Review: Lily Mae’s, Accrington

5:06pm Monday 20th October 2008

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TUCKED away in the side streets of Accrington is a little piece of chic that must be the town’s best kept secret.

For just under the arches at the bottom King Street lies Lily Mae’s, an English restaurant with a modern twist.

I’ll be honest and admit that I’ve never taken much notice of that part of town. It’s just somewhere I go past.

And when we stumbled across it in the middle of starting our Christmas shopping (yes, I’m aware it’s October) we were on our way to McDonalds.

I always like trying new places and this was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least.

The swish yet minimalist exterior says “posh and expensive” but, while the former is true, the latter certainly isn’t.

With the pine floors, modern furniture and the pretty lighting, Lily Mae’s provides a relaxed and calm atmosphere — handy as we were in mad Christmas shopping mode.

A look at the menu is a pleasant surprise. There’s plenty of choice for vegetarians and a few dishes that sound a little bit different, like scrambled egg and chorizo sausage.

But being a carnivore and something of a creature of habit, I kept it simple and went with a hot beef and onion sandwich. It came with salad and a pile of wedges for under a fiver.

It was a decent-sized meal and the beef was succulent but the wedges were a real success. Light and fluffy potato and a beautifully crispy coating. Nice.

My partner, Michelle, went for carrot and parsnip soup, which came with a bread roll and wedges. Again, Michelle was very pleased with her choice and thoroughly enjoyed her lunch.

Throw in a cup of coffeee and a hot chocolate and the bill came to £11.90 — very reasonable.

So if you fancy a little bit of luxury, go and visit Lily Mae.