The Longs Arms

Steeple Ashton

High Street

Steeple Ashton

01380 870245

www.thelongsarms.co.uk

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs lunch served 12-2pm, closed 3-6pm, dinner 6.30-9.30pm; Fri/Sat open and food served all day, Sun food served 12-2.30pm, drinks til late

Parking: Small car park or on street

Our ratings:

Food: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

TripAdvisor rating:

AFTER a particularly tricky week at work, a colleague and I decided we deserved a treat for lunch, so headed out to Steeple Ashton, where I’d heard good things about the food at the Longs Arms.

As usual, word of mouth proved the best recommendation and we weren’t disappointed.

There was a fire burning in one half of the room when we went in, and we eyed the early birds who had bagged the tables near it enviously. But there was plenty of space in the other half of the pub, which was still warm and toasty, and we tucked ourselves away in a corner to admire the traditional decor and peruse the menu and specials board.

It was just the sort I like, not so long you feel swamped but not so short you can’t find anything you like - in fact I’d happily have eaten almost everything on there. I was also pleased to see, having a coeliac in the family, that there was ample GF choices too.

My colleague, being a bit of a beer man, had eagerly grabbed a pint of Wadworth 6X at the bar and now opted for the 6X Steak pie, with chips of course, at £16.

I took a little longer to decide, but eventually pitched on the fish pie, also £16, from the specials board, which promised chunks of a variety of fish in a rich sauce with a potato topping, and sounded just like the sort of substantial dish I was hoping for.

We fell silent while eating, because food this scrummy deserves respect.

The pie was pronounced one of best he’d tasted recently, with crisp pastry, an abundance of delicious beer-laden gravy and well cooked chunks of steak which fell apart in the mouth.

The accompanying chips also got the thumbs up, being proper chunks of potato, crisp on the outside and floury within, perfect for dunking in gravy.

The fish pie was equally delicious but very very hot - I had to let it cool a bit to appreciate the flavours. I like my food well seasoned so was quite happy with the mix of cheese and some smoked fish, which might make it too salty for millennial - or health conscious - tastes.

The pie came with peas, and both meals arrived with a generous helping of vegetables, so much so that we found ourselves unable to finish them all.

In the break between finishing our mains and waiting for pudding, as we both agreed these just had to be sampled in the light of what we’d already eaten, we looked round the pub.

The Longs Arms is clearly is well used by locals. A group at a nearby table looked like an impromptu meeting of the local branch of the NFU, while elsewhere some redoubtable ladies were discussing their Christmas decoration plans, which seemed to include pillaging nearly woodland for holly WITH BERRIES and mistletoe.

The treacle tart, £7, and sticky toffee pudding, £6.75, both hit the spot as well as the mains. I love treacle tart and if it hadn’t been for the fact that I was already full of pie, would have liked a larger portion.

The sticky toffee also won acclaim from someone who rates this as one of his top three favourite desserts.

Our meal cost £51.65 with a round of drinks, excellent value for such excellent fare.

ALISON PHILLIPS