Most popular for January 08

Top three posts for January according to stats are:

• Taste of Lancashire 08: Food and Wine Festival @ Northcote
• Local flavour at Parkers Arms, Clitheroe
• Lancashire restaurant wins ‘Best in County’ award

Lancashire restaurant wins ‘Best in County’ award

Inn wins best restaurant in county

•  Thyme at the Sirloin Inn wins Hi-Life Dinners Club award for best restaurant in Lancashire, might have to pay it a visit

Review: Spice of Bengal, Preston

The Spice of Bengal on Friargate, Preston, is home to some excellent Indian cooking with dishes from across India populating the menu. With friendly staff and efficient service, it serves a good pint of Kingfisher – the national lager of India.

I enjoyed a chicken pakora to start, which was cooked well and tasted delicious. Washed down with a pint of Kingfisher it set me up well for a nice chicken biryani. It was well presented and the portion size was just right, not leaving the customer too bloated which can often happen when eating Indian food. The keema naan was a good size, again not too big.

The restaurant is only small, which is good as it only takes a couple of full tables to get a great atmosphere. It’s very popular on Friday and Saturday nights when it opens until the early hours of the morning to cater for those who fancy something better than a kebab on their way home from a night out.

The bill came to just over £15 a head for a starter, main (with side order) and two pints of Kingfisher and there’s 15% discount available on food for students.

Rating: Food: 3.5/5, Drink: 3.5/5, Service: 4/5, Atmosphere/decor: 3/5, Value for money: 4/5

Overall: 18/25

Need to book? No, only for large parties

Phone:  01772 251462

Address: 97 Friargate, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2ED (map)

links for 26-01-08

• Preston Farmers Market closes after money row

A sad loss for local produce

• Preston pub scoops national award for Quality and Service

Fantastic result for the Smiths Arms in Lea

Taste of Lancashire 08: Food & Wine Festival @ Northcote

VisitLancashire have teamed up with Liverpool being the Capital of Culture and are launching Taste of Lancashire 08, there’s a great programme of events on to celebrate Lancashire’s best food and drink. One of the first events is starting tomorrow (Monday 21 January) and running through to Sunday January 27 at Northcote’s restaurant, Blackburn (map).

The line-up of chefs coming back for the Obsession 08: Food & Wine Festival is impressive, some big names will be donning the whites and getting into the Northcote’s kitchen. There are still some bookings left, so get in there quickly and enjoy some top chefs coming back to their roots.

Pubs & Bars of Preston, Lancashire

Stumbled across a little blog about the Pubs & Bars of Preston earlier tonight. Has some pictures of the various drinking establishments around the city, and a few nuggets of historical information. It also has a recent posting about the temperance movement, who apparently invented the word tee-total.

Review: Local flavour at Parkers Arms, Clitheroe

Braving the wet and windy weather, The Parkers Arms, near Newton-in-Bowland, was a welcome reward at the end of the twisty road from Clitheroe. Set within the beautiful Forest of Bowland (it was dark, so I’m told it’s very beautiful), this traditional pub provides a great range of locally produced dishes to satisfy cravings for a winter warmer.

I skipped a starter due to being starving, and with a pint of Chipping Steamer I tucked into Cowman’s beef sausages and horseradish mash, which was delicious. It was served promptly and with a smile. The portion size was generous, but not so large as to stuff oneself.

Despite a good three options on the desert menu that tickled my fancy, I went for the Lancashire cheese board with a glass of the house red and this was delicious, although a few extra crackers could have been provided for the amount of cheese that was given.

The bill for two, including drinks, came to just under £40 which was good value for the portion sizes. The pub was a little quiet, probably due to the weather, although it was starting to fill up when we left. It has a friendly atmosphere and children seem very welcome. They also seemed bothered about customer feedback, including a feedback sheet at the end of the meal and mentioning future events they had coming up – good marketing.

There was a real commitment to local food (the pub is signed up to the Bowland Charter, which works to protect local farmers and ensure that local produce is used where possible) which shone through on a menu that was not too crowded, but very meat dominated. The Chipping Steamer ale on tap from Bowland Brewery is highly recommended, a light ale that has a fruity test.

Rating: Food: 4/5, Drink: 4/5, Service: 4/5, Atmosphere/decor: 3.5/5, Value for money: 4/5

Overall: 19.5/25

Need to book?: No, only for special events

Phone: 01200 446236

Email: enquiries@parkersarms.co.uk

Address: Newton-in-Bowland, Nr Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 3DY (map)