The Friary in Whalley always seems to have a steady flow of customers whether it be for the traditional fish and chips menu or the chinese dishes.

We had a group of friends round and having ordered set meals for the correct number of diners and been totally over-faced by the volume of food in the past, we ordered the set meal for 2, half a crispy duck and some extra noodles which we hoped would feed five of us.

The ordering process was a little strained, as we rang 3 times and the phone was never answered. We decided to go straight to the shop on King Street in Whalley, not even knowing if they would be open. Fortunately the shop was open and they did say their phone was a little on the quiet side. We would have thought a take-away should have a phone that they could hear above anything!

The food was prepared quickly and we were certainly not disappointed by the quantity of the dishes.

Chicken and Sweetcorn soup was thick and full of chicken pieces. Salt and Pepper spare ribs were very spicy but sadly far too well done and the meat was very dry.

The Crispy Duck, which came with the usual pancakes, sauce and garnishes, but again sadly was far too dry and the meat was done within an inch of becoming too hard to eat.

The main courses were generous, but sadly a bit on the bland side with the King Prawn with Satay Sauce hardly having any kick at all.

We had visited this take-away when it first opened and thought it was great but based on this recent meal the standards seem to have slipped. Certainly good value at about £35 for 5 people, but good value is not enough to make you rush back when the food is not up to scratch.