Simon’s Suppers

Bashall Eaves, a sleepy, beautiful village in the Forest of Bowland, has at its heart, The Red Pump Inn and Steak House

The traditional Red Pump Inn has been lovingly restored by its non-stop owners Jonathan and Fran Gledhill. The eight beautiful bedrooms and glamorous glamping yurts are soon to be joined by some lovely hand-built shepherd huts to make this a truly unique place to stay in the heart of rural Lancashire.

Not to be content, Jonathan is currently completing a new beer garden and car park!

Joining Jonathan, Fran and the team is renowned local chef, Neal Waterfield, who has added a fresh dimension to the menu with his great experience working under some of the top names in the industry.

New dishes such as lamb tagine, butternut ravioli, bacon chop and the freshest fish from the market all give diners a greater choice. Main courses are updated every six weeks or so to embrace the changing seasons while the superb steak menu will stay the same, embracing the best cuts of meat available and cooked to perfection.

Our recent visit on a cold, and frankly miserable Thursday evening made the warm and friendly welcome even more inviting. We were soon nursing a couple of pints of Copper Dragon cask ale, Gunpowder Gin and tonics and admiring the lovely menu.

Judith chose the pan seared scallops, John and Sue could not resist the twice-baked Lancashire cheese soufflé in a roast tomato soup and I opted for the lamb’s kidneys devilled in a unique tomato, garlic and chilli sauce. All the starters hit the spot and were of great quality and flavour. The soufflés were light and tangy with local cheese, my devilled kidneys were delicious and Judith’s scallops were light and fresh, delicately flavoured with coriander and beets.

A comprehensive and reasonably priced wine list offered up a Muscadet, which we haven’t drunk for a while – it was great value, fresh crisp and clean – delightful!

A little rest also gave us time to choose a couple of glasses of Chilean red for the thirsty among us! Fruity and robust – another delicious, great tasting wine.

On recommendation I chose a tender and tasty bacon chop for main, served on a bed of chicory risotto. John loves Moroccan food so the tagine with slow cooked leg of Bowland lamb and charred vegetables suited him perfectly. Judith is our fish connoisseur and the fish Mornay, with fresh and smoked fish and juicy prawns in a creamy sauce topped with toasted breadcrumbs and Gruyere cheese, suited her perfectly.

Susan knew the reputation of The Red Pump steaks and was not disappointed by the medium rare ribeye with a piquant peppercorn sauce and chips on the side – it was declared superb!

As many readers know desserts are nearly always a bridge too far but who could possibly resist passion fruit cheesecake, superb apple crumble with warm custard and bread and butter pudding – a delightful end to a lovely evening.

I vowed to return to try the amazing sounding 50-day aged prime rib steak on the bone – watch this space!

The Red Pump
Clitheroe Road, Bashall Eaves
Clitheroe BB7 3DA
01254 826227
www.theredpumpinn.co.uk

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