THE fine reputation of the Three Fishes pub restaurant in Mitton in the Ribble Valley has spread far and wide.
Famed for its great food and good ales, we had heard its praises sung by a number of people. Eventually curiosity got the better of us and we decided to visit one weekday lunchtime.
With expectations sky high we set out on the 22-mile trip from Bolton.
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The Three Fishes excels at serving traditional, regional cooking, with the menu, developed by top chef Nigel Haworth, of Blackburn's Northcote Manor fame, taking diners on a culinary tour of Lancashire.
Local produce is used in all of the dishes with the suppliers the stars of the show, with their pedigree and pictures adorning the walls around the pub.
Starters include North Sea Cod Fishcake with curly leaf parsley sauce, Warm Morecambe Bay Shrimps with Blade Mace Butter and delicious sounding Treacle Baked free range Garstang Ribs with Devilled Black Peas.
There are also three platters - house cured meats, a local and Scottish seafood mix or lightly pickled Hesketh Bank vegetables - that can be shared as a starter or enjoyed individually as a main course.
I chose Andrew Ireland's Horseshoe Black Pudding, £4.75, which came sliced in half and served with a fantastic onion relish.
My partner chose the rather ordinary sounding, but nevertheless delicious, Shorrock's tasty Lancashire Cheese on Toast, £5.50. It came drizzled with Worcester Sauce and accompanied by a piece of crispy Cumbrian sweet cured bacon.
Main courses include classics such as Heather reared Bowland Lamb Lancashire Hot Pot and Leagram's organic Curd Cheese and Onion Pie along with a selection of grills featuring Ribble Valley Beef and Goosnargh Chicken.
I chose the Three Fishes Pie made from Fleetwood fish and seawater prawns, baked with mashed potatoes and finished with Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire cheese, £9.50.
While a bit light on the prawns, this was a substantial dish with chunks of fish in every mouthful. My partner meanwhile had decided to tuck into Farmer Sharp's slow cooked Shoulder of Mutton, £12.90. This came with butter mashed carrots, swede and parsnip and two absolutely delicious clouds of herby tasting barley dumplings. The mutton was meltingly tender.
We also ordered a portion of "real chips" cooked in beef dripping, £1.95, which were a disappointment being rock hard on the outside and a tad greasy. Could they have been frozen? surely not.
Then it was on to dessert. I chose a rich, yet light, buttery tasting Lancashire Curd Tart served with organic lemon cream £4.50, while my partner had Bramley seedling apple crumble served with cinnamon custard, £4.50, which he said was delicious, but could have had more crunch factor.
This food is definitely a notch above your run of mill pub restaurant food and therefore comes with a heftier tag, our bill being a total of £52, including two glasses of wine.
We headed for home, full and happy that we had made the effort to sample this local wonder.
The Three Fishes, Mitton Road, Mitton, nr Whalley. Tel: 01254 826888.
Opening hours: Noon to 11pm every day. Food served - Lunch: noon-2pm, until 8.30pm on Sundays. Dinner: 6pm-9pm, from 5.30pm on Saturdays.
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