Horwich has restaurants, fact. It’s one of the reasons I overlooked the terrifying cost of a taxi into town and moved there. And the jewel in the crown is Il Toro, perched at the top of the hill, a short stagger from the still defiantly cheap pubs.

Such is the reputation of the place, which is owned by Adam Chapman, who also has San Marino, in Belmont, and who has just taken over the Strawberry Duck, in Entwistle, that I had always been put off going for fear of the damage it would do to my wallet. But we were looking for somewhere to celebrate a special event (the day had a vowel in it), and my pal Matt, a long-term Horwichite, turned his nose up at my other suggestions.

We booked on the day and so could only get an early table, which was irksome, but a good sign. And it meant that we could appreciate the simple but well thought-out layout, the huge tables (there’s nothing worse than jostling elbows with your neighbour over the entrees, no matter how much you like them), and the rather nice cream and chocolate décor, which put me in mind of a classy tiramisu. The sound system, however, appeared to be playing Simply Red, which is utterly unforgivable under any circumstances.

Due to financial embarrassment, the specials board was out, which was a shame because it is a thing of beauty, boasting as it does an array of wonderful things done with locally-sourced produce. Instead I started with pork terrine (£6.55), a piggy, punchy creation served on a sweet onion chutney (good), which unfortunately contained sultanas (bad). I’ll never understand the obsession some people have with adding these wrinkly pellets of sugary goo to perfectly fine savoury dishes. The terrine itself though couldn’t be faulted, and the Salsiccia Calabrese Piccante (£6.75) – or sausage in wine as we’d call it at home – that my neighbour ordered was equally good, as, apparently was the bruschetta (£4.25) to my other side, although my phobia of tomatoes prevented me from carrying out my professional duty and actually trying some.

No such qualms when it came to the main courses, which for all of us were a variation of the pasta theme. Lobster ravioli (£9.95) for me could have been a touch richer, which will teach me for getting ideas above my station. The simpler dishes were better - linguine di mare (£9.95) to my right was a cheerfully exuberant celebration of various sea-dwelling treats, while the linguine with meatballs (£8.35) to my left were meatily masculine offerings, without so much as a hint of metrosexuality about them.

It is fair to note, too, that the wine list is eminently reasonable, with bottles of Malbec at £15.75 and Sauvignon Blanc at £15.95 making it a respectable start to a night that got much more debauched. But that’s another story altogether.