Tiggi’s rides to the rescue

Iain Lynn’s evening out to lift the spirits starts disastrously, but a trip to a new Italian restaurant in Buckshaw Village saves the day
Tiggi's Express Restaurant, Buckshaw VillageTiggi's Express Restaurant, Buckshaw Village
Tiggi's Express Restaurant, Buckshaw Village

After the excitement of the Christmas break, it’s back to earth – and work – with a bang.

Long, cold days and dark nights and mornings can be dispiriting, so to warm ourselves up on a chilly evening we decided to postpone resolutions, and take a stroll into nearby Buckshaw Village and try one of the new eating options available there.

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The War Horse pub was our first stop, a new chain eatery at the very heart of Buckshaw.

Still tackling an extensive menu, and halfway though a pint, a member of staff approached our table and said: “You can’t sit here, it’s reserved”.

“Where does it say that?” I asked, and our charming host threw down a reserved sign and said “There”.

Requests to speak to a manager were ignored, so we left, never to return.

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But choice is not limited in this part of Lancashire, and so we travelled onwards to the new Tiggi’s Xpress at the hub of the village.

The warm welcome, aroma of freshly cooked food and calmer atmosphere were instantly more agreeable.

After a quick scan of the extensive menu, I had set my heart on Fegatini di Pollo to start, always a favourite of mine.

This dish consisted of chicken livers, sautéed with onion, peppers and chilli in white wine, served with some very large garlic croutons for £7.95.

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I thought this was quite pricey for a starter, but it was quite a plateful, and delicious; more than enough for a light lunch dish too.

My girlfriend selected Anelli di Calamari for £8.95.

She said she’d chosen the more simple dish of deep fried calamari served with homemade tartar sauce as a barometer of quality

And she wasn’t disappointed, with a heap of tender calamari rings in crispy batter with a tasty pot of tartar to dip them into.

Tiggi’s isn’t the biggest, but it maintains a roomy feeling.

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An open plan kitchen provides a glimpse of hustle and bustle, but otherwise the design has made room for some tables to be private and cosy, within a classy and modern décor.

We were enjoying our bottle of Italian cabernet sauvignon (£14.50) when our mains quickly arrived.

There was an array of pizza, salads and meaty main courses to choose from, but we both selected from the pasta menu, even though my choice was actually pancakes.

Crespelle di Pollo Alfredo to be exact, which was diced chicken and mushrooms, encased in pancakes and baked with marscapone and Gruyere cheese. Priced at £8.95 this was a tasty, warming dish, but definitely one for cheese fans.

My companion selected Papillon Campagnola, for £9.95.

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Her dish of butterfly-shaped pasta was served in a chilli and cream sauce, with broccoli, chicken and bacon.

While I had time to kill waiting for mine to cool, her unassuming dish proved to be one of the tastiest pasta dishes I’d sampled in a long time, and unsurprisingly my girlfriend wasn’t keen to allow my thieving fork to take any more of her meal, which was devoured rather speedily.

As is traditional, we rounded off the meal with a tiramisu at only £2.50, with two spoons, of course.

Fear of a heavy end to a nice meal was unfounded; it was light and creamy, subtly flavoured with coffee and delicious.

We probably ate it in 30 seconds flat, and paid a bill of just over £50.

What could have been a disastrous evening was saved by the great food and friendly staff at Tiggis Xpress.