Longlands Inn and Restaurant

The bar has a good selection, including familiar beers and local options. We tried the hand-pulled Black Sheep bitter. We also ordered the beer-battered haddock and pan-fried salmon, and both were cooked really well with great flavour. We’d happily recommend either dish. It can get busy, so we were lucky to find a table; booking ahead is a good idea.

We went midweek at about 3pm and were almost the only people there, so booking through the website in advance wasn’t really necessary. The staff were amazing and so friendly, and our large salads were genuinely large, tasty, and made with good-quality produce. We brought our dog, too. It’s a lovely-looking place inside, with a bar and a big outdoor area, though I didn’t explore the whole site. There’s a dessert selection by the entrance; we didn’t try anything, but it all looked great. Prices seemed reasonable, though they add a 10% tip to the bill because of the cashless society we now live in. The location is handy, just off the M6 and opposite Greenland's Farm, with a big car park and the canal more or less alongside it for a walk before adding those calories back on. I can imagine it gets busy in summer or at weekends. We’d definitely come back.

The meal itself had some real highlights: the fish and chips and black pudding starter were 10/10, and we were celebrating a special birthday. But service let us down, just as it did on our visit a few weeks earlier. Last time we had to ask for the dessert menu while the waitresses were standing around on their phones. This time, some of our party arrived early for coffee, and the cups sat on the table until we asked for them to be cleared after a second round of drinks. No one asked how we wanted the steak cooked. One of the six meals arrived so late that everyone else had nearly finished. They took it off the bill, and two waitresses we spoke to were apologetic, but the response from another after we chased it was less than professional. Dessert was disappointing too. The custard with the treacle tart had split. The waiter offered a new tart, though it wasn’t clear why they’d replace the custard but not the ruined tart. The brownie, listed as warm, was cold. When we raised it, they reheated the same brownie and put the same ice cream back on the plate, now nearly melted. By that point we’d given up. It could have been a great experience, which makes it all the more disappointing.

The team were really friendly, smiling and carrying on even though they had more guests than expected for a Tuesday night. Big thanks to them!