Re: New pub opening .
 

You pays your money and you makes your choice. Don't like it? Don't do it.
If these 'pubs' weren't selling food( or basic 'fuel' in some cases) they wouldn't be selling ale either, they wouldn't exist and neither would many of the old pubs which survive by doing food.
Then all those screaming kids would end up joining you in your favourite old traditional pub or restaurant!

Re: New pub opening .
 

I`m looking forward to it opening, it`s walking distance from where I live so will save me a drive to Harvester or Sycamore Farm.

Re: New pub opening .
 

The days of the old style pubs with a snug ..only crisps and peanuts to eat and no kids are gone ....and I grew up in one of these establishments so I remember only to well that the rosie glow of the past wasnt that great.....wives at home dreading the front door opening...children left outside with pop and crisps....men's dinner being brought to the pub.....it all went on so maybe these new types of establishments are not such a bad idea after all....with respect always :)

Re: New pub opening .
 

Unfortunately I can't do that as I very rarely visit Accrington, not since I stopped working there in 1982. Now if you could recommend some good Accy pubs and restaurants I might have cause to visit Accrington more frequently.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Re: New pub opening .
 

yes The Brickworks :)

Re: New pub opening .
 

The Park Inn on Manchester Road has a growing reputation for good pub gruband ales Barrie. Not yet got any gluten free on the menu though, Mrs P did ask as our well behaved gkids* coming over from the US in August and our Em's has ceoliac disease. The big problem in smaller places is cross contamination from cooking equipment. We have just bought Em's her own toaster for the visit. We are all going gluten free for the duration.
Pics from there last Thursday. No complaints about my gammon and Mrs P wolfed down her fish n chips without a murmur.

Only problem was some munters feeding some of their fish to the pub cat. Great way to teach it to beg at tables and not be catching mice !!.

* Well behaved as in when they are out with Grandad.

New pub opening .
 

Best place I've been recently was Pendle inn in barley, went on Sunday. It was a bit dearer than harvester and sycamore farm but portions were bigger.

Re: New pub opening .
 

I've just made a commitment to my two lovely cleaning ladies.
I promised to take them to the new Brick pub when it opens.
Condition, one drives, I pay and just try the ale.

Re: New pub opening .
 

That sounds like a great deal.
Let us know how you fare.

Re: New pub opening .
 

That is the problem D, we don't know of any other pub in Accrington that is OK for someone who is a diagnosed Coeliac, therefore we use the Commercial when in town shopping.
We get around the toaster problem with Toaster Bags for the Boss. She has used them for years and has never experienced a problem. Cross contamination is always a major factor and is more likely in a small kitchen and untrained staff - we have had one problem in Weatherspoons which was the then newly opened one in Fleetwood.
There is a web site that lists many places that serve GF meals. If you want the address let me know - even fish & chip shops are listed.

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Yes please Barrie if you would PM me the link it would be most helpful. Thanks

Re: New pub opening .
 

There are a number of sites on the web - one that we use is
Search results in LANCASHIRE | Gluten free directory=

The Fish House in Fleetwood serves GF fish and chips every day and I really recommend them. All meals, GF and others are very good, quite a variety.
One that we will avoid in future is the Clog & Billycock in Blackburn. It was specified that one meal had to be GF - suspect that there was cross contamination or the Mayo dressing was not GF - the Boss had an attack 2 hours after the meal - typical signs for her.
Other places we can recommend locally are:- Grey Mare, Grane Rd. - Duckworth Hall, Haslingden Old Rd. - Mitali, Warner St. - Three Fishes, Mytton. - Sycamore Farm, Burnley. - All Weatherspoons, Redcap and others in that chain (Carvery ?). Costa also have some GF cakes etc. if you are desperate.
I have deliberately posted this open in case there are any others that need the information. Always willing to help with GF needs.

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Cheers Barrie :D

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Sharing this with you and the Accyweb Barrie.

https://positivelycoeliac.wordpress....d-the-sausage/

Brian Hodder drinks in the Forts.

