WE only arrived at the Wright's Arms on a Sunday tea time after two other favourite eating out venues were too busy for us to get a table.

But we were glad that fate had directed us there when we got inside and sampled the delicious food on offer.

High up above Bolton with rugged but beautiful moorland views from the window in the bar the Wrights provides that get away from it all feel just a few miles from the town centre.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say you feel like you really could be somewhere else entirely different to Bolton.

Shortly before our visit the pub and restaurant had re-opened following a refurbishment.

And among the new attractions being promoted was a traditional spit roast duck cooked on a spit above the fire-place.

When myself, Jackie and her mum arrived we were warned there would be about a 30 minute wait. In reality we only ended up waiting for around 20 minutes, but it was refreshing for staff to be upfront and honest and warn us of the worst possible case so we knew the score.

On many occasions in the past at other venues a promised 10 minutes wait has often become a boring half hour.

Following the refurbishment the management at the Wrights have clearly decided to bring a taste of the exotic to the moorland pub.

There were other interesting and unusual choices on the menu including ostrich steak and swordfish.

We went for more traditional dishes, but they all had that genuine home cooked feel.

We selected two cheese topped garlic breads (at £1.60 each) for Jackie and her mum and one farmhouse pate at £1.80.

The garlic breads were very lightly flavoured with garlic, which made them a big hit. If the dish comes dripping in garlic butter it can become over-powering and blitz the taste-buds too much before the rest of the meal. Our main courses were two chicken rarebit (£6 each) with the chips and veg of the day - carrots and cabbage - costing a further £3.

The chicken rarebit was really tasty - a tender chicken breast filled with stuffing, and smothered in cheese. To be honest I ordered the dish with a bit of trepidation as I feared the combination of cheese and stuffing flavours might be unpalatable. Fortunately my fears were unfounded and it was a delicious combination.

The mixed grill was piled on the plate and we felt was excellent value at £7. It included sausage, lamb chop, steak, onion rings, mushrooms, gammon and liver.

Sometimes a mixed grill can be disappointingly small or just excessively piled on the plate to the extent that it becomes too over-facing.

I was too full for dessert of my own, but Jackie and I opted to share the American baked cheesecake (£2.10) and her mum chose the pancake and ice cream (£1.95).

Myself and Jackie washed everything down with coffees which cost £2 for both.

Service between all courses was very quick and efficient, without us actually feeling rushed through. As well as being efficient the waitresses were also genuinely friendly and chatty.

Most of the dining area is on a level so wheelchair access would be quite easy.

Although we did not require it, a children's menu is available, and there was a reasonable section of the menu suitable for vegetarians.

Total cost for the meal, including drinks, for three of us was £36.72, which we thought was quite reasonable, especially considering the high standard of the food. MARK LONGBOTTOM

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