White Bull Oswaldtwistle — Restaurant in Hyndburn

Having heard some very good reports about this place I had really been looking forward to visiting it. We had recently visited the Britannia Tap and Grill. Our meal there had been very good and our server had recommended the White Bull to us. I believe these establishments are closely linked and share some of the same staff. Unfortunately I have to be honest and say I wasn’t impressed. Sadly it was a major disappointment.

I ordered the gammon, egg and chips which was £17.00. My brother went with the steak and ale pie priced at £18.00. So not cheap when compared with many other local establishments. I had asked for a soft yoke on my egg. The receipt confirms this. However, although the yoke was still slightly soft the white of the egg was crispy around the edges. Obviously a sign that the egg had been put into the oil at too high a temperature. In hindsight I should have sent it back. I can’t say that I was impressed with the size of the portion I got. The gammon was okay but only half a tomato, one small mushroom and a relatively small portion of chips. And the presentation on the plate wasn’t the best.

My brother did say that his steak pie was full of meat, very tasty and piping hot. But again the portion of fries was quite small and, at £18, this was more expensive than similar options in other establishments.

Right at the start when looking at the menus I had noticed that they did a Baileys cheesecake with rum and raisin ice cream. On our earlier visit to the Britannia I had ordered cheesecake there and it was lovely so I asked about this dessert even before ordering my mains. Our server said they had none left but he did recommend the sticky toffee pudding. Thought it a little strange that they had run out of a dessert only about 2 hours after opening. There were a few other customers in but it wasn’t that busy. After our mains we were both still hungry so we decided to go for the small pudding with a hot drink option. Based on the server’s recommendation we both ordered the sticky toffee pudding and a cappuccino. No issues with the cappuccino. That was good. When the sticky toffee pudding arrived it was a huge portion. This surprised us as it was supposed to be the small pudding option. Unfortunately it was inedible. I barely managed two bites. It tasted stale. Both of us left it although the ice cream that it came with was lovely and we finished that. When our server came to clear the plates I explained that we could not eat the puddings. He apologised and, when he came back from the kitchen, he informed us that we would not be charged for them. He knocked the full amount off including the cost of the coffees even though I pointed out there was nothing wrong with them or the ice cream.

The young man who served us was friendly, good humoured and efficient. Had it not been for the service from him, and his female colleague, and the fact that he had got the cost of the puddings removed from our bill I would probably have given only two stars for this review. I don’t like to leave poor reviews. I want to enjoy our trips out and I try to find something positive about every meal we have. Unfortunately the overwhelming memory of this visit will be one of disappointment.

In summary I thought the food we had was overpriced. The mains portions were small and the dessert we were served was totally unacceptable. We could be wrong but the impression we got was that the server had been told to push this. And as it was a huge portion we left with the view that they were trying to shift it. I just feel that there are other places offering far better value for money and, if I was in the area again, I would rather visit their sister establishment, the Britannia...

Really disappointed in the meal I've just had, altogether it cost me £28:50 for a Sunday roast and a pint for myself that's seriously extortionate, £20 for a Sunday roast I thought well it must be good, it has award winning beef advertised, award winning my bum hole, at one point I nearly threw my whole meal up on my plate as the beef was full of stringy bits, I swallowed half and the other half I was still chewing, I also had to ask a, couple of times for more parts of my meal as what came out was only enough for a 6 year old, I asked for more beef as I only got one slice, then before I got half way through my meal it was already cold & dry and needed more red wine just as the amount I got given must have been about 30ml..

I ordered pigs in blankets as an extra too and didn't even finish them as they tasted like asda smart price sausages (really cheap) wrapped in bacon, I left my roasties because the insides just tasted as if they'd been stood wherever all day you can tell with potato they don't warm up well and need to be fresh... I've been here loads in the past for a Sunday roast & really enjoyed it but this time I noticed it'd got a lot more expensive but the whole experience left me feeling as if the price has gone up but the actual quality of all ingredients & especially portion sizes had gone way down, I feel like I've had my pants pulled down at £28:50 just for my tea, youve just lost a customer as I won't ever be returning again

Owner or chef has replied & it really shows their mentality, if you click on my profile nearly all of my reviews are good ones, I've only ever given a bad review on food or service that I was really disappointed in, as stated above I've been here a couple of time and although I found it a little on the expensive side it's been satisfactory so I've returned, knowing this it was the only place left available this night I came and the prices had yet again crept up, even at its past best £20, really? And especially for the portion size too, I felt they'd brought the small portions out and only rectified them if complained about, I had to mention 2 or 3 times, I shouldn't have to mention once it should correct first time, anyway lesson learnt, never again

I went the Ranken arms Hoddesdon the day after as I just wasn't satisfied I wanted a proper roast with proper portion sizes, this was £15:99 look at the difference if you've been here...

What an experience! There aren’t many pubs that will go the extra mile to meet your booking requests, but this one does—seating us at a cosy round table right next to a lovely, warm fire. This pub truly ticks every box. I’d brought my parents for their first visit tonight and they were mighty impressed.

Our evening started with a warm welcome from our excellent waiter, who personally greeted us upon arrival and showed us to our table. He was incredibly attentive throughout the evening, making sure everything was perfect. The ambience, with its soft lighting, background music, warmth, and inviting atmosphere, made it the kind of pub we could only dream of before tonight.

The food was outstanding, with a menu offering enough variety to satisfy without being overwhelming—so you know everything is freshly prepared. It’s well worth paying a little extra for food of this quality in such a cozy setting. This was my third visit in 12 months, and I travel all the way from Preston. It’s truly my favorite pub.

I had the prawn pil pil starter, the duck for my main, and finished with the crumble of the day, all washed down with two pints of Cruzcampo and a glass of white wine. My mum had the sea bass, my fiancé enjoyed steak frites (which came as a thick, almost fillet-like cut), and my dad had the fish and chips—something I’ve had before and highly recommended to him. He was thrilled, especially with the proper chips!

Thank you, White Bull, for being so accommodating and for consistently delivering such a fantastic experience on this...