I tried food from The Whitaker’s Arms in Accrington after it has undergone a £287k refurbishment

The pub, located on Burnley Road, had been shut since January 15 but Heineken Star Pubs & Pubs, along with the help of new licensee Vanessa Wolfenden, stepped into breathe new life into the premises.

Once I stepped into the building, I could tell that the money had been put to good use as it included all you could want from your local pub.

It had a warm atmosphere as well as featuring a games room equipped with a pool table and a darts board.

Now onto the food where the menu was vast which proved to be a challenge when deciding what to eat.

The menu had your classic pub food such as pies, burgers and fish and chips yet also had modern twists like smaller plates, unique flavours and a plethora of vegan options.

I finally made up my mind and went for the Buttermilk Chicken Burger which came to a total of £10.69 and had two chicken strips with tomato, lettuce and red onion as well as having BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese.

As it was the day of reopening, I’m sure staff made sure to put in their best effort yet I couldn’t fault the service as the workers were friendly and my food came out quickly.

With the burger came a portion of skin on fries as well as a tasty burger relish to accompany them.

I found the burger delicious as it had everything you would want from a traditional burger, the chicken was crispy and was paired beautifully with the BBQ sauce.

The tomato, lettuce and red onion also brought some much needed freshness to the burger.

Whilst the burger was good, I’d have to give the star of the show to the burger relish sauce which was a great dip for the fries.

It was tangy yet packed a little bit of heat and left me wanting even more after I had finished.

Overall my expectations were exceeded as what I thought would have been standard pub food turned out to be food with great flavours.

The experience has left me excited to try more on the menu to which Vanessa the licensee has said will be ever-changing in the future.

You can read more about the reopening of The Whitaker’s Arms here.