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I wonder where they got the bricks from to build the new Brickyard pub.
I know through taking to a deliver driver that most of the bricks for the new houses on Blackburn road came from Leicester.

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At the moment Fultons have some Mrs crimbles gluten free cake slices.
Five for a quid. Himself is not intolerant/coeliac, but he loves them.
Country fruit slice...have checked the ingredients....they are made with rice flour.
Just thought that if DtheP has a young visitor coming over, then it might be worth stock piling some.....I can't see a use by date on the 30 that are in my cupboard.....ok I exaggerated....there are only 20.
This firm is based in Oldham

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:D
Great that Margaret, thanks muchly. I will look to get some on Friday.
Gonna get some bangers and burgers from Hodders on Barnes St to taste test this weekend too.

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You are welcome....if you are all going gluten free for the duration of the visit(and that really is the safest thing to do) you might miss a bit of cake with your cuppa.
Another sweet treat is coconut pyramids.....easy to make too.....just dessicated coconut and condensed milk.....with a cherry on top.

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Tesco has quite a selection of breads, cakes, biscuits etc. including Mrs Crimbles chocolate coconut things which I am partial to. There are plenty of goods in all the supermarkets, just read the labels, some have the gluten free symbol and most if not all have all allergens printed in BOLD in the ingredients list - if they want burgers then either make your own or try the Venison ones from Aldi, we had some last week and they were fine in all aspects.

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Heck do GF and Lidl do a very nice breakfast bratwurst. You will find that all continental sausages are GF as they are not allowed to use fillers - which in UK is normally wheat rusk.

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And getting this thread meander back on track (sorta !)Google tells me that Marston's pub menus offer plenty of GF options on their menus.
Will give the Brickyard a go with the girls when they get here early August. And I'll tell you this for nothing, they won't be running around or screaming on my watch.

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First thing I would say is it will make a change from Spoons and the sorry to say for the most part grumpy staff.
The new Brickworks looks smart enough but don't you feel it would be great to see a pub serving traditional Lancashire fare instead of microwaved splodge. For me anyway I feel the town is missing a trick in what we do or rather don't have on offer to the paying public.
Just a thought..

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I'm interested in the web address Barrie, could you please PM me with it?

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What would you consider would be traditional Lancashire Fare?
Just interested to see what kind of dishes you think should appear under this title.

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See Post 112. If you Google GF foods in Lancashire you will find plenty of web sites. Watch out for .com as they tend to be American ???? I am sure you will find plenty but if you have problems let me know and I will do what I can to help you.

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For me its the whole corporate feel with spoons across this green and pleasant land along with its pre prepped microwaved food. We are constantly being battered with 'eat fresh' or 'eat fresh fish' but have you seen how many calories most of the meals contain for instance?

It would be nice to see some freshly cooked vegetables locally grown and local meat supporting our farmers instead of flown in food. Victoria Tea Rooms use fresh veg and freshly prepped meals so it is possible evening in the 21st century. Just a thought..

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Mr Pastry....Once in a while it is OK to use these outlets.
I cook from fresh every day....meat, veggies, everything from scratch. No packet meals, or takeaways.
If you only have them infrequently, then there is no harm.
And if you look on the menu there are healthier options to select from.

I pre-prepare stuff in my kitchen....I cook more than one dish at a time.....freezing some foods is how I can make economical dishes which makes the pension go a bit further.....and there is some evidence which suggests that frozen simple carbohydrates are digested like complex carbs, leading to a slower release of the energy and reducing the likelihood of spikes in blood sugar levels.

Re: New pub opening .
 

Brickworks, Accrington
If you follow the link you can register to receive a free drink when it opens.

Re: New pub opening .
 

Totally agree with you Margaret on preparing larger quantities and freezing portions for future meals.
Some foods actually improve in taste after freezing - chili and curry for sure. Freezing actually tenderises meats as the formation of ice crystals within the meat break down the fibres.

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Amazing really that Spoons can have 'Come and meet the brewer' but they never invite customers to come and meet the farmer who grows the veg or breeds the meat millions eat. Food must be bottom of the food chain for them I guess?
Very minor pun.

