Genius chefs, handfuls of Michelin stars, and rich, fertile lands have pinned Lancashire firmly on the foodie map. Experts claim the region’s culinary prowess rivals the best food scenes in France. You could visit Lyon, but you could also take a trip to the Forest of Bowland’s leafly greenery, the coastline of Morecambe Bay or any one of Lancashire’s chocolate box villages to indulge in culinary excellence.
Whether it’s pies, traditional Lancashire hotpot, fresh seafood, or a simple pint, Lancashire’s gastropubs are serving up the very best food the region has to offer, with unfussy vibes and impeccable service blending the county’s culinary heritage with an innovative twist.
“Love for what you do, love for your pub and common sense on how to realistically make money without skimping on quality,” is what makes an excellent pub, Stosie Madi of The Parkers Arms tells us. It’s fair to say her Newton-in-Bowland inn delivers on this premise. Madi took over the pub with business partner Kathy Smith in 2007, and since has transformed the abandoned building into an idyllic, rural inn, where guests are greeted with classic British dishes and a warm Lancashire welcome.
Take The Guardian’s Chris Moss for instance, who rounded off a brave hike up Easington Fell at the pub, was wowed by the dinner menu that “makes you want to visit every evening for a week”. There’s nothing like dishes served up with all the flavourful excellence of a fine-dining affair yet none of the ant-sized portion sizes: From charcoal-grilled fish, to Madi’s iconic crusty pies lauded by the National British Pie Awards, The Parkers Arms’ hearty, seasonal menu is intended to fill you up. And whether it’s ice creams, breads or chutneys, all food is made fresh on the premises too – a stamp of the rich ‘terroir’ of the Trough of Bowland region.
The ‘very dog friendly’ gastropub soared to top spot on the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub list in 2023, and now comes in at an impressive fourth. Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the inn’s rural location works to its advantage: Madi, whose culinary expertise is all self-taught, forages from surrounding woodlands and works hard to procure the finest game and local produce for the kitchen. And guests can kick back, relax, and marvel at the backdrop of rolling hills as they knock back one of the local cask ales on offer at the bar.
If you visit the tiny hamlet of Wiswell you’ll find this stylish, relaxed venue serving up exciting menus which blend the traditional and experimental. This is all courtesy of head chef Matt Smith. He’s famed for his quirky, sophisticated spin on cuisine, and current standout dishes include Nidderdale Lamb; slow cooked shoulder bolognaise, wild garlic fusilli Rolli, house fermented black garlic ketchup & aged pecorino and Thirkleby Chicken Blanquette; poached & roast breast, sticky drumstick, wye valley asparagus, stuffed morels, red desiree cream potatoes & sauce Albufera. And for dessert, you can enjoy Bergamot & Blood Orange; baked custard tart, toasted meringue, almond crumble & yoghurt sorbet.
For pub owner Nick White, the pub is a place to meet, socialise and catch up while having a relaxing drink and beautiful food. Every Tuesday there are tasting events at £50 a head, and you can even stay overnight, enjoying the evening before crashing in one of four luxurious bedrooms.
Michelin starred chef patron Nigel Haworth snapped up this site in 2021 with an aim of delivering “truly exceptional dishes”. The pub now champions farm-to-fork dining, prioritising sustainability with its own organic kitchen gardens, edible forest and polytunnel tucked behind the main dining area. Nigel tells us there are exciting things on the horizon for the pub, especially an event series called ‘Forgotten Fish’, championing seafood from the UK’s coastal regions to spotlight fish that’s often overlooked. The Sunday Roasts are a real treat, according to Haworth, with locally sourced meats and all the trimmings, and the Wild Garlic Risotto is another showstopper dish, using wild garlic from the gardens, and Nigel’s seasonal favourite pudding is the mouthwatering Yorkshire Rhubarb with blood orange sorbet and crumble.
“An excellent pub brings people together—a place where locals and visitors alike can share good food, great drinks, and create lasting memories,” Nigel adds. “And that’s exactly what we aim to provide at The Three Fishes”.
The only Timothy Taylors pub in Lancashire, this venue has a reputation for great wine and outstanding food. Previously known as the Mucky Duck after the miners who dined there, the laid-back inn might look unassuming from the outside. But inside it’s another story, with a dynamic team of Gareth, Laura, Liv — and Tom Parker in the kitchen — serving up great value dishes made from stellar local produce.
On the pub’s website, the head chef, who was 2019’s Great British Pub Awards Chefs of the Year, is described as thus: “Tom is very good at chopping chives”. But we suspect he might be good at a few other things too. Previous dishes on the menu have included lobster soup with salmon, fennel and tarragon, and Whitewell partridge, roast celeriac smoked bacon and onion. According to The Michelin Guide, it is “rare to find somewhere this relaxing that serves food quite this good.” As one of only two pubs to bag Michelin stars in 2019, a trip to the White Swan at Fence can be sure to satisfy your palette.
