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The Dressers Arms, Wheelton
A week after dressing up as Rudolph the Reindeer for Children in Need, Emma Hughes returned to more familiar territory with a restaurant review.
IT'S not every day you get to have a meal prepared by a chef who used to cook at The Savoy Hotel.
So when I read in the Guardian that Lancashire-born chef-to-the-stars John Morris, pictured above right, had started working at The Dressers Arms after moving back to Chorley to be with his family, I couldn't wait to give it a try.
Telling Guardian editor Chris Maguire that I had an urgent dentist's appointment, I sneaked out of the office one lunchtime and hot-footed it over to Wheelton.
I didn't feel too bad about my little white lie as he'd made me dress up the previous week as Rudolph the Reindeer for Children in Need.
The Dressers Arms is a real Hobbit pub, serving cask ales with names like Copper Dragon and Bobbins Bitter. It has low ceilings and lots of inviting little nooks and crannies.
The only disadvantage of such a cosy space is sound really carries.
Sitting just behind me were two men in suits having a working lunch. In the course of their conversation, it became clear they had both been romantically involved with the same woman.
I hid behind my menu.
Reasonable prices were the order of the day. Starters at The Dressers are all around the 3.50 mark, and none of the mains will set you back more than a tenner.
The specials board, which is updated daily, was packed with gourmet choices, including devilled whitebait salad and fresh rainbow trout with lemon and prawn butter.
I was seriously tempted by the steak pudding (9.25) and traditional fish and chips (7.50), both of which sounded like just the thing for a chilly afternoon.
But mindful of the unforgiving dress I've got for the Guardian's Christmas meal, I went for two slightly healthier options – French onion soup to start (3.50), and a Cajun chicken tortilla wrap (6.25).
The soup was easily the equal of anything you'd find in a Parisian Left Bank bistro.
Dark, glossy and just the right side of sweet, it was served with warm French bread and traditional cheesy croutons.
It looked so delicious that I started tucking in as soon as it was put in front of me, only to squeal in pain when I realised that the molten cheese on top was actually hotter than the sun.
Having scraped the bowl clean so thoroughly that I doubt the kitchen would have needed to put it through the dishwasher, I sat back and waited for my Cajun chicken tortilla wrap.
Sadly, it never arrived.
What appeared in front of me definitely wasn't a tortilla, wrapped or otherwise. It was a foot-long sub roll.
Although it wasn't what I'd ordered, I'll try (almost) anything once, so in the spirit of journalistic enquiry I took a bite.
The enormous sub was filled with crispy bacon, melted cheese and tender spicy chicken. Healthy? No.
Tasty? Oh yes.
And if I'd been running the Oscars, I would certainly have awarded Best Supporting Acts to the posh salad garnish, tasty home-made coleslaw and enormous chunky chips.
Just then, my phone rang. It was a concerned-sounding Chris Maguire, wanting to know how my root canal surgery had gone.
Quickly, I stuffed a napkin in my mouth and mumbled something about drills.
I had to get back to Guardian Towers, and fast.
Unfortunately, that meant I didn't have time to sample The Dressers' selection of home-made desserts, which included crme brule, sticky toffee pudding and an apricot crumble.
Food orders have gone up by 20 per cent at The Dressers since John Morris took over in the kitchen, and having visited this much-loved Chorley venue, I can see why.
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Weather for Chorley
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
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Light sleet
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