The Olde Cotton Mill Bistro and Tea Room — Restaurant in England

My sister, our children and my mother visited a few days ago. Upon entering we were greeted and seated in the far corner. We had a look at the menu and then decided on the full English breakfast and desi breakfast. The lady came over took our order and left towards the kitchen area. My sister told the lady to come back so we could tell her which drinks/beverages we wanted as I had taken my daughter to get her nappy changed.

As I entered the ladies toilet, I found that the baby changing station was too far up the wall for me to safely even put my daughter on to. It looked like it had been designed for someone who’s 6ft +. I left the changing room to ask the man if he had a changing station which was lower. He called his colleague over and she replied with ‘No, this is the only one’ I then asked whether she had a stool to which she replied ‘no’. I was quite shocked that such a place had been designed to such a poor quality. The lady then came back with a chair. I then had to stand on this chair baring in mind the floor was slippy and also the chair was wobbly!!! I managed to change my daughter’s nappy but what a farce it was. The lady did come back to check if I was ok however it’s not like anything else could have been done.

I went back to the table and then our children fish fingers (oily than ever)!!! and chips arrived. We started feeding our girls and my niece started to vomit ever so slightly. We had to keep asking for serviettes as only one was provided per person. I even told the lady at the counter I need a few as my niece had been slightly sick, she didn’t even ask to see if she was ok, or if we needed anything else. My mother’s desi breakfast arrived and then a few mins later our breakfast arrived. As we were eating my sister decided to take my niece out of the high chair and put her into her lap, now I’m not sure if it was the fish fingers or something else but my niece projectile vomited all over my sister and the floor . I had to rush with them both to the toilets, luckily my mum was on hand to watch my daughter. Once we had sorted my niece out, I went back to the table to find that the sick was still everywhere. I went over to the counter to ask the lady if she could clean it up, a few minutes lady I went back as no one came. Baring in mind all this time our food was getting cold!!! I think the owner then came over and said ‘not many people can do this’ to which I replied ‘if you are a mum you would know’ to which she said ‘oh that lady (the other worker) she can’t do this’z Once she her cleaned up the floor (using just tissue) and the table (using just tissue) she left. My sister then came back and realised our food had gone cold. At this point I felt the workers were getting agitated with us. If they would have done their job properly in the first place then we wouldn’t have had a problem!!! 3 times I had to ask for my drink and that continuously going to the counter.

On our way out my sister thanked the lady for cleaning the sick for her to reply ‘oh I was doing you a favour, it's not in my job description to clean sick’!!! The audacity and cheek of that lady!!! So you are telling me if someone was to go to a restaurant/brunch place and someone was sick you would get them to clean it!!! Absolute nonsense!!!! I come from an area were their are plenty of different brunch places and this is the first time iv heard this!!!

Definitely will not be...

Not a place id venture into normally but wife wanted to go.

Inside the place looks more visually appealing... its a converted pub and the pub bar is still there but obviously repurposed as the reception. I like the different rooms / areas... so you got a choice of seating including outdoor seating. I was expecting it to be open floor plan.

We were served pretty quick and able to choose to sit outside.

We were given menus for breakfast and lunch it decent range of starters and few main dishes like lasagna, sizzlers, pies, drinks and desserts

I got the chicken strip sizzler. And my wife got the chicken and veg pie. But we had to go back inside to the reception to order which is bit uncommon for restaurants or cafes.

Wait wasnt overly long... id rather wait a bit and get freshly cooked food.

Issues we noticed: Waiters twice approached us with food which wasnt ours... then there were mix ups about who ordered what food. And I overheard the tall dude maybe owner, saying its cos people moving tables... I think there is some communication issues with the staff, lack or coordination.

When we got our food served it was placed in front of us on a completely bare table. There was no cutlery or napkin or sauces or anything. The waitress just dropped the food and walked away. She didn't ask us if we wanted anything else or about cutlery or tell us where to get it from. Were we expected to eat with our hands? I dont know... Tbh im really not fussy over these things... but this is a dine in cafe / restaurant you expect basic level of service like cutlery especially with the prices they are charging.

There was no salt, pepper, red salt or chilled powder or sauces, neither were we offered any which is bad service...

Wife's chips def needed salt adding...

The sizzler was hot enough... but i think they had served it in a overheated hot plate so some of the rice and onions at the bottom had burnt to a crisp by the time I got round to it, but it wasnt as major issue.

The chicken had a good vibrant coating and there was enough sauces. Overall visually appealing and very instagrammy.

The chicken strips were quite thin and dangly, would be better if they were bit thicker and separate pieces not strung together. They were placed on top of a bed of noodles, rice and chips.. This is great for variety or when you can't choose but there was not enough chips... I've had sizzlers from other places and they get served in a big plate with lots of chips, chips are cheap...so... well more chips would def help make this better value. For about £13 it's on the high-ish end in terms of pricing and for the level of service and portion size it's not very justified for me... Esp in Blackburn.

The chicken pie I was told was ok, it's not 'desi' in any way, so not spicy etc... but im not sure if it's meant to be... but she got more chips than I did and a garlic bread piece.

Then wife said the two J2O bottle of mango drinks she ordered afterwards cost extra £5... ouch! I would only think that was fair price if at an airport or top end nightclub etc.. This is more than double normal retail price of these bottles...

If you ok with the pricing, want somewhere decent to dine in with halal food, it's...

Blackburn! The land of mills, roundabouts and surprise culinary delights. Who knew I would end up here, all the way out of town for a brunch that would boggle the mind and soothe the soul! 😅

The Olde Cotton Mill looks just like its name - old and full of character, yet spotlessly clean and inviting. Picture a charming grandma who discovered Marie Kondo during lockdown and you'll get the idea.👵✨

Now let's talk menu. More like a novella than a list, it was quite a read, but we were up for the challenge! Our order? The Desi Nashta, English Breakfast, Cinnamon and Maple syrup french toast and Nutella and strawberry french toast. A veritable foodie's United Nations on a plate, 🌍 wrapped in bacon (halal of course!) and drizzled in syrup.

The Desi Nashta made us question whether breakfast could qualify for the Nobel Peace Prize. The halwa was a sweet revelation, the spicy omelette a culinary kick in the taste buds, the Puri fluffier than a cloud on a sunny day ☁️🌞 and the chicken chana a perfect combo of spice and succulence. Pakoras, you ask? We've had plenty but these were like tiny crispy golden nuggets of joy.

Accompanying our brunch Everest, we had Desi chai, orange juice and apple juice. I'm not saying the Desi chai was the best I've had, but let's just say, after one sip, we were considering inviting it to Eid dinner! ☕

As for the kids' quiet corner? The staff were more accommodating than a Swiss hotel! They set us up so well, I half expected a complimentary bedtime story. 📖 The little one, who is autistic, found his peace and comfort, thanks to the understanding and compassion of the team.

In conclusion, The Olde Cotton Mill didn't just serve us a brunch, they served us an experience which we rarely get due to my son's needs and served with a side of the extraordinary. 🌈

Definitely, we will be back again. In fact, if they let us, we might just set up camp there! ⛺🍴😂 So, Blackburn, you continue to surprise us and we are here for it!

Till we meet again, dear Olde Cotton Mill, stay old, stay charming and keep those pakoras...