Re: New pub opening .
 

so you have all been speculating on this place but has anyone been in yet ?
less went in for a pint last thurs.

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On our to do list in-between work so will report back once we have carried out a full inspection of the venue. Happy days!

Re: New pub opening .
 

Well as promised we popped in for a lunchtime snack and here are our findings.

The building looks nice, decent play area for youngsters and you can keep an eye on them. Inside a modicum of plushness and comfortable although at the door the guy guiding customers didn't really have a clue which way to guide us, probably as we had not decided if we would stay for food or not depending on our first port of call...the bar.

We noticed one couple complaining they had been waiting 15 minutes for drinks already ordered so I made direct for the bar which slightly put the staff training on edge I guess. 1 pint of Pedigree please and a still pint of um tap water was presented. I requested the chappy have another go and not much better sorry to say. Eventually a girl came to take our food order but I pointed out the beer is not quite right yet so was offered another ale. Lancaster Bomber was fine and enjoyed that. Just about to order some food and all hell broke loose, table of three complaining meat not cooked! Net result I supped up and left with a not very good first impression generally.

Now then.... This is a new venue and it looks very nice but I do feel the staff training is a little lacking to be fair to the young staff present today. I'm absolutely certain it will settle down after a few weeks but £3 for a bog standard Pedigree ale and not right gives me the jitters with a new place. Not sure on the price of lager but a guy mentioned £3.75 for Fosters but cant confirm this.

It was nice to see the young staff really trying however and we almost felt like giving them a lift if you know what I mean. It's good for our town this new place has opened but they do need to get the ale just right and the meat cooked.

Actually we liked the venue although we had a bit of an issue, but its new and I think it will be popular with those seeking shall we say a more up market experience on a general food table. The Steak & Ale pie looked very nice and we thought we would give it another go in a couple of weeks when the teething troubles have fingers crossed gone.

To close you can tell the staff have been programmed with a given directive and if you interrupt that with "We would like to try the quality of ale first" before eating they are not sure what to do, so I would advise a steady approach to the new Brickfield or whatever sort of Brick it is.... At the end of the day it is your money and you choose where best to put it.

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It is sad that you had such a disappointing experience, but I suppose it is early days and it does take time for a team to gel......and to find out where their weaknesses are and address them.
Let's hope the management are on the ball and address these issues prompty.

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Twill improve I am certain Margaret early doors yet. Some will be walking in just to find fault no doubt but its nicely laid out, give it a few weeks and it will be fine I am sure with the Marston's machine behind it. You'll gather I favour a more local approach to trading rather than a corporate feel but as the years pass we will be squeezed out although the Brickworks was clean (being new) and we liked the friendly youngsters. It will do good for the town me thinks as time passes and it settles down. In spite of teething troubles it was welcoming.

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Have I read an earlier post incorrectly, is there a children's play area inside?

Re: New pub opening .
 

Fosters is £3.25, will be sampling the gammon shortly.

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Enjoy !

Re: New pub opening .
 

I did, thanks.
The gammon - cooked just how I like it (might be overcooked for some) and not too fatty.
Chips - I prefer chunky chips but you aren`t going to get that at a place like this, nice enough though.
Eggs - I prefer a runny yolk so will make sure I ask next time.
Peas - Green, round and tasted like peas.
Overall, two very edible meals for £11.90 only grumble was the none runny yolks but will definitely go again. :)

Building, looks OK so long as you don`t look too close. Small play area inside for the very young, slightly older ones have a big play area outside but I would expect a new build to have square (right angled) walls & and anything out slightly then the tiler should at least try to disguise it. http://www.picgifs.com/smileys/smile...boy-231622.gif

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Eggs not dippy, walls not square, you're a hard man to please!
Doesn't sound bad for the money, you'll pay that or more for two small starters in many a restaurant or pub.
Not somewhere to go for a special night but that's not what they're catering for, just a good, cheap nosh while your in town- seems fair.
They always pull some money back on the drinks though.

