Malthouse Farm Pub — Restaurant in Chorley

Very disappointed. We took a last minute decision to go out for lunch as it was a lovely day so decided here so we could sit outside.

I called first to check that the outdoor area was open. The phone was answered by "Clare" who happens to be an AI voice. "Clare" informed me that there was outdoor seating but specific tables could not be guaranteed. When "Clare" asked me if "she" could help me any further (stupid me for getting into a conversation with it) I replied "No thank you, that is all"...."I'm sorry but I did not understand your response" came back at me so I hung up. Maybe the lack of customer interaction at this stage should have warned us off.

On arrival we were greeted at the check in desk but were informed the outdoor area was not in service.

Fortunately there was a choice of 2 tables indoors.

It took sometime for the waitress (Vicky who was very pleasant) to come and take our drinks order. We already knew what food we wanted by the time she did so we asked to order it only to be informed that she had 2 tables ahead of us waiting to order food and was only taking drink orders from us at that time. (Not her fault I'm sure this is the way the management have told the waiting staff to serve customers).

After another quite long wait (we had been contemplating whether to leave) Vicky finally got round to taking our order. If this wait was due to other customers taking their time with their choices then surely there's no harm in taking our order?? We had been chatting together whilst waiting and had concluded that there was a distinct lack of staff. The waiting staff were rushed off their feet but still had smiles on their faces.

We fancied sharing a starter but decided to order this to come with the main courses as we did not want to have another long wait between courses.

The starter was crispy squid which was lovely and is the reason the food was scored at least 1 star as the rest did not warrant any score at all. Had we not been as hungry we would have sent the food back.

I opted for the chicken duo. The chicken breast was so dry. Thankfully there was sufficient BBQ sauce to help this go down. The crispy chicken.....not what I expected. It was basically overfried chicken to the point of being tough with a crispy coating. I couldn't eat it but my husband managed to chew his way through it.

My husband went for a mixed grill. He asked for his steak to be medium rare. When it came, the steak was so thin and dry, clearly not medium rare. The sausage was not the best quality and the egg didn't even have a soft yolk! His chicken was also very dry and he was thankful for the gravy that came with his meal. Thankfully the chips were edible and the extra portion (not a great quantity) we ordered was gratefully consumed!

We had almost finished by the time Vicky was able to get to us to ask if everything was to our satisfaction. Usually we do the very British thing and say "fine thanks" and complain later but we told her what we thought. She was apologetic and said she would pass on our comments.

Now normally I would expect management at this point to come over but we then found out there was a family bereavement of the manager and a wake was due to be held in the venue later that day. Obviously we were not going to demand to speak to management on learning this and do send our sincere condolences.

Given the above. On reflection, the wait we can tolerate given the lack of staff. The wait we can tolerate if the food is worth waiting for. Sadly for the latter it wasn't and it is for this reason I am sad to leave a dismal review.

It will certainly be a very long time before we...

Just finished 2 course Christmas Sunday evening meal at Malthouse. Not the best for the price and nowhere near upto scratch. Based on many previous visits would have expected a lot higher standard, especially given extortionate prices. Lower rated reviews are unfortunately accurate, i'm disappointed to say. It was very pretty and cosy but extremely quiet...not a good sign so close to Christmas! Fairy lights and decor were not enough to compensate the poor basics! Focus on food/service before the lighting! Way too dear and lack of attention to detail. (Expected to pay more as Christmas but not to that extent, surplus extra's such as pigs in blankets should be included on Xmas dinner). Food quality was nice and young waitress lovely but she had to apologise way too many times for the mistakes of the chef/bar. My friend had small broken glass shards in his drink (not a broken glass so god knows where it came from; garnish maybe...as replacement was missing the greenery). He crunched and swallowed thinking it was maybe ice at 1st, then realised not. Pulled bits out which cut his nose when he scratched it! We then had to ask for that to be refunded on bill...wasnt done automatically. We were very pleasant and understanding with waitress as not her fault, but we should not have even been expected to pay for that. No 'out of stocks' given until after we ordered so i had to choose diff starter which was fine but always good to know in advance. That was then a £2 surplus. I had a basic turkey dinner but had to ask halfway for stuffing as it never came on the plate. Cauli cheese was basically just cauli which again was £3 surplus and very disappointing. As mentioned 'pigs' were extra. Friend then had to chase up his 2nd drink. Based on all this, it was way overpriced, probably hence why it was dead at peak time. I'd give it 2.5stars tops for food taste/quality, waitress pleasantness/apologies and decor but thats being kind! Wanted to push to 3 stars but genuinely couldn't justify it. £75 for a wine, 2 soft drinks, 2starters, 2mains & 2 sides each plus all the errors/complaints. Not sure if theres been a change of management but seriously step it up malthouse, read and take into consideration the reviews as you're losing regulars! Won't be rushing back. Might consider trying again next Summer for the...

Loved this place. We went just before Christmas for a rare night out. I won't lie, I'd heard mixed things about the service but as I like to find things out for myself I put all of that to one side.

When we arrived we where quickly seated despite being qp minutes early, the Waitress was polite and friendly as we sat down and took out drinks orders. I wasn't drinking (driving) but my wife asked for an Ale. The Waitress couldn't answer a question but went away for the answer and came back in quick time.

We ordered food, we asked for a Starter and a Main. Unfortunately the main my Wife ordered wasn't available in the night (Sea Bass) but we found that out before the Started arrived and was dealt with politely and in short order. Disappointing but we could see they where busy and it was close to Christmas.

The stated arrived in good time and was excellent quality, it was the Chefs shared platter and there was more than enough food for two to the point where I wondered if it was a little too much.

For my Main I had the Signature Burger. I don't eat a lot of Burgers outside of Barbecue season so it was a bit of treat. It was delicious. It comes with a Roast Beef sauce which worked wonders for the meal, and an idea I'm no doubt goint to steal myself at some point!

My Wife had the Beer Battered Fish with Chips, she enjoyed it and while I can't speak to the quality it certainly looked the part.

While I was full at the end of my main course I'd spied about table taking delivery of a Cheesecake dessert and I couldn't help but find myself ordering one.

While waiting I nipped outside for a Vape and found a large and pleasant heated area to indulge my vice.

On returning the cheesecake followed me to the table. I was not disappointed at all. Delicious and set a new bar for Cheesecake in my head.

All in all it was a delightful night and we found ourselves planning a return before the end of the night.

Very impressed with it all and we look forward to our next visit because of it.

An excellent night with no problems at all. Friendly smiley service at no doubt one of their busiest times as well.

Congratulations to the whole team...