Review: Red Lion, Rishton

1:59pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008

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By John Anson »

THE Red Lion has everything you would want from a traditional pub serving hearty food.

An added bonus is the warm welcome you receive when you step through the door. How refreshing to be greeted with a smile from behind the bar — other establishments please take note.

The Red Lion has been cleverly divided into a series of rooms and areas creating a cosy atmosphere.

With its flag floor and comfy sofas you can see people enjoying a pint after work.

There is a restaurant area but food is served anywhere in the pub. You can select from a bar menu, a restaurant menu and also daily specials.

The dishes tend to be the classical pub ones as befits the premises.

I opted for the gammon and egg for £6.95 while the better half went for ribeye steak from the restaurant menu for £11.25.

The gammon and egg was just what you’d want — a thick gammon steak topped by a fried egg. It came with hand cut chips which you could either eat or play a game of Jenga with.

The steak too came with these hearty chips, tomato and onion rings and although it looked a bit ‘scruffy’ as they say on Masterchef, it was mighty tasty.

At the end of the motorway you’d expect the Red Lion to be busier than it was when we visited during the week.

Major roadworks which currently block your way to the car park in one direction certainly won’t be helping matters and it may be that the credit crunch has now started to bite.

But it’s a shame that more people aren’t sampling what’s on offer just off the M65.

As well as the food and the welcome you get, an added bonus is being able to look out over East Lancashire’s latest example of public art which dominates the roundabout.

The verdict

Friendly staff and pleasant surroundings are a bonus.