The Spread Eagle - Sawley

The setting is a major attraction for visitors to this cottagey seventeenth-century inn, and you don't need to worry about booking a table with a view: everyone in the Riverside Restaurant can enjoy vistas of the Ribble and the Bowland Hills beyond.

Chef Greig Barnes trained with Paul Heathcote and it shows in his fondness for robust, earthy dishes based around North Country ingredients. Grilled medallions of black pudding might be served with Puy lentils, honey and mustard sauce, while braised neck of lamb is given the full Lancashire treatment with layers of buttered potatoes and onions plus spiced pickled red cabbage on the side.

Influences from France, the Mediterranean and the Far East also creep in, giving the menu a truly global outlook. Slices of air-dried Spanish ham are served with wedges of pear, shaved Parmesan and maple syrup, seared fillet of sea bass is accompanied by an Asian dressing, while grilled breast of duck might be served with poached pineapple, spring onions and an anise-flavoured sauce.

To complete the picture, there are desserts ranging from malted coffee brûlée to layered chocolate truffle cake with Griottine cherries and pistachio ice cream. The wine list offers plenty of decent drinking at fair prices and, if you fancy a dram, the Spread Eagle boasts one of the largest selections of single malts south of the border.