The Crown at Worthington

I've had a busy couple of weeks. My brother got married, there was the Summer Fete and this week I've been testing my cake for Saturday's Clandestine Cake Club Bolton. I'm cream crackered. However, we have managed a fair bit of eating out during this period, mainly because I couldn't be bothered cooking! We went to the Crown at Worthington the day after my brother's wedding, when we were both feeling a bit ropey. A Sunday Roast was in order!

The Crown is just outside Standish near Wigan, and is about a 15 minute drive from Horwich. This is another family run business, headed by Tracy and Dan Prince. We've been going for a couple of years now, and go here on Christmas Day too. They champion home cooked food and a wide range of real ales. They even have a Real Ale Blog! They make a mean home made banger, fantastic hand crafted pies with traditional chips, you can pick your own steak at the famous Butcher's Block and they do an absolutely belting roast! You can choose whether to sit in the bar or restaurant and meals range from light snacks to belly busters.

We both had our favourite roast... a mix of beef, turkey and ham. It's massive. The picture really does not do it justice! Under that giant Yorkshire pud are roast and boiled potatoes and caramelised parsnips. It's also served with cabbage and carrot and swede mash.

Desserts include all your traditional favourites plus a few specials too. My husband had apple pie and custard and I had the waffles with maple syrup of the specials menu. The waffle is massive! I was a total greedy piglet warrior and polished the lot...

The Sunday Roast Menu is fantastic value at £12.95 for two courses or £15.95 for three (we paid a £2.50 supplement each to have the trio of meats). The menus are extensive at the Crown, and there are countless combinations you can choose from. For example they all come with different side choices and you can mix and match across menus. Granted, this is a little confusing on your first visit, but they are soon forgiven when you're full of lovely food. Here are the menus on offer!

The Crown Breakfast Menu

Sunday Roast Menu

The Lounge Bar Menu

Childrens Menu

The Famous Butcher’s Block

The Home Made Pie Shop

Al a Carte – Starters

Main Courses

Desserts

My only criticism is the service can be a little hit and miss. On the whole it's very good and the waitresses are excellent. I did overhear someone complaining about their meal behind us (I was being super nosy...) and I have to say the waitress could not have dealt with it any better. Things will inevitably go wrong at some point in most restaurants, it's just reassuring to know that they quickly act to put things right.

You can expect good quality home cooked food and award winning ales at the Crown. We like its relaxed atmosphere and countryside location. It's only a short journey from our house, but somehow feels like you've travelled much further because of its lovely surroundings. There's a deal on every night of the week, so there's always a bargain to be had. Give them a try!

Please leave a comment below...

Disclaimer: The Crown at Worthington have not paid me for this post. I went because I needed stodge, and lots of it.

Sanmini's, Ramsbottom

Sanmini's has been one of our favourite restaurants since about 2010. It had been awarded a 'three' in the Good Food Guide, so we were instantly intrigued. London's famous Indians Benares (Atol Kochhar) and Tamarind (Alfred Prasad) only scored a three and four respectively and they had caught the eyes of Michelin. We had to investigate!

Sanmini's is a family affair. Doctors and bankers by trade, the Sankar family run the entire operation, headed by mum and Managing Director Mini. The restaurant is tiny, but this is by no means a bad thing. The family are welcoming and friendly, and the whole experience feels like you are dining in their home (albeit one with waiter service and a menu).

The Sankar Family - photo from sanminis.com

It's positioned in the old gate house on Ramsbottom Lane. You enter via a side door and arrive in a small bar area. Next door is the dining room, which has just five tables so you must make a reservation at least a week or so in advance of the date you want to visit. The food is traditional South Indian, so please don't expect to see Chicken Tikka Massala on the menu, however the owners are happy to guide you through which dish might suit you if you are unsure. 

Poppadums are a bit special at Sanmini's. They are made from scratch on site and are served with the most amazing pickle tray ever. One is a spicy mix of potatoes, kidney beans and tomatoes which is served warm, the next is alike a tamarind concoction, there's a twist on mango chutney and a raita which tasted like it had a little mustard mixed in with it. I could eat the whole bowl of the one with kidney beans in!

Apologies for the quality of the pictures, but the lighting wasn't great!

Portion sizes are quite large at Sanmini's. Our starters (below) contained about as much meat as most mains! I had Chilli Chicken and my husband had Mutton Chukka Varuval, something he has been craving since the first time we visited.

Mutton Chukka Varuval

Chilli Chicken

The Chilli Chicken was really hot, so I ordered a mango lassi to extinguish some of the heat. This was gorgeous! Not too sweet, but thick and creamy. Perfect when on feugo.

Mango Lassi

For our mains we tried to get two contrasting dishes so we could have a good mixture. I had Kothu Kari Kozambhu which was a minced lamb dish with potatoes and my husband had Chettinad Chicken which was a spicy dish with a hint of coconut. It was served with freshly made chappatis and a side of lemon rice, which isn't something I've had before. It was very delicate and worked perfectly with the curries. The main difference between these dishes and your more recognisable curries is the depth of flavour. There are no thick, creamy sauces and no chilli ratings. Everything is cooked from scratch to your personal specification.

Chettinad Chicken

Kothu Kari Kozambhu

Lemon Rice

Chappatis

Now then. I'm going to upset the curry house die hards. There is no Funky Pie on the dessert menu. Wayne, Kev... I'm looking at you. And no, there's no Punky either. No trace whatsoever. Instead is a selection of traditional Indian desserts. All based around delicate fragrances rather than gloopy puddings. My dessert was similar to doughnuts in flavour and texture, and came with ice cream. My husband's was a cardamon infused milk pudding with vermicelli. It was very similar to rice pudding, but with more flavour and not as stodgy.

We were also particularly impressed that they even have their own ale these days! Nice touch.

I know we will be making a return visit to Sanmini's, as we haven't had a bad meal there yet. The service is attentive without being intrusive and their enthusiasm for food is apparent at every course. They even offered to pack up the rest of my main course which I couldn't manage. Yes, I did go on to have a dessert. What's your point?

Go to Sanmini's if you want a different type of dining experience. Lovely people, fantastic food, great atmosphere. Perfect.

Please leave your own comments below x

Disclaimer: Sanmini's did not pay me to do this review. I went there because I needed light at the end of the tunnel after organising the Horwich Summer Fete. It was the perfect wind-down.

Meal Planning Monday

Evening all. I'm a little late today with the old meal planning because I've been cooking. Not baking, actually cooking! Shock, horror! I have had such a manic week! It was the Summer Fete on Saturday, so I didn't have time to do much over the weekend other than run round like a crazed fool.

So, this will be short and sweet as time is of the essence. Plus I need to send out the email for Clandestine Cake Club July. The to do list just gets longer...

So, here we are! I'm still trying to eat healthily during the week, but I'm not as hung up about losing weight now. I have to say that because I ate six biscuits today and fear the scales...

Monday: Turkey stew
Tuesday: Jacket potato with a little cheese and a dollop of M&S low fat coleslaw. I'm testing my cake club cake so I need something speedy!
Wednesday: Chicken with vegetables and gravy
Thursday: Home made beef burgers with skinny fries
Friday: Out at the Comedy Club so not entirely sure!
Saturday: Cake club day. I'm going to be honest with you. I usually crave chips after cake club. I am sure there is scientific method behind my madness! The savoury balances the ridiculous amount of sweet cake I consume...
Sunday: Brewdog in Manchester. The husband is craving a spot of ale...

So there you have it. Good during the week, abhorrent at the weekend!