The Hesketh Arms at Rufford: is just the place for some proper winter comfort food

Long, dark nights and little in the way of sunshine is not great for the soul – and summer seems like a distant dream.

So what is always needed at this time of year is some old-fashioned comfort food, particularly that found in a classic pub.

Which is why, on a rainy, windswept evening, we headed off to the Hesketh Arms at Rufford in search of a few plates of hearty fayre to help protect against the cold.

And at 6pm on a weekday evening, plenty of others had thought the same as several tables were already eating and there were people enjoying a drink at the bar, making for a warm and jovial atmosphere.

I’d spotted a favourite beer on tap as we approached the bar area and so a pint of Copper Dragon Golden Pippen was duly ordered to get the evening underway. The driver went for a zero alcohol Peroni, which he reckoned was tasty, but there were more than a few envious glances across the table at my pint!

From a selection of classic starters we opted for haddock goujons for me and smoked salmon for husband Bob.

The portion of salmon was huge – so much so that I was enlisted to help finish it - and came along with some bread and butter, plus capers and red onions. Delicious.

My goujons were also tasty and the salad and tartare sauce which accompanied them were just the ticket.

And so on to the mains – coq au vin for me and homemade steak and mushroom pie for Bob.

The steak and mushroom was a proper pie, made with shortcrust pastry, rather than those meat and puff pastry ensembles, which are NOT actually pies. It was full of meat and mushrooms and came along with some decent chips, a portion of nicely cooked cabbage and a little pot of gravy.

My coq au vin featured two pieces of chicken – leg and breast – in a bacon-infused sauce, on top of a pile of creamy mash and vegetables. It needed a little seasoning (something which should have been spotted in the kitchen), but apart from that it was a tasty dish and there was plenty of it.

Both our choices were hearty and filling, so we couldn’t even pretend that we were going to order a pudding, although there were a couple which caught my eye...apple and blackberry crumble and Ribble gin trifle. Maybe next time for one of those.

As it was, we headed home full and satisfied and it was decent value for just under £60, including a couple of drinks each.

There’s a lot to be said for comfort food at this time of year. And you can’t get much more comforting than proper pie and chips and creamy chicken and mash.

Gillian Parkinson