The Rivington Pub & Grill (formerly The Ridgeway Arms) in Blackrod is a warm, cosy, and comfortable traditional English pub, with a large focus on dining.

If you enter the Rivington from the car park, you would firstly think that you've walked into a the bar of a pleasant restaurant, complete with leather winged armchairs, candles, and historical photos of the area. If you walked into the Rivington from the other entrance, you would think that you've walked into a traditional and friendly pub, complete with a roaring fireplace, wood panelling, and comfortable chairs. Fortunately, both are true. Whether you're there for a pint, or there for your dinner, the warm and pleasantly decorated and furnished surroundings automatically make you feel relaxed and comfortable.


BBQ Saddleback Ribs
The main dining area for the restaurant side of the pub is in a horseshoe shape, with open fireplaces on each end, and a raised seating area in the centre. The food offered has something for everyone, ranging from the traditional to the modern, but done superbly well, and in good portions. The head waiter told us how nothing is ever frozen, and everything is bought and created freshly, hence sometimes there can be a wait for your food, but frankly if you want good food created fresh, you should anticipate a bit of a wait. It only makes sense
Camembert cheese in filo pastry
Bruschetta, with home-made bread 


Of the above starters, I had the Saddleback Ribs, which were in a delicious BBQ sauce, which was very much a home made sauce, rather than the thick ketchup-like BBQ sauce you seem to find everywhere today. The meat was so tender, that I was able to simply lift it up, and the bone fell out! Very tasty indeed!


The serving staff here are friendly and helpful, but for many of them it seems English is not their first language. This isn't a criticism as much as an observation, and a note that a few times we had to say things a couple of times before they understood, as we were often asked "sorry, what was that?". My only criticism might be a one off, as we asked the head waiter for our bill, but it didn't arrive, and after 15 minutes we asked another waiter about it, but as we did so, we saw the head waiter walk in, see us, and have a moment of realisation, before he dashed off to the bar to collect our bill. Everyone forgets something now and then, but as soon as he realised, he was on it!

Although there are many vegetarian dishes available, I do have to say that the Rivington's forté is their meat! All of their steaks are dry aged for 32 days hung on the bone, and all of their beef is from traditional breed cattle. My personal favourite dish here is the rare breed minute flash-steak, which is tender, juicy, and full of flavour (as were my dining companions' above dishes too!). My flash steak came a specific way, but for other meats you are asked how you want it cooked, and obviously which sauces and accompaniments you would like. Steaks cooked without a sauce get lightly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. I personally love their chips! Big, chunky, old fashioned chips. Proper comfort food!

Herdwick lamb chops
You see the photo of the Herdwick lamb chops here on the left? I feel I must point out that when asked what he thought of them, my father-in-law, who is a very difficult man to impress, declared them "excellent!", which frankly blew the rest of us away (my mother-in-law dropped her fork!). This is an old fashioned man who would usually say something was "not bad" or at most "not bad at all!", but to declare a food 'excellent' is something we've not heard before... so that's saying something!



They offer a nice selection of after-dinner goodies, from teas and coffees to after-dinner tipples, but as beautiful as their desserts sound, I have yet only ever had their sticky toffee pudding, which is home-made and very light (not stodgy and heavy like you'd imagine) and served with vanilla icecream and butterscotch sauce (my favourite!). It's not that I don't want to try their other desserts, but I can't resist their sticky toffee pudding whenever I'm given the choice!! Frankly I should go there one day and JUST have a couple of desserts!



The Rivington Pub and Grill is superb basically, and if you've only ever been there when it was The Ridgeway, I emplore you to go along and give it a try! Maybe have one of their amazing sunday roast dinners. It's the sort of place you could go as a couple, with friends, your parents, or even the whole family. It's a good example of a traditional English dining pub done right! I look forward to my next visit.



The Rivington Pub & Grill
Station Road
Blackrod
Bolton
BL6 5JF
(01204) 696 027
www.rivingtonpubandgrill.co.uk
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The epitome of a traditional English Tea Room, Richmond Tea Rooms is a fun and camp tea room nestled away in Manchester City Centre, close to the Manchester Gay Village. It has a wonderful Alice in Wonderland theme (traditional, not Disney) and is decorated to reflect that theme, complete with lace doilies, swagging curtains, mismatched furniture, curtained booths, and even a "greenhouse" built into the corner of the room, should you want to dine surrounded by flowerpots, but a slight feel of privacy, despite being all glass! It's theatrical but charming!



The staff are very friendly and professional, and seat you as you arrive. The food is both delicious and incredibly tempting, not just the counter of wonderful cakes and pastries which are prepared fresh each morning (and which would tempt even the staunchest dieter), but a good selection of both hot and cold meals, and daily specials. And of course, they offer delightful afternoon teas, complete with cute sandwiches, scones, and cakes, perfect for sharing with friends over a catch-up after shopping in the city.


The drinks are also very much worth a mention. Not just the classic (but beautifully done) coffees and hot chocolates, but they also have a great variety of specialist teas of the world, whether you fancy a classic Earl Grey, the distinctive Lapsang Souchong, or even their own "Richmond Blend". They also sell a good variety of cold drinks, including Fentiman's soft drinks.

Caaaaaaaake!
To the rear of the main room is "The Lodge", which is another area, themed as a traditional Victorian hunting lodge, complete with antler chandeliers, which feels more aimed at the night time social element as it boasts its own bar. The Lodge and the main tea room itself are both connected via a corridor, and the venue's toilets, which are unisex (that is, the cubicles are individuals, but there is a shared wash area... don't worry, it's clean, and matches the traditional style of the rest of the venue, just check out their mirror!) 

 I highly recommend Richmond's for the traditional English tea room experience in a world of increasing American coffee shops. To those who may be a little uncertain about Richmond's being in the city's 'gay district', I implore you not to worry, because despite its location down a quieter street behind Canal Street (which feels like you've gone the wrong way, so stepping through the looking glass from the dismal street into the sumptuous tea rooms is very Alice in Wonderland indeed!), you could bring your granny here happily, and enjoy afternoon tea with her, and she'd bloody love it. I would. I do. In fact take me with you and your granny too?

Richmond Tea Rooms
Richmond Street
The Village
Manchester
M1 3HZ
(0161) 237 9667
www.richmondtearooms.com 

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Richmond Tea Rooms

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The epitome of a traditional English Tea Room, Richmond Tea Rooms   is a fun and camp tea room nestled away in Manchester City Centre, c...
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