Provenance Food Hall & Restaurant, Westhoughton

Bolton is a big town - after living here for 9 years there are many parts of it that I have still not been to.   

One of the things I love about living here is that despite its size, it has a strong community spirit. So when somewhere new and exciting opens, word spreads like wildfire. 

I have been hearing great things about Provenance Food Hall & Restaurant in Westhoughton since they opened in the summer of 2015.   

They are obviously doing something right because they have been featured in the 2017 Good Food Guide, putting Westhoughton firmly on the foodie map.

On the ground floor is the food hall - a veritable smorgasbord of high quality produce that is heaven for any food lover.  

Cheeses, pastries, steaks... how have I not been here before!  This is what Bolton has been crying out for - what I wouldn't give to have this range of locally sourced delicacies near home.

You have to pass through the food hall to reach the restaurant upstairs so you arrive drooling, ready for something special.

We arrived early for lunch but this proved no trouble for the helpful team at Provenance who seated us in our own corner of the bright and modern eatery, overlooking the busy Market Street.

Now that we are parents, the facilities in a restaurant are even more important than before - we were given a very good high chair for our daughter and there is a communal area outside the toilets with baby changing.  This is such a fantastic idea that I wish more places offered rather than making parents change their children in the disabled toilet.

Homemade Chilli Hummus with bread
Rustic and chunky with a kick, our shared starter got us off on the right foot.  Like a spicy guacamole, it perfectly fulfilled my current obsession for avocado based dishes.

Beazley Sausage & Mash with Crushed Peas

What a revelation.  Somewhere that offers an exciting and diverse children's menu!

My daughter polished this dish off in record time. Easily the best restaurant meal she has ever had - I could not be more impressed with the quality of the ingredients, especially the sausages.  We switched out the green beans for peas which proved no fuss at all for the very accommodating Provenance team.

The sausage was so good that we bought some from the Food Hall to take home.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger, Homemade Beans, Fries

Hannah ordered the chicken burger which was to die for.  Sweet and succulent on a brioche bun.

The surprise star of the dish are the 'tomatoey' beans.  Superb.

Beef Burger, Gem Lettuce, Beef Tomato, Gherkins, Tomato Relish, Treacle Cured Bacon, Lancashire Cheese with fries

Just what a burger lover wants.  The best produce used to create a classic taste.  You can really taste the difference with such good ingredients.

This is exactly the kind of place I love - somewhere that values high quality local produce, a family friendly environment and excellent customer service.  

It was so good that we took home 3 vanilla slices, a chocolate brownie, some sausages and a couple of steaks!

If you are taking the family out for a bite to eat, go here, you won't regret the trip to Westhoughton.  We are already planning our return to try the Chateaubriand and enjoy one of their live piano evenings. 

The White Swan, Fence by Hannah

This weekend we went out for a drive to try somewhere new. I always say if in doubt, drive north... that's where the best hidden gems are at!

There are some amazing places to eat in Fence. We've had some brilliant meals in the past around these parts, but in dire need of a pit stop to feed my baby's hungry tum we stumbled across The White Swan which from the outside looked very unassuming... However, the food was out of this world.

Here is the run down...

Fresh bread and homemade butter

Warm and yummy. The butter was light and mousse like.

Organic glazehill lamb shepherd's pie, glazed shallots

Rich and heart warming, under the mash lay some gorgeously slow cooked lamb in a rich gravy.

Sticky ox-tongue, marrowbone, roots and pickles

Gorgeous meat which contrasted well with the sharp flavours of the roots and pickles.

Dexter beef fillet, red wine sauce, triple cooked chips and Bearnaise sauce

Glazehill organic lamb, roscoff onions, onion and lemon marmalade, wild garlic

Both pieces of meat were to die for, perfectly pink and melt in the mouth. The lamb came with mash and the beef with chips, both with a deep silky gravy.

Yorkshire rhubarb, panacotta, blood orange and sasparilla

A pretty, light and cleansing end to the meal. 

The only minor criticism I had was that the mains didn't come with any greens. However, the meal came with lots of extra bonuses like the bread and homemade butter and some gorgeous homemade truffles at the end so all is forgiven.

We chatted to the people sat next to us who drive an hour from Southport regularly just to eat here. Says it all, it's definitely an eatery worth a long drive.

Quick run down of the facilities. The White Swan were very accommodating seeing as we rolled up unannounced on a Saturday lunchtime with a baby in tow. They have a variety highchairs, the wooden ones and those you strap to a chair with a tray. I didn't spot a kiddies menu but I'd brought my daughter's food with us and in a rush to get her fed I didn't think to ask. There was space for changing in the ladies and we had a little boogie to the music playing in the loos.

Overall we had an unexpected and fabulous lunch out, a really chilled experience and the attention to detail was second to none. The service was excellent, the staff are absolutely lovely.

I'd love to come back to try the tasting menu and the homemade spirits. 

Its no wonder they've won a Michelin Bib Gourmand, Two Rosettes, a place in the Good Food Guide and Lancashire Life Dining Pub of the Year 2016. 

They are having a Lancashire tapas night this month... I hope we can go... sounds like a match made in heaven!