The Farmer's Arms, Bolton

I love burgers. Fact.

Not just any burger.  I'm not talking about the kind of burger you get from a drive thru' that only tastes good to after a heavy night out.  

What I really want is the pulled pork, onion ring stacker, stick a bit of chicken on it, smother it in cheese and perhaps even a dash of barbecue sauce kind of burger.  You know what I mean... you just can't help salivating at the sheer enormity of it but you don't want to take a bite because it looks so damn good.

Normally I have to head into Manchester to find something unique but thankfully there is an unassuming place here in Bolton where burger dreams come true. 

Jon Jones, who featured on Masterchef: The Professionals and previously of SoLiTa, opened The Farmer's Arms at the end of June 2013 and has steadily been revitalising the food reputation of the town.

From the outside you may be fooled into thinking this place was just a pub. But once you enter the doors you'll find a creative menu, a board packed with specials, friendly service and brilliant value which will make you want to visit time and again.  

This lunchtime, I decided to take a couple of my Horwich based buddies to grab a bite and play a game of pool or two.  We met up at The Farmer's, which had a fair few customers in, and were warmly welcomed by Jon who was excited to tell us about his latest creation.  

This was his brand new 'Asian Burger'. I couldn't resist, I ordered it without even considering anything else, as did my friend Pete.  
The dish combines my two all time favourite food loves: burgers and Chinese.  

On top of the usual 1/4lb cheeseburger there is a spiced pork patty, a chilli and beansprout 'slaw' and prawn crackers!  With the addition of Hoi Sin barbecue sauce and a coriander cream.

You may think this sounds like a crazy combination of flavours but it works.  It really works. Sweet potato fries and a balsamic salad were the perfect accompaniments and make this easily one of my favourite burgers.

My other mate, Dave, went for 'The Hangover' which looked like the mother of all breakfasts on a burger.  Tasty sausage, an egg and creamy black pudding left him satisfied but sadly didn't help improve his skills on the Farmer's Arms pool table.  

We were all pretty buzzing and then we discovered that the pub has Strongbow Dark Fruit on draught which is a rarity in itself.  

The place is not a one trick burger pony either.  

If you're not one for dabbling then the Farmer's have a choice of pub favourites and fantastic puddings. 

They also host regular 'theme' nights too.  Last week we had the pleasure to attend their 'Mad Hatter's Tea Party' where I met fellow Farmer's Arms enthusiast and blogger Dollybakes (check out her blog here). We had three courses back-to-front with choices including bacon and barbecue sauce profiteroles, lamb dinner with liqourice gravy, and doughnut with Nutella burgers for dessert!

Thank the burger God! Bolton has a pub with food that goes way beyond the usual tavern fayre. It works well as both a friendly lunch time hangout and a great dinner destination.

This place is like a mythical land of unusual concoctions. If you want something you've never tried before then come here. The Farmer's think outside the box, sometimes venturing into outer space in terms of creativity. I've never had a bad meal here and you won't be disappointed. 

Easily the best burgers in Bolton!