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I don't like my eggs just dumped on the top of my chips as it is in the photo above. Apart from that it doesn't look too bad.
I've not been in yet but a friend went in with two others and it took three attempts to get the order correct. As other posters have written, maybe it takes time to get a new team working together.

Re: New pub opening .
 

We all have our little quirks, our usual place for a bit of pub grub is The Harvester at Hapton, but there they serve their chips already salted and peppered (which I don`t like), you just have to ask for it the way you want it and most places are willing to accommodate, next time I`ll ask for runny yolks.

Re: New pub opening .
 

Similar here, I also like runny eggs. Spoons eggs typically come hardish so ask for soft one please, but it will be difficult for them I expect depending on how long the plate sits under the hot lamps. On one hand they keep your food warm, on the other dry it out.
E we are hard to please!

Re: New pub opening .
 

Not been in yet will wait for it to settle down - if at all. Looked at the menu, cannot see anything identified as being gluten free so that is a downer straight away. Seems to be reasonably priced if there are two in your party, or multiples thereof. If it is a single customer then I consider the prices high - am comparing them with the likes of Duckworth Hall, Grey Mare, Sycamore Farms etc. and Foster's beer at £3.25.
They don't appear to do breakfast - at least I could not find it on the menu, and the Carvery appears to be only on Sunday.
I will give it a try, just need some time to pluck up the courage.

Re: New pub opening .
 

Did he complain about the price of a pint?

Re: New pub opening .
 

I know someone working there they did 58 hrs intense induction on the run up to opening plus 3 days where they were open for friends and family to give them the chance to wait on, 5 of us got an invite for last Saturday and the service was quite good and everything that came was correct. I think one of the issues is (well talking to my friend anyway) is the number of staff involved in serving one table one to show you there, one to take your drinks order which is then poured by the bar staff,one to take your food order and then what they call a table runner to bring your food when its ready ...in my opinion it would be better with staff being allocated a number of tables with some back up staff to help out, but apparently they swop the staff round on a daily basis so they can cover all job.
I think given a month and it will run smooth when they get in their stride it must be daunting when you have very little experience waiting on and all of a sudden the place is doing over 300 covers a day.
Oh and by the way my Sirloin steak came as ordered and was very nice thank you lol

Re: New pub opening .
 

Been in there today and was pleasantly impressed. OK, it's never going to be a legendary English pub like Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem in Nottingham or Ye Olde White Hart in Hull, but it isn't meant to be. It is, however, smart, clean, comfortable and knobhead-free. The food looked very appetising, but I didn't partake today. Most importantly. the ale was excellent - Hobgoblin (4.5% ABV), a little pricey at £3.05, but an excellent pint. Bar staff were helpful and friendly too. No sooner had my empty glass hit the bar, than they were ready to pour another one. Will certainly call in again and may even take Mrs H for some nosebag when she comes up with me. Would be interested to see what sort of clientele they get in the evenings - can't see it being much of a local round there, but perhaps that's not their intention.

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Daft question :rolleyes:

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As per the Jimmy James song Mr H, it's all about timing.
:hidewall:

Re: New pub opening .
 

...or even Jimmy Jones. Actually, DtheP, if there's one (or two) persons I would have been happy to see in there, it would've been Les or Mick...fellow professional drinkers amidst the hordes of lunching families and businessmen! :D

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is there a telly:confused:

Re: New pub opening .
 

A drinker n a telly do NOT go in the same sentence.:rolleyes:

Re: New pub opening .
 

Or the same pub!

Re: New pub opening .
 

I've been with les and mick in the railway once and there is about 40 TVs on the wall, all switched on and showing a variety of programs.
None of us looked at them, we were too busy yapping.

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Even worse are the pubs with 'music' in the background.
It's usually teenage stuff and if you're even partly deaf it means you can't home in on what someone is saying, even with hearing aids in.
And nobody listens to it anyway!

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It's been posted on Facebook that its closed temporarily due to gypos setting up camp on the car park and causing trouble.

