Freemasons At Wiswell — Restaurant in Ribble Valley

If you're looking for an adventure to a charming pub hidden away on the outskirts of Clitheroe, Freemasons at Wiswell might be just the place for you. Armed with positive reviews from friends and colleagues, Mrs. S and I decided to take the plunge and give it a go. The journey began with us embarking on a quest to find the pub, which turned out to be hidden down its own private road. Parking proved to be a challenge, but fear not, it was skillfully managed.||As we entered the pub, we were greeted by a delightful mishmash of classic horse and hound artwork, alongside the curious company of taxidermy animal heads adorning the walls. Now, one might expect such a setting to be dingy and dull, but lo and behold, it was quite the opposite. The stone floors and slightly tired-looking wooden tables and chairs gave it a classic yet modern vibe. We were promptly seated by a polite member of staff, although the table designed for four left us feeling a little exposed. ||Now, let's talk about the menus. We encountered a slight hiccup when we discovered that we each had different menus. Fortunately, this was swiftly resolved, but it did leave us scratching our heads, especially considering the eye-watering prices we were about to face. Mrs. S and I opted for the three-course Sunday menu priced at a hefty £45 each. But hey, when it comes to good food, sometimes you've got to loosen those purse strings (see the moths) ||For starters, I delved into the greenest soup I have ever laid eyes upon, aptly described as pea soup with a cheddar crust!! I told you it was posh!! It was great, although I found myself yearning for a touch more seasoning. Alas as the wise Delia Smith once said, "you can always add more seasoning, but you can never take it out"... or something along those lines. Meanwhile, Mrs. S indulged in a seafood gratin that she thoroughly enjoyed. The main courses were a delightful journey of flavors, with me savoring the beef and Mrs. S surrendering to the allure of the pork. Though my beef was tasty, I couldn't help but wish it had arrived hotter. Oh, and it seems I am the reigning champion of roast potatoes, as confirmed by Mrs. S herself.|After such a heavy main course, we welcomed the arrival of desserts. I opted for the peach Melba, while Mrs. S sought solace in the comforting embrace of vanilla custard. These sweet treats were outstanding, perfectly balancing the richness of the previous courses. And of course, what is a meal without a glass of Malbec to wash it all down?|Now, let's get to the nitty-gritty……||Freemasons is undoubtedly a lovely place, but is it worth the money? We ordered some bottled fizzy water, which was unceremoniously dumped on the table without a thought for pouring. The menus themselves looked tired, as if they had seen better days and encountered a few clumsy diners. And while the service was pleasant enough, it lacked that personal touch that truly elevates a dining experience. Oh, and don't get me started on the salt mill that mysteriously contained little to no salt. To top it all off, the distressed-looking tables had little bits of old food stuck in the grooves. |Now, I don't mind a rustic charm, but please, I’d rather not be faced with that. For me, attention to these seemingly small details can make a huge difference, especially when you're charging premium prices.||So, is the Freemasons at Wiswell worth the hefty price tag? Well, as much as I enjoyed the food, these little details left a rather bitter taste in my mouth. Will I rush back? I...

Firstly I should point out that this is a very regretful negative review, as we actually had a very nice time during our stay at the Freemasons. However, events since then have left us with a rather sour taste in our mouth.||After much deliberation we decided to treat ourselves to the Ultimate Christmas Indulgence package at the Freemasons, which was described as "a 2 night Christmas stay for two people sharing, including Christmas Eve Dinner, Christmas Bucks Fizz Breakfast, Christmas Day Lunch, Christmas Gourmet Hamper and Boxing Day Full English Breakfast in the morning". At £1350 it wasn't cheap, but the content looked good and, given the dates, we justified the cost to ourselves.||We weren't disappointed and pretty much everything about the stay was excellent. There were little things you could pick fault with if you were looking for negatives, but the room was beautiful and the food pretty amazing. That said, the package wasn't quite as advertised as there was no Bucks Fizz offered at breakfast on Christmas Day, and the Gourmet Hamper completely failed to materialise. We could have grumbled about this, but we didn't - the meals were so plentiful that extras weren't really necessary - although as the pub closed after the Christmas lunch service, it would have been nice to have something in our room to drink and nibble on in the evening. ||Nevertheless, a good time was had, and after Boxing Day breakfast we settled the additional drinks bill for £200 (we weren't excessive, drinks here just don't come cheap), left a healthy tip, and checked out. It was only on the way home that we started to reflect and realised that if we had paid for each element of the package separately, we would have received exactly the same food and accommodation, but for £300 less.||This niggled and played on my mind, so I contacted the Freemasons to see if I'd misunderstood something. I wasn't rude, or even complaining, I just wanted reassurance that I hadn't been taken for a fool. And that's when the problem really started. Over the course of the last eight weeks I have sent three separate emails. The first two were ignored completely, and the the third generated a short response saying that my message would be passed to Steven the Owner and that he would reply. That was almost three weeks ago now and I've heard nothing, which leads me to believe that there is no reassurance to be had, and I was indeed taken for a fool.||It's such a shame as, up until this point, we had been fully intending to make a stay at the Freemasons part of our regular Christmas tradition and to return year after year. In light of the realisation that it appears we were royally fleeced and that there isn't even any attempt by them to acknowledge or make amends for that, sadly we'll now have to find somewhere else to go for Christmas. Somewhere that has more respect for their...

Firstly I should point out that this is a very regretful negative review, as we actually had a very nice time during our stay at the Freemasons. However, events since then have left us with a rather sour taste in our mouth.||After much deliberation we decided to treat ourselves to the Ultimate Christmas Indulgence package at the Freemasons, which was described as "a 2 night Christmas stay for two people sharing, including Christmas Eve Dinner, Christmas Bucks Fizz Breakfast, Christmas Day Lunch, Christmas Gourmet Hamper and Boxing Day Full English Breakfast in the morning". At £1350 it wasn't cheap, but the content looked good and, given the dates, we justified the cost to ourselves.||We weren't disappointed and pretty much everything about the stay was excellent. There were little things you could pick fault with if you were looking for negatives, but the room was beautiful and the food pretty amazing. That said, the package wasn't quite as advertised as there was no Bucks Fizz offered at breakfast on Christmas Day, and the Gourmet Hamper completely failed to materialise. We could have grumbled about this, but we didn't - the meals were so plentiful that extras weren't really necessary - although as the pub closed after the Christmas lunch service, it would have been nice to have something in our room to drink and nibble on in the evening. ||Nevertheless, a good time was had, and after Boxing Day breakfast we settled the additional drinks bill for £200 (we weren't excessive, drinks here just don't come cheap), left a healthy tip, and checked out. It was only on the way home that we started to reflect and realised that if we had paid for each element of the package separately, we would have received exactly the same food and accommodation, but for £300 less.||This niggled and played on my mind, so I contacted the Freemasons to see if I'd misunderstood something. I wasn't rude, or even complaining, I just wanted reassurance that I hadn't been taken for a fool. And that's when the problem really started. Over the course of the last eight weeks I have sent three separate emails. The first two were ignored completely, and the the third generated a short response saying that my message would be passed to Steven the Owner and that he would reply. That was almost three weeks ago now and I've heard nothing, which leads me to believe that there is no reassurance to be had, and I was indeed taken for a fool.||It's such a shame as, up until this point, we had been fully intending to make a stay at the Freemasons part of our regular Christmas tradition and to return year after year. In light of the realisation that it appears we were royally fleeced and that there isn't even any attempt by them to acknowledge or make amends for that, sadly we'll now have to find somewhere else to go for Christmas. Somewhere that has more respect for their...