The Silverdale Hotel — Restaurant in Lancaster

Great service, great pie, yet a miserable experience this time…..How can that be?

My wife’s fish pie was quite odd. Whilst she said it was decent - it was served in its own dish, which was then placed a on normal sized dinner plate. The only other thing on the plate was a spoonful of garden peas that comically rolled around the plate.. Thoughtless and boring presentation.

However, in keeping in line with other local hostelries in winter, the Silverdale Hotel also doesn’t like to put the heating on too high - if at all? We were in the so-called cosy, Copper Room, with ironically an open hearth with a fire in it. It was a very very cold, the pub was not much warmer, and the fire in the hearth was not utilised.

Surely they must notice that many customers are eating with their coats on? Does this not tell them something? We weren’t the only ones that day to have to keep ours on. We overheard the five customers on the table next to us to debate whether they should have another round of drinks.

After much discussion they decided to go to one of their homes ‘and get warm’.

So, we will give this place a miss until well after easter. Owners don’t like paying energy bills, in turn they must understand that they then pay for this choice in another way - as customers don’t like eating in cold venues either - and stay away till warmer times.

Hopefully they see this as constructive criticism, and don’t try to blindly defend themselves. We’d love to come back here in the winter months

Anyway..off to our favoured (warm and comfortable) pub...

An atmospheric old building with a beautiful beer garden in an idyllic village. Great place for a relaxing drink, apart from the rather costly price of a pint. Could they not arrange the brewing of a cheaper and weaker personalised brand called 'Silverdale Bitter' or, in the light of the sorry tale below, ' Motorists' Lament'?

The hotel cannot be faulted, which is more than we can say for the chancer, 'Dick Turpin, who lives at the end terrace of the nearby fishermen's cottages adjacent to the shore. He has teamed up with the rogue outfit known as Parking Eye and, without planning permission, had an ANPR camera, (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), installed, claiming to own the beach. The parking here has been without enforcement for many years, with just a discretionary honesty box in the wall. Suddenly it has become Pay -by -Phone in an area with a notoriously weak signal. We spent 15 minutes unsuccessfully trying to work out how to pay, then gave up in despair and left.

Our reward? A parking charge notice in the post 3 days later for £80. If you are unfortunate enough to be caught out by this scam, don't be tempted to pay, but rather demand to see the planning permission for this illegal installation.

When confronted, the excuse given to me by Mr. Turpin was the increasing popularity of this beach with inconsiderate motor caravanners. Surely a simple height-restriction bar and a 'No Overnight Camping' sign would give a much more friendly impression of this otherwise delightful...

We frequently walk around Silverdale and usually call in The Silverdale Hotel for a drink when passing. Called in today and was completely ignored. Entered from the beer garden and waited at the first bar, there was nobody in attendance but I could see a person/female member of staff in the opposite bar so passed through 2 sets of doors into that bar. She was doing a check in, fair enough, but she never even acknowledge I existed just a 'won't keep you a moment' would have sufficed. Totally ignored, there was only me and the other couple there, so not exactly too busy. Waited ages while the check in couple's breakfasts were booked etc. The waitress then just turned her back on me and went into the other bar, where I was at first, serving coffee to the check in couple. Back through the doors into the other bar, still invisible apparently. Never once did the waitress meet eye contact, speak to me or even acknowledged I even existed. I don't mind waiting while the couple checked in, I would expect that, but to be totally ignored for about 15 minutes left me absolutely fuming. Just an acknowledgement I was there would...