Review: Bentley Wood Farm, Hapton, Burnley

2:54pm Saturday 5th April 2008

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HEALTHY eating is much in vogue as far as the supermarkets are concerned but when it comes to dining out, it appears as though it's not something that gets a great deal of publicity.

So it was interesting to discover that the recently revamped Bentley Wood Farm is keen to push its healthy credentials.

At the centre of things is a free salad bar - a familiar sight in American eateries. You can simply go up and help yourself to as many bowls of salad as you like either to accompany your meal or to tuck into as a starter while you wait for the main.

And the choices are fairly generous too - not just limited to a bit of limp lettuce and some grated carrot. Although the vast array of dressings tends to negate some of the healthy' nature.

The main menu concentrates on chicken, steak and fish which are all cooked on the grill or spit roast (more healthy eating for you).

I went for the chicken piri piri at £7.99 while the better half chose the simply chicken at £7.50.

At the heart of both dishes was a lean chicken breast which was nicely cooked. I've had authentic piri piri and I think this offering would better be described as chicken with tomato sauce as it hardly had a kick to it. But I really enjoyed it, served on a bed of Mediterranean-style rice.

The simply chicken dish was just that - chicken breast, jacket potato and peas with a choice of sour cream or butter for the spud.

As well as revamping the menu, Bentley Wood Farm has been remodelled slightly, simplifying the layout and making it a more pleasant dining experience.

A word of praise too for the level of service. Our waitress was friendly and attentive without being intrusive - would that some other establishments trained their staff as well.

It would be easy to dismiss the healthy eating angle as a gimmick but Bentley Wood Farm's latest guise does offer something a little different and you'll enjoy a perfectly acceptable meal.

The verdict

Salad bar is a good selling point and service proved first rate