It was not my intention to present three reviews of three different Lancashire pubs in this manner, yet given the relatively small time frame of the visits, plus the variation of their most recent rating, I thought it might be interesting. So, what follows is a few short words on three different places, again revisited (accompanied by the same two people incidentally - my father and grandmother). Each of which I have frequented on numerous occasions and each I have reviewed before on this blog (for the first pieces - see my BLOG ARCHIVE) but as we shall see, times and indeed impressions certainly can change...
THE WADDINGTON ARMS
The Waddington Arms was one of the first reviews I ever did, way back in 2013. At that time I loved it - charming setting, atmosphere, food and general all round experience. I praised it as being the best of pure essence of what a rural pub should be.
Why then do I rate it so low this time I hear you ask? Simple - this time they were about as welcoming as a rabid riled up attack dog.
At this point - a note of clarification, I do not begrudge establishments such as this a full house. It can only be a good sign I suppose, when a place is bustling and newcomers cannot be seated straight away. However, as is surely common sense and as we shall see slightly later on, this is no excuse whatsoever for being aloof, arrogant and unwelcoming. Upon our arrival we were pretty much ignored by the general waiting staff, standing at the entrance for a good few minutes, and then when I managed to corner the head of front of house (who I also suspect was the owner/manager) and asked him if he had a table - I was told flatly and coarsely 'no'. He vaguely waved toward the bar hinting that we could have a drink there if we wanted and 'wait to see if something cropped up'. And that is it. Maybe I am making too much of this, in fact I know he and the experience do not deserve this many words on this blog. I just personally feel that such an overly obtuse, arrogant, abrupt, inattentive and generally rude manner can hardly do the Waddington Arms any favors. I do feel it a shame, but this has tarnished my view of the place and I would simply proffer the experience as a warning; do not always be fooled by a packed place; all those bodies could potentially be hiding staff who are simply profit-minded and who see service as something of an optional extra, perhaps even as a vague and minor nuisance.
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THE EAGLE AT BARROW
Naturally and perhaps predictably, we immediately left the Waddington Arms, and were thus forced to consider other options. Happily, help was quickly at hand, in the form of a regular staple not too far away - in the form of the Eagle at Barrow. I have actually lost count of the amount of times we have frequented here, and whilst there have been some wobbles, the service and quality have been dependably pleasant at a minimum.
By the time we arrived, time was getting on, and upon arriving we were swiftly told that lunch time service was due to end soon, However, they lost no time in sitting us down, making us as welcome as possible, taking our orders and delivering. I have to praise the Eagle staff here, who though they were clearly very busy and pressured, still managed to attend to us with a satisfactory level of warmness and cheeriness. Not to mention a degree of swiftness also, and soon we were fed and feeling better about the afternoon, our Waddington debacle behind us.
In not too much time at all, those at the Eagle at Barrow had managed to accommodate us, and sufficiently feed and water us (which in my case included a delicious chicken club sandwich).
Yes there were faults, or rather things that could have been done better, but once again I have to thank the Eagle at Barrow for yet another positive visit and experience.
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THE PACK HORSE AT AFFETSIDE
Fast forward a fortnight and we have another visit to a relatively new find for me, in that I have only been there a handful of times thus far, yet the Pack Horse at Affetside has always delivered readily and with oodles of warmth and quality. This Saturday gone we wandered in and, though the time of day was not irregular, once again we were met with a very bustling and buzzing atmosphere; the place was packed to the rafters and once again we had neglected to pre-book anything.
Initially I was a tad worried as the level of attentiveness and consideration was slightly teetering toward Waddington Arms than Eagle at Barrow (for instance we were simply told to find a table 'if we could' and that if it was spare it was free). However seated ourselves we did and we were then able, if slightly awkwardly, to soak up the Pack Horse atmos.
Though we were warned that food waiting times could be excessive, the wait did not seem that long. Whilst I might question the motives and determination of waiting staff who were prepared to concede defeat right at the off, I can and will praise the Pack Horse staff for still being attentive, readily cheery and resolute in their resolve to give us as swift and stylish a service as possible.
Once again the food read well and when it arrived tasted great (this time for me a hearty cheese burger). As I say the service was superb given the circumstances and most importantly of all, the Pack Horse served as a prime example of an eating establishment that is doing well enough to be full to bursting, and yet whose staff still go that extra mile in doing their up most to provide a great experience for everyone involved.
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