The Fishpool Inn

Gastro Pub

Yesterday I went out for a walk with some friends in Delamere Forest, the sun was shining, and the air was fresh and what better way to end a crisp walk than with hearty pub meal.

The Fishpool Inn is a cosy gastro-pub nestled in the stunning Cheshire countryside which serves local real ales, fine wines and with an open fronted kitchen where the chefs freshly prepare food using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients.

The ambience is a contemporary class with a traditional rustic charm. A friendly face greets you, and for those of you who require it, it also has a dog-friendly section where they offer doggy treats and a bowl of water for your furry friends.

Gastro Pub

Traditional Ale

We wanted to sample some of the local ale at The Fishpool Inn, but they were out of the Cheshire Cat, so we had Eastgate instead. This was a light drink which leant more towards a bitter rather than an ale but was enjoyable nonetheless, and at £3.90 a pint wasn’t too bad.

Starters

As we had just begun eating at The Fishpool Inn, we had the Salmon and haddock fishcakes, served with a lemon and caper mayonnaise, house dressed rocket (£6.95) it also came with a sweet chilli jam that wasn’t listed on the menu but was delicious. The fishcake had proper lumps of haddock and salmon and wasn’t just full of potato like most fishcakes disappointingly are. This was a delight!

We also had the Muncaster crab and smoked salmon parcel, tempura langoustine, baby caper salsa, lemon dressing and dressed frisee (ÂŁ7.95). This mouth-watering combination was a definite winner. The baby caper salsa was fantastic and really set off this light dish.

Mains

For our main course at The Fishpool Inn, allow me start off with the glazed and roasted pork in two styles. This was a caramelised belly and roasted loin, which was served with red cabbage purée, crispy polenta croquettes, thyme and honey roots and Calvados sauce (£16.95). The meat was cooked to perfection, and the consistency of the Calvados sauce was spot-on, so rich and creamy. My only criticism of this dish is that I think mash would have been a better accompaniment than the polenta, however, regardless of this, the entire dish was delicious.

The monkfish and tiger prawn brochettes were a highlight of the evening. It was served with Szechuan stir-fried vegetables, sesame rice noodles and sweet and sour chilli (ÂŁ16.95). This impressive dish was so fresh, and the fish was cooked beautifully. The sauce had a little bit of a kick, it was nice and not too spicy (although it probably could have taken a little more chilli if I am honest).

We ordered the fillet of hake which was accompanied by roasted artichokes, sunblush tomato, black olive tapenade and romesco sauce (ÂŁ16.50). The hake was meaty, and the salty, olive flavour of the tapenade went really well with this dish.

What can I say about the baked lasagne other than Bellissimo! It was cheesy, rich and ragu-ey – everything you expect from some home-comfort lasagne. This was served with a simple rocket, cherry tomato and parmesan salad with aged balsamic vinegar and garlic bread (£12.95). Simply wonderful.

We also had a couple of sides of chips (£3.50), which need a special mention… amazingly fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Just how fries should be cooked!

Dessert

We ordered two portions of the hot buttermilk waffles, one served with caramelised bananas, salted caramel sauce and banoffee ice cream and the other came with caramelised orange segments, Grand Marnier syrup and Cointreau ice cream. Both were delicious; however, I do wish I had swapped the ice cream on the orange one for chocolate as the ice cream was too much of a sorbet and didn’t really go with a waffle – to my mind it requires a creamier texture. The orange pieces were lovely, but the orange ice cream made the dish a little too fresh.

The warm double chocolate brownie was a little disappointing. It came with chocolate sauce, and we swapped out the vanilla ice cream for chocolate, but the brownie itself was dry and stodgy.
The chocolate knickerbocker glory also came with double chocolate brownie pieces, chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, and again the stodgy brownie pieces let this dessert down.

All the desserts were ÂŁ6.25

Ratings:

Food – 9

Price – 7

Service 7

Recommendation

All in all, the food was amazing at The Fishpool Inn! Our only criticism was that the service was extremely slow, however, it was jam-packed, so that is understandable. If you are planning a walk in the forest or are visiting the area, I would definitely recommend a visit to this traditional, characterful inn in Delamere, Cheshire. Just remember to book ahead.

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