Saturday lunch at the newly garlanded AA English Restaurant of the Year. It’s a real achievement for a Lancashire country pub to get this prestigious national award so we were really keen to give it a go. Finding it is half the battle (it’s in the tiny hamlet of Wiswell between Whalley and Clitheroe). Then you need to find an on-road parking spot which isn’t easy either. But it’s well worth the effort. The place has a lovely feel, mixing the old with the new décor-wise, and there was a choice of menus at lunchtime, including the full tasting menu if you really want to go for it. Lots of great-looking dishes and I went for the hake as a starter (served with a cheese fondue and ham sauce) and the mountain hare as a main (with aged parmesan, blackberries and whipped polenta). Great wine selection too (including by the glass) if that’s your thing. If I’m totally honest, it was a bit rich for lunchtime but that’s just my preference. And the service was a bit spotty. But minor quibbles really. Give it a go yourself.

James S

Have to comment on what a lovely lunch we had at the Freemasons last weekend. It was totally on spec -- had taken my mother shopping in Whalley and thought we would give this place a try. So glad we did. No reservation but the staff were welcoming and very courteous. Gave us a lovely table and we chose from the set-price lunch menu (2 courses for £15), both of us starting with the Pearl barley risotto and following up with a melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooked lamb dish. Food of the highest quality and great value. Good choice of wines by the glass too which we took full advantage of. Can’t wait to go back in the evening and try the a la carte.

Harry

Everyone seems to be talking about the Freemasons at Wiswell these days so we drove out last Friday evening to see what all the fuss was about. Must say it pretty much ticked all the boxes for me in terms of decor, food and wine but don’t go there expecting a gastropub – this is proper high-end restaurant cooking (with the prices to match if you eat from the a la carte or tasting menus). Highly recommended.

suppliers

Having been a regular customer for quite a time we were very dissappointed with our a la carte lunch the other day. It appears that the Chef/Proprietor was away and as a result the food both starters and main was undercooked and substandard. Difficult to tell the difference between a partridge starter and a grouse main course as both drowned with dressings and served rare. Will only return if and when chef is on duty.

A & R

Excellent. Have eaten several times and it always impresses with outstanding seasonal food. Stunning value for money, especially midweek lunch. Although we are 30 miles away, this is our favourite place to eat and look forward to our next visit.

C&N

Dined here at lunch last week. Had a really excellent 3 course meal with real finesse. Wines to match each course and great service. The place has won awards for its refurb and rightly so. Even though we live about 40 mins away we will return as often as possible.

Phill A

Appalling services and over priced. It took over 20 minutes before some came over to take the order. Another 20 minutes for the starters which where small. The main courses took a further 45 minutes and in one case over salted. Then complained about it we where told that we where wrong and luckily we would not be charged for it. A further 30 minutes before they consider bring over the desert menu. They should remember who is paying their bills and who are giving them the best advertisement. Greatly disappointed by the customer service. Fine not all meals are to everyone's tastes but never tell the customer that they are wrong. Because they are going to tell that story to their friends and colleagues.

Philla

Appalling services and over priced. It took over 20 minutes before some came over to take the order. Another 20 minutes for the starters which where small. The main courses took a further 45 minute and in one case over salted. Then complained about we where told that we where wrong and luckily we would not be charged for it. A further 30 minutes before they consider bring over the dessert menu. They should remember who is paying their bills and who are giving them the best advertisement. Greatly disappointed by the customer service. Fine not all meals are to everyone's tastes but never tell the customer that they are wrong. Because they are going to tell that story to their friends and colleagues.

Johanna

It was reading lovely reviews like these that made me book a rare and cherished night out with my husband at Freemasons. We were very disappointed. The food was poor - particular mention goes to the smoke filled Chicken livers which were poorly presented and vile. My fish of the day swam across the plate in a pool of butter. The service was completely underwhelming, at a good restaurant, when provided with feedback regarding a course that has barely been touched (the chicken livers) one would expect action of some sort. Nothing was done. The person we paid at the end of the night was completely unaware, and to be frank disinterested. Not at all first class. Do not waste your time, there really are many "average" restaurants who are able to make a more special occassion than this restaurant. Utterly disappointing.

Chris

I went here for dinner with my partner on Monday. When we arrived we were seated promptly & asked if we would like any drinks, after about 15 minutes the waitress came over and took our order. I opted for the risotto with garlic and parsley to start, followed by the steak with wild mushrooms & Chips for my main. First impressions of the food were rather good the starter was slightly bland (however my partner really liked it, so I put this down to my personal taste. The main course was really good & there was just the right amount served . For dessert I had the Rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream, this was by far the best part of the entire meal It’s not the easiest place to find, however once you get there its worth it

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Freemasons At Wiswell

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