The Pheasant Inn – Taste Cheshire Review #Review

Gaile Wundke
14th July 2015

The Pheasant Inn is tucked away at the top of a hill in the tiny village of Burwardsley and its location affords visitors the most spectacular views over the Cheshire Plains.  The outside area has plenty of good quality seating and is bursting with colour from the vibrant plants in the many tubs and baskets. A large bowl of water sits waiting for visiting dogs, which I imagine is very well received as the area is a walker’s paradise!

We visited on Monday 13^th July, having booked a table for 6.30pm.  We were instantly welcomed and shown to a lovely table next to a window from which we were able to admire the aforementioned spectacular views!  Our waitress arrived with menus and explained the daily specials. She also said that if we needed any recommendations she would be happy to help as the staff had all taken part in a menu tasting.  We were impressed by this as it is rare to find staff who are knowledgeable about all the dishes on a menu.  Our drinks order was taken and we set about choosing from the impressive selection of dishes available.

After some deliberation across the large menu we chose the Crispy Ox Cheek, followed by the 28 day aged Bowland Rib Eye Steak, and  the Smoked Haddock and Chive Fishcake, followed by the Spiced Pork Cheeks and a side order of Truffle and Parmesan chips.   All food is freshly cooked to order, so after an appropriate wait, our starters arrived.  My fishcake was presented on a pool of watercress soup, accompanied by picked radish, pea shoots and topped with a crab and horseradish mayonnaise.  It was absolutely delicious, the crispy crumb of the fishcake encased bitesized pieces of smoked haddock and soft potato, the crab and horseradish mayonnaise added just the right amount of creaminess and the pickled radish gave a piquancy which cut through the richness of the dish.  The soup was thick and creamy and complimented the fishcake beautifully.  The starter of Crispy Ox Cheek was equally good.  The cheek had been braised, shredded and encased in crisp crumbs, the salad of baby carrots, leaves, pancetta crumbs, baby capers and an unusual beetroot ketchup were just the right accompaniment, with all the flavours working perfectly together, my partner described it as the best starter he had had in a very long time!

After our excellent starters, we were very much looking forward to our mains and they didn’t disappoint!  The rib eye made a dramatic entrance on a sizzling platter with grilled tomato, chargrilled pepper, roasted mushroom and thick cut chips which were presented in a mini fryer basket. We asked for the steak to be served rare and it was cooked to perfection!  The tomato, pepper and mushroom were also expertly cooked.  My pork cheeks were served with crispy crumbed langoustine tails, braised baby gem lettuce, roast plums, tiny piccalilli style vegetables and little pieces of pork crackling.  The cheeks were dark and rich and melted in the mouth, the crispy langoustines added a little bit of crunch to compliment the soft pork; the plums and piccalilli vegetables balanced the dish perfectly adding just the right amount of sweet and sharp.  The truffle and Parmesan chips were crisp and golden, well flavoured and delicious.

We didn’t think we had enough room for dessert, but couldn’t resist the sound of The Pheasant Sundae, a combination of honeycomb ice cream, sticky toffee and chocolate brownie pieces, caramel sauce, honeycomb pieces and hazelnut praline, topped with vanilla flavoured whipped cream.  We did however decide to share and thank goodness we did as there was more than enough for both of us, but again it was faultless and a perfect end to a simply excellent meal.

The Pheasant Inn is a real hidden gem and the table of gentlemen seated behind us mentioned on no less than 4 occasions how they wished they had a pub like it at home!  From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave you are made to feel welcome.  Exceptional staff, outstanding food, real ales, cozy accommodation and spectacular views make this a very special place, not to mention the fact that dogs and children really are welcome!  What was particularly impressive though was that despite being tucked away and off the beaten track, when we visited on a grey and drizzly Monday in July, it was full by the time we left at just after 8.00pm.  If you haven’t been to the Pheasant before, or not been for a while, then do give it a try, I promise that you won’t be disappointed.