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It probably sneaked in. You should have told Philip the landlord as he does not allow the cat or dog in the bar when food is being served.
JB x

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I drove past the Brick pub at 3.15 and the staff were stood on the car park but no sign of caravans.
The car park was empty. Two men with what looked like long brushes were there but not doing anything.

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Back open tomorrow, there was quite a few motorhomes on there last night, but gone today. Hope the staff don't lose a days pay because of whoever caused the trouble.

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Only hearsay,but I heard there was a bit of trouble there involving the traveling community,a bit of damage has been done inside....we can't have sod all nowadays :rolleyes:

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I don't know how true it is, but I heard that there was trouble in Wetherspoons yesterday too.

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I heard about trouble with the gypsies at the new Brickworks pub and that they cleared their caravans, or whatever they dwell in, soon after.

Re: New pub opening .
 

As my old mate Wandering Walter Horan used to say "Water finds it's own level"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NETqsX0nqLo

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Quite right, Mr P, although I still maintain that you had Jimmy Jones in mind when you brought up the subject of timing. Incidentally, have you ventured into this new hostelry yet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmRG0Y5N8lg

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Just been in on a scouting mission before my grandkids arrive from Cincinnati Sunday. There is a GF menu Barrie.

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So, did you sample any of their ales, Mr P, and, if so, what was your verdict?

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Not yet Mr H... all in good time.

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Looks as though I will have to call in for a pint and check it out then.
Went to Blackburn Mall today - so tried lunch in Ed's Diner as they advertise Gluten Free. Once is enough, it was atrocious, the food, the service and the cost - it worked out more than a meal at Duckworth Hall and we only had burgers. The burgers were so compressed they were tougher than some steaks I have had.

Re: New pub opening .
 

Finally had our meal visit to the Brickworks and here is the result.

We both had the steak which was really nice along with some pepper sauce and garlic & mushroom. The whole meal was very nice and the staff do now seem to have settled in it seems. Beer was also fine with just one not up and running, so we have a very nice evening and the manager also had a chat.

The place was very busy with quite a few awaiting tables and we did chat over this being a really nice alternative to predictable Spoons. The Brickworks menu is quite extensive also having a second one for Pizzas if they push your boat. We wrapped up with a pud also excellent.

10/10 for this visit.

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Two pints of Lancaster Bomber last night Mr H no complaint.
Wainrights and Hobgoblin also sampled by my son and brother in law deemed OK too.

Definately a family pub. Staff were friendly and attentive. Minor hiccup with the Gluten Free servings coming with onion rings. Front of house manager couldn't have been anymore understanding, we weren't charged for their meals.

The way the place is set up including the astro turf kids play area is an ideal. Not a boozer for sure but Marstons have indeed created a great venue for Accrington.

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Just a bit of a follow up..
We have had a good number of opportunities to dine at The Brickworks for social, work and family gatherings and have really enjoyed the food and for me the Lancaster ale. We do find the staff really polite and the food nice but as it is proving so popular in the town inevitably sometimes you will have to wait for a table which in a way is a good sign of its success I guess. I see they rotate the lighter ale so this will change fairly regularly I am told, but the Lancaster Bomber was really nice we find and understand the manager chap monitors the quality closely. One thing that does really strike you about The Brickworks is they regularly clean the tables which can only be a good thing and applauded.

Top marks from us and its very popular with friends as well, I can only thank the staff for looking after us on our various visits and looking forward to our forthcoming party booking. This place holds the record for staff coming to ask me if my ale was ok!

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My brother drove us past the Brickworks a few times on our way to look round Church and Accy generally in August. I'm sure it will meet a lot of people's need for a good meal with drinks as well [ie not a restaurant with all the flummery that involves] but from the outside, it's a typical Chain/Roadhouse place and nothing like a "pub" as discussed back in June [p15].
Dave W

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hi Would you be the Jack Preston that I knew from Cunliffe TV Services Preston circa 1962-4 by any chance?

Tony Dilworth (Chorley)