I crossed off an ambition recently by designing a pub sign (logo and branding) for The Shoulder of Mutton up in Ramsbottom. I was commissioned for photography too which is great as I really wanted to integrate the two to produce a whole package. Head Chef Chris Yates has returned home after a year or so with a brand new grazing menu. The cynics amongst you may cry bias at this review but the dishes looked so good that we had to return on Friday as paying customers. (I rarely eat when working). In any case I've previously said that I think Chris is one of the best chefs in the North West and these small plates below were the most accomplished food we've ever had at The Shoulder.
The guy who reviewed this first is obviously a muppet. Chorley is around 20 miles from Holcombe which is in fact in Ramsbottom. The pub is now back to it's best after new ownership and a refurb. Beer is good, always busy with a real quality fire. Food is good too. Great location with a superb Indian facing. Give it a go.
John guy is clearly a fantasist, for example he has the address wrong, holcombe is no where near chorley. I live in the village and drink in the pub and would have heard had this happened, be assured it did not. He is also lying about the prices, the shoulder is about £12, although I can't be exact. The food is good, homemade, locally sourced and reasonably priced. The staff are lovely and the chef, who in reality is a very nice unassuming chap, and incidentally only part owner. I really would reccomend lunch in front of the log fire. The question is which other local eating establishment do we think john guy owns, answers on a postcard please!
This was a special occasion, so we wanted somewhere that would be a nice treat, and we'd heard plenty of wonderful things about The Shoulder of Mutton in Bury, so we decided to give it a try. The first thing you notice as you come through pretty Holcombe Village is that the venue looks like a classic large pub. There's good parking, but I imagine that gets busy quickly. It also has picnic tables just off the car-park area, ideal for if it's a sunny day and you fancy a drink in the sunshine. As we walked in, it was interesting to spot that this was a "doggy pub", ie dogs were allowed in the venue with their owners. Some might find this unsettling, but we personally found it great! It was nice to see dogs lounging around relaxing, getting petted by the other customers. We were told that they sometimes have to put a limit on how many dogs are allowed, as sometimes it can get quite dog-busy if you've got the walkers coming in after a long trek with Rex and Poppy! In looking for the restaur
The black pudding was beneath a thyme hash brown, and pancetta with a dippy egg. The combination of tastes was excellent: like a miniature world-class breakfast. The soufflé was smooth with a strong rich taste.
We were so impressed with the taster menu from chef Chris Yates at the Shoulder of Mutton in Ramsbottom that we returned. Also, I've been making a little sideline in selling photos occasionally. People seem to like them and they help to fund a pretty expensive hobby. In this case I swapped a set of pics for Chris's new taster menu, a very fair swap I'd say. I don't know how this will effect the ethics of this blog post. I'm sure someone else who has a better grasp of morality will let me know, but I do believe that transparency is always the best policy, then you can make your own minds up.
In any case, I've already said that I think Chris Yates is one of the best chefs in the North West and this just confirmed what we already thought. He's not even thirty yet either. In my opinion this was Michelin star level food, it's as simple as that really. I can definitely see stars in their future, if they decide to go that way. They're happy at the moment serving great pub food too.
The Shoulder of Mutton had been on my 'to eat' list for quite a while, even before I started this website. But with one thing and another, it had slipped from my mind. After a brief spell at Northcote , chef Chris Yates has returned and is now the full owner. I'd heard very good things. Franco, owner of Solita reckons he's one of the most talented chefs in the north west. So we were really excited to visit on Sunday. It was a beautiful spring day and we really did see Ramsbottom at its very best, embarrassingly I've never even been there before, even though it's only half an hour up the motorway. We were first in the group of people waiting for it to open. First impressions were excellent, a lovely warm welcome from FOH and a seat by the fire. Lots of dogs too, which I always judge a pub by.
Whilst browsing the main menu a dish caught my eye. Intrigued by ‘Slow Cooked Parsnip, Maple And Soy’ I ordered it as an extra starter. A wise decision, it was as fascinating as it sounds. In fact it’s one of the most interesting dishes i’ve eaten this year. The parsnips had a lovely texture having been slow cooked but it was all about the flavour, the sweetness of maple syrup comes through but was perfectly balanced by the umani rich soy. The seemingly odd accompaniment of savoury granola and pink grapefruit worked well, an unusual but successful flavour combination.
To start, I selected the Lancashire Black Pudding Two Ways. If there’s one on the menu, I will more often than not order the black pudding dish – this was the best black pudding dish I’ve ever eaten.
First visit back in around a year, fantastic as always and the new menu is divine. Great value for money, fast service and general all round good atmosphere!
We had the goats cheese bon bons and ribs to start, the ribs were phenomenal and I recommend to anyone visiting. We then had the chicken burger (with aspen fries) and fish and chips. Fish was super fresh and the burger incredibly tasty.
First time visit 😀
We were made welcome the moment we walked through the door by the lovely woman behind the bar.
We ordered drinks and food.
Service was on point by both ladies who were working today.
Food was lovely and filling.
It was quite busy, they worked really hard this afternoon.
We shall definitely visit again for a bite to eat.
Thank you for making us welcome and for the perfect service ladies 😊
Lovely place to eat. The food was so amazing omg. My burger was to die for. 100% would recommend if you’re in the area. Beef burger was tasty. My grandma had the soup of the day which was Tomato and Chickpea she enjoyed that too. Lovely outside seating area too especially if the weather is nice. Umbrellas available on the benches.
Just had a wonderful meal with the family who were visiting from Liverpool and Australia. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I had the Pommes Anna which was absolutely delicious, I did get food envy over the shoulder of lamb though, so I'll order that next time. Thanks again for lovely service and fantastic food 😊
Gareth Lewis (Maths Tuition)
+5
Popped in here to give my clutch time to cool down after driving up the rake. If you’re coming up the hill with the 25% gradient sign, ask yourself what the steepest gradient you’ve driven up before was. The rake is a long hill as well, which wasn’t clear from the signage. OK in some vehicles, very far from ideal in mine.
Anyway, the door was open and they’ve welcomed me and let me sit here for over an hour even though they only opened 15 minutes ago at 12 so I’d rate them 6 stars if I could.
Food ordered and good music on so I’m happy but the hill was traumatic enough that it might be a while before I’m back!
We had a fabulous evening celebrating my daughter's birthday. The food was excellent and the staff were lovely. A big shout out to Ashley who looked after us all and compliments to the chef.
Great that this place has gone back to being a good pub - serving good beers and good food 🙂
Will definitely be back soon to try another dish!!
Had a great meal at this place recently, very busy on a Sunday but we managed to squeeze in! Nice vegetarian options, accomodating staff, big portions. My only suggestion for improvements would be better non-alcoholic drinks options.
Cannot recommend this place enough. 10 of us dined their last night and it was excellent.
All of us loved our meals varying from soup of the day to scallops to fillet steak which was absolutely delicious.
The staff were attentive and friendly and explained they didn’t have some of the drinks we wanted as it was a growing and developing venture.
Support local businesses and enjoy the experience.
We will return.
We returned to the pub for a late lunch after a walk. Four of us enjoyed a drink, the food was a little delayed but we were warned it would be as the pub was busy. We had sticky spare ribs- delicious !! followed by traditional pies- beef for me with a flaky crust, cheese and onion for 2 of us and a burger all served with fat chips and nice steamed vegetables. Everyone was happy with the quality, quantity and service.
It’s only been open about 3 weeks but we will be visiting again. Great pub in the heart of this interesting little village.
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