Choosing somewhere to eat in or around Blackburn sometimes is a challenge. Using review sites is not always successful, but the Feilden’s Arms at Mellor Brook was rated the number one place to eat in or around Blackburn on the popular review site Trip Advisor.
We chose to visit late one Sunday afternoon and were pleasantly surprised by the refreshing & modern design of the interior and furnishings. Although it was a lovely sunny day we decided to eat inside and were pleased to be approached by someone almost as soon as we sat down to ask if we wanted a drink. The place has a pub feel and we were fully expecting to have to order our food and drink at the bar, as is often the case nowadays, and it was a lovely change to have an attentive server with a lovely, but not intrusive, welcome.
The Feilden’s Arms has a set menu on Sunday, but you can still decide on the extensive full menu as well. The smaller Sunday menu is priced at £9.95 for a main course, £11.95 for two courses and £13.95 for three courses.
We both had a Trio of smoked salmon, smoked trout and smoked mackerel salad with a horseradish and herb dressing as our starter. This came in a large bowl with large chunks of beautifully smoked fish and a creamy & delicious dressing. The salad underneath was also in a dressing which complemented the fish and creamy dressing perfectly. It was absolutely delicious and we could happily of eaten the dish again.
For main course we chose 21 day mature roasted Sirloin of beef, with duck fat roasted potatoes, buttered vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, and Chef’s meaty gravy and Halibut steak in a shallot, mushroom and white wine sauce, with buttered new potatoes and samphire. Both dishes shone with the roast beef being the best of what a Sunday lunch should be. With generous helpings, a crispy Yorkshire pudding and beautifully tender beef, we were certainly pleased we had visited the Feilden’s. The halibut was cooked perfectly and the sauce was so good, ever last drop was scraped off the plate.
After such an excellent meal so far, it would have been foolish to not have a dessert. Our choices of Home-made apple and gooseberry brown betty with custard and Chef’s Banoffi pie were certainly not a disappointment. The brown betty was just the right mix of sweetness with the tart kick of the fruit. The Bonoffi pie was as good as any banoffi pie we had eaten before.
Overall the Feilden’s Arms was welcoming, value for money and best of all quality meals with quality ingredients. We will certainly be visiting many times again.
You can visit their website at http://www.feildensarms.co.uk but as well as visiting the website, you should visit this gem yourself!
Our rating 10 out of 10