St. Helens
Inglenook Farm

Inglenook Farm

Moss Nook Lane, St. Helens, United Kingdom

Cafés • Coffee • Seafood • Ice Cream


"Got to the farm with friends and our kids for a lovely day out and was very disappointing. There were hardly any animals for the kids to see on comparison to the greenslate farm in billinge we went to a few days ago. Then we...went to the cafe as it was very hot to get some lunch and ice cream for the kids. Got told no ice cream so we said jokingly ok well do you have done sort drinks with ice, that will do us and got told no we don't do ice. Strange. But anyway we sat down for lunch and ordered food and drinks. First bad sign was the dirty cup they tried to give my friend which still had coffee in it from the last person who had drank it, and the fact they assumed I didn't want milk in my tea so I had to share my boyfriend's. Anyway 40 mins later we are still waiting for our food despite asking about it twice. The food was two bowls of chips, a breakfast barm and I got mushroom stroganoff off the specials board, noone of which should take that long. That prompted my friend who had been waiting 40 mins for two bowls of chips for her and her daughter to complain. The lady who was very lovely then apologised and said it was because they are very busy, and gave us a free soft drink each. Had they been the end we would have been satisfied with this remedy as she had gone out her way for us. However when the food did come we were again upset. My boyfriend's barm was slightly burned, the chips were actually fries that tastes of chip fat and worst of all the mushroom stroganoff that i paid £7 for was actually a very very small bowl of mushrooms in a bit of a liquid sauce. And a small bread roll with no butter.i am not exaggerating that was it. Not even a bit of an onion or rice or anything. Me and my fella only had £20 for the whole weekend and it was just wasted and I hadn't seen my friend for a long time so was really embarrassed that everyone was complaining even her five old daughter. I have to say as well the lady I mentioned before was lovely the whole way through and seemed sad we had a bad experience. However the other waitress had a bit of an attitude as well which is terrible. My boyfriend asked this one, excuse me, that's not stroganoff, it's a bowl of mushrooms. She replied with did it not have a sauce I should go into the business of seeking mushrooms and water for seven quid I would make a killing. Don't remember the last time I've been that upset with somewhere I have been compelled to leave a bad review."

Derby Arms Rainford

Derby Arms Rainford

47 Church Road, St. Helens, United Kingdom, WA11 8EZ

Meat • Steak • Salads • Cheese


"While visiting family I went for lunch with my Mum and Sister. We normally go to The Star Inn in Rainford but we arrived to find that they don’t do food on a Tuesday so the barman recommended trying The Derby (a pub none of us had been in). On walking into the Derby the first thing you notice is the delicious smell of food and the faces of smiling, friendly staff. The two main rooms were busy but still plenty of tables to choose from in the bar area. We were given our menus and the drinks order was taken almost immediately after sitting down. The menus (main menu, lunch menu, specials menu) offer a wide variety of meals to suit all budgets and tastes. I had the Spanish Tortilla topped with Brie and Red Onion Chutney served with salad and a side of chips to share. It was absolutely delicious and I particularly liked the Brie on top which I’ve never tried on a Tortilla. The chips were perfectly crispy. My mum had the Strips of Chicken Breast in a peppercorn sauce with chips, rice and veg. She throughly enjoyed her meal although the large portions (especially of chicken) proved to be too much for her so they kindly put the remainder in a foil container to take home. My sister had a very light lunch of Tomato and Bell Pepper soup (and shared my fries) which she said was the best she’d ever had and she loved the chips too. We were all extremely pleased with everything about the Derby including the beautifully kept and very clean ladies toilets. Highly recommended and we will definitely be returning."

