The Ribble Valley is a famous destination for food lovers, and there are many great cafés and restaurants and lots of local producers. Here are some of our favourites.
Pubs and evening meals
The Red Pump – Bashall Eaves (200 metres)
This is our favourite place of all – and only two minutes’ walk from the cottage. Fran and Jonathan run the Pump, which is part of the estate and has been at the heart of village life for more than a century. They specialise in steak, and are one of only three places outside London you can get the famous Ginger Pig steaks. They also have lots of other great things on the menu, including some inspired by Fran’s family’s Irish recipes. The Red Pump is a great place for a slap-up meal, a pub lunch or just hanging out with the locals and trying some local beer.
The Inn at Whitewell — Whitewell (4 miles)
This is in the next-door village – about a 10-minute drive (or a strenuous but beautiful bike ride over the fell) and is probably the most famous restaurant in the area – known for its excellent food and drink, as well as its beautiful location. In the evenings, you can choose between bar suppers and eating in the dining room.
The Parker’s Arms – Newton-in-Bowland (7 miles)
About a 15 minutes drive over the fell, the Parker’s Arms has an excellent reputation – in 2016 it was listed in the National Restaurant Award’s top 100 restaurants in the UK, as well as in the top 50 gastropubs in the UK. Their game pie is especially good. It has a cozy inside and a huge garden with excellent views over Easington Fell.
The Three Fishes — Mitton (3 miles)
This is about a ten minute drive from Bashall in the tiny hamlet of Mitton, opposite the beautiful 12th century All Hallows church – parish church of Mitton and Bashall Eaves. It has an excellent reputation for great food.
Northcote – Langho (9 miles)
Our local Michelin starred restaurant, this is about a 20 minutes drive on the way to Preston. Book in advance.
The Swan with Two Necks – Pendleton (6.5 miles)
Just the other side of Clitheroe, this is in the lovely village of Pendleton. It’s a good place to stop off before or after walks on Pendle. It has a great range of beers, always doing well in the CAMRA awards (it was CAMRA national pub of the year in 2014, and a finalist in 2016). It does good food too.
The Hark to Bounty – Slaidburn (8 miles)
A charming 16th century inn which doubled as the courtroom for the area until the 1930s. They have great food and a reputation for a wide range of interesting beers.
The Wellsprings – Pendle (6.5 miles)
Not so famous for excellent food as the other places on the list, this is the place to come for fantastic panoramic views from the side of Pendle. It does decent Mexican and Spanish food.
The Angel at Hetton — Hetton (25 miles)
A bit further afield in the Yorkshire Dales, this is particularly famous for its Sunday lunches.
Cafes
Bashall Barn – Bashall Town (1.5 miles)
This is our local coffee shop – not actually in Bashall Eaves but in Bashall Town, a tiny hamlet which was originally part of the Bashall estate. It has a great cafe with homemade cakes and coffee as well as a restaurant. They also have excellent homemade ice cream. There’s a lovely walk through the fields (see walking section).
Puddleducks – Dunsop Bridge (6.5 miles)
Very popular with walkers and cyclists, Puddleducks does great cakes and lunches.
The apricot meringue – Clitheroe (4 miles)
This is our mum’s favourite café in Clitheroe.
The Pottery Barn – Ribchester (8 miles)
Really friendly place with great lunches.
The Tebay services - between junctions 38 and 39 on the M6 (55 miles)
It’s probably not worth a special trip here, but if you’re travelling to or from the north lakes or Scotland, this is a great place to break your journey. It’s the only service station in the UK that’s family owned, and they source most of their ingredients from local farms. There’s a good farm shop and butcher counter. The savoury pies in particular are excellent – I recommend the beef growler.
Local producers
There’s a lot of food and drink produced in the Ribble Valley and the Forest of Bowland and you can get it from many outlets around here – try Booths (see shopping) and Bashall Barn. Here are some places you might like to check out:
Bowland beer
This used to be produced at the Bashall Barn – but it grew so successful that it had to move to bigger premises in Clitheroe. They’re now in Greenacre St and you can do tours on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The Pump always has at least one Bowland ale on, as do many pubs round here, and you can buy their beer in a lot of places, including Booths. My favourite is the Hen Harrier.
Mrs Dawson’s
Mrs Dawson is famous for ice cream, and you can visit the farm on which the ice cream is made (which includes lambs as well as the cows that provide the ice-cream milk) at Clayton-le-Dale, on the way to Preston.
Cowman’s Sausage Shop
If you like sausages, this shop, on Castle St, is not to be missed.
