he kept insisting that it was not rare as if I could not see the red meat with my own eyes. Third, I contacted the manager, but she only placated me despite my complaints. That is no way to talk to or treat a customer who is unhappy with something or someone. It was obvious she couldn't care less. Fourth, all of the meat was very dry, the mashed potatoes far too dry and tasteless, and the stuffing equally as bland. Finally, our server was the only positive experience during our meal. She was very kind and attentive. Her manager could take some pointers from her on how to treat customers. CombatCritic Gives The Watergate Toll Toby Carvery 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My ¨WALL OF SHAME¨... More Bombs Are Better! Two Bombs Equates To: TANGO UNIFORM Translation for Civilians: "Tits Up"

Myself and my husband went to the watergate toll . The Meal was awful turkey was dry the yorkshie…read morepuddings was hard tocut and so tuff and chewy. Every thing was terrible with the meal, told staff and they Said will tell the cheff. We wont be going again. The Morris FAMILY.

Great local spot, very cozy with plenty of seating for the pub area and the dinning area. Plus…read moretasty food and festive drinks.

Little friendly pub, everybody seems to know everybody and there's a big crowd for Sunday lunch…read more We've just popped in for a pre-lunch drink after doing for a walk round the river. There's a wide variety of ales and which are not too badly priced. There's a beer garden to the rear and the River Irwell runs past bathe front door. Very quaint!

The service was amazing. The wait staff are well trained and prompt. We were there for a relaxing…read morelunch and I ordered the salad. The salad was lovely except for the fact that a few of the tomato wedges were underripe and several pieces of the chicken were like leather. I'm not sure if they were under a hearing lamp too long, but I didn't get the impression it was freshly cooked. The location and ambiance is excellent. Gentle music in the background make it was to enjoy conversation.

Amazing food! Wow loved the multiple options for Sunday Roast. The vegetables were cooked to…read moreperfection not to hard not too soft and the plate felt of a golden time of hearty well rounded plate of amazing food. So pleased first time visiting but will be back.

Incredible. Service is friendly and prompt. All menu questions answered and drinks delivered to the…read moretable in genuinely record time. Food is faultless, menu varied, but lacks a traditional sirloin or rib eye option - you can have a steak sandwich or a steak burger instead though. Pinot Grigio was more than drinkable, spirits served in nice glasses with plenty of ice, and Lucky Saint beer was a god send with all the men driving. Other lagers were standard and a bit bland - San Miguel, Amstel etc but a good selection of national and local casks. Wouldn't hesitate in recommending.

When you walk into this establishment has a very comfortable aesthetic. On the inside, it is full…read morewith lots of nice browns and interesting historic pictures; it feels like dining at an old english heritage site. The food is cooked at very good quality and the menu changes every day! The service is very welcoming and it is also dog-friendly. It is a little pricey however, so you may want to reconsider if you are on a strict budget

The chef in the jolly crofter is brilliant. The menu is huge in here and all the food tastes great…read more The menu is stuffed with lots of traditional English dishes and they all taste home made! Nobody can beat the quality of the food in here. A favourite of mine has to be the british hotpot I could eat these all day! The food always tastes fresh and hot which is what you want. You get a lot of families in here during the day and there is a place for people who smoke (like myself) at the back. The atmosphere is always thee best in here and the seating is well arranged.