Houghwood

Houghwood

Billinge Hill, Crank Road, WA11 8RL, St. Helens, United Kingdom

Full • Steak • British • Breakfast


"We visited the Houghwood Golf Club restaurant as part of an 80th birthday celebration. This was my second time here, as we previously visited four years ago for another occasion. The first thing to note is as I played no part in booking the venue, I cannot comment on prices etc. However, I can comment on the experience. I ordered the soup of the day, Sunday Roast (beef) and chocolate mousse in advance. All three courses were absolutely lovely. The soup was very tasty, the beef was succulent and the chocolate mousse was lovely and rich. Some people in our group noted that the beef was slightly rarer than they expected, however it was by no means undercooked. The food was also presented very nicely and food arrived at our table in a very timely, considering the staff were catering for virtually a full restaurant of us simultaneously. The staff waiting-on were also friendly and attentive to our needs. The venue itself is also beautifully presented. It has scenic views over the golf course and the restaurant itself has a nice ambiance to it. The restaurant is very spacious and ideal for large groups. There was also plenty of parking available. If I had to make some criticisms, I would say that the gent's toilets could have done with a refurbishment and the location itself is a little off the beaten track, so it can be difficult to get to if you're not familiar with the area. However, these really are minor gripes and it should be pointed out that whilst the toilets were a little old, they were kept very clean. Overall, this place is extremely difficult to fault, which is why I have given it a 5* review. The food and service made for an enjoyable experience all round and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place as a suitable establishment for any occasion."

Manor Farm

Manor Farm

Mill Lane, Rainhill, St. Helens, United Kingdom, L35 6NE

Soup • Steak • Salads • Cheese


"The waitress/manager greeted us with ‘have you booked?’ And ‘I’ll be two seconds’. There was no polite greeting. She looked at the end of her tether and I felt a level of sympathy for her. She was slightly rude to my husband when he asked where we should wait and spoke to him as if he was an irritating child but quickly snapped out of it when he gave her the look! She seated us but didn’t give us a run through and I had to ask if we helped ourself to drinks. She was rushing around delivering plates of food but finally took our order. We had a long wait but we could see the kitchen was very busy. There seemed to be a problem with poached eggs. My order finally came with bacon, I didn’t want, no baked beans, fried egg instead of poached and black pudding I didn’t want. The bacon was removed after she checked I wasn’t allergic but I didn’t mention the other errors. The food was really good. The orange juice was lovely and there was an extensive range of hot drinks that were excellent. The toaster was efficient. We had a pain au chocolate each, which was good too. I think the main problem was lack of staff because it was manic. There was plenty of choice and fruit and cereals so a longish wait wouldn’t be a problem if some of the social niceties had been observed. The waiter seemed a lot calmer but unhappy about the lack of poached eggs for his customers!"

Sticky Wicket Grub

Sticky Wicket Grub

Ruskin Drive, WA10 4NQ, St. Helens, United Kingdom

Full • Steak • British • Healthy


"We hired a room for a 21st birthday at the weekend and it was nothing but hassle from the beginning. Staff were so rude and unhelpful. As soon as we mentioned not using their caterers they become so blunt with us, told us we had to take all of our rubbish on the night! The reason we use our own caterers was due to their rule of ordering the same amount of guests as food per head, which is very restrictive considering there is always drop outs… just seems like money grabbing. I rang to check if I could drop some decorations off the evening before including balloons as it was a surprise birthday so didn’t need the hassle on the day (couldn’t access the room until 4pm on the day of the party so I was told it was fine then when I turned up I wasn’t allowed to leave the balloons as they would set the alarms off even though they was secured and air blown not helium so they didn’t move. I was also told the venue dressers (that we paid! wouldn’t stick up some banners for us, so I had to get someone to go to the venue to do this. We had a lady come in and put up a balloon hoop she was also messed around with the timings she could access the room, and the communication was terrible as the bar staff asked us to take all the balloons home after the party when she had organised with reception that she could leave it over night and collect in the morning. The bar staff on the night of the party were also rude! Prices of drinks were expensive. Communication between the event staff and the staff on the evening of the event doesn’t seem to exist. The lady on the bar did say reception don’t tell them anything, not great to hear. The one positive was the price of room was reasonable but I would rather pay more and have a good service."