The Ship Inn – Riding high on the waves #Blog

Stephen Wundke
26th January 2017

The Ship Inn is a ‘three decked affair’ downstairs is a cosy informal bar with a well-stocked bar, log fire and a variety of seating options. Dotted around the room are a number of interesting items such as a rather ornate cash register, a large abacus and a well-stocked bookcase, to name but a few!  Upstairs is an equally inviting, but contemporary restaurant with an open kitchen and floor to ceiling windows affording stunning views across the river Dee and on the top floor is a private dining room.

The Ship is a traditional family friendly Inn which boasts home cooked food and quality cask ales and the downstairs bar area is also dog friendly, making it the perfect place for you and your four-legged friend to enjoy some well-earned refreshment after a long walk along the river!  The current owners also have many years’ experience in the catering industry, and are very well respected.

We visited on a Thursday, which also turned out to be the ‘Gourmet Burger Evening’ where after 5.30pm burgers are two for the price of one, just one of a number of special offers available during the week, more of which later!

We were offered a table in either the upstairs restaurant or the bar and didn’t hesitate in taking up the bar option as there were already a number of people eating and drinking and an atmosphere which made us feel instantly relaxed.  We were seated towards the back of the room, allowing us to see all the comings and goings, always a thumbs up for me!  We ordered a bottle of extremely reasonably priced Australian, Solander Chardonnay, £15.45 which was also available by the glass and a carafe of iced water.

As well as the usual Starters and Mains, the main menu features ‘Nibbles’, including Pork Pie with HP Sauce £3.25, Scotch Egg & Red Onion Marmalade £3.25 and Garlic Ciabatta with Cheese £3.75, and ‘Sandwiches’ such as Fish Finger & tartare sauce £7.95, Grilled Halloumi with green pesto £5.95 or Chicken & Black Pudding with Bacon and melted blue cheese £7.95.  All of which sounded delicious.

The menu featured a choice of eight starters and we chose Black Pudding, Apple & Bacon Salad £5.95, Chicken Liver, Brandy & Herb Pate £5.45 and Garlic & Chilli Prawns £7.95.  Whilst waiting, we commented on how different the clientele was to the previous times we had visited, when the pub was frequently full of children, mostly under the age of 5!  Obviously, this is perfect if you happen to be the parent of a toddler, but not so good if you’ve left that stage well behind.  I am happy to report to those in the latter category that although The Ship is still very much a family friendly pub, under the new ownership, the average customer age group appears to have increased quite substantially!

As our observations concluded, our starters arrived.  They were all very well presented and we wasted no time in tucking in.  The garlic and chilli prawns were served on toasted ciabatta with a side salad and the comment was made “I would come back here just to eat this!”, the pate was excellent, someone had thought to take it out of the fridge, which believe me, is seldom done, it was served with thick toast, another tick, and the fruity chutney added just the right amount of both sweet and sharp to balance the rich pate.  The final starter was another success, warm handmade black pudding, served on mixed leaf salad with apple and crispy bacon finished with a honey and mustard dressing.  All the flavours complimented each other, rich black pudding, salty bacon and sharp apple, with hints of heat and sweetness from the dressing, an absolute winner!

Having had such success with our starters, we were greatly anticipating our mains which were the Fish Platter £18.95, Char-grilled Chicken with chips and garden peas £9.95, and Steak Fajitas £14.95.  I should point out that the chicken dish is usually smothered in BBQ sauce, but not being a fan of smoky sauces, our diner chose to omit it.  However, the combination of moist chicken, crispy bacon and melted cheese combined to produce a dish that was full of flavour and very tasty!  The steak fajitas were a little bit different to some we’ve previously been served, they didn’t come on a sizzling platter, but instead thick slices of steak, cooked rare as requested with peppers and onions, and served with warm tortillas, crisp salad, grated cheese, salsa, sour cream & guacamole.  They may not have had the theatre of a sizzling platter, but all that really does is overcook the meat which certainly wasn’t the case here.  Spicy Chicken and Halloumi fajitas are also available.  Finally the fish platter, hand battered cod goujons, garlic & chilli prawns, wholetail scampi and peppered mackerel pate on toast, served with a wedge of lemon and two sauces, bloody Mary seafood and tartare. It was delicious and as our other diner said about the prawn starter, I would go back to The Ship just to eat it again!

And so to dessert and we could have chosen any of the seven options as all of them were favourites of ours, but we decided to share the Sticky Chocolate Pudding £5.25 and the Crème Brulee £5.25.  Sticky Toffee Pudding is more commonly available on the menu, but on this occasion, it had been replaced by an equally delicious chocolate version!  The pudding can be served with either cream, custard or Cheshire Farm ice cream and we chose vanilla ice cream which being from Cheshire Farm, never disappoints!  The crème brulee was served simply on its own, a rich smooth custard base, topped with wafer thin caramel, a particular favourite of mine and the perfect end to what had been an excellent meal.

There is a lot going on at The Ship, apart from burger night as mentioned earlier, Mondays from 5.30pm is steak night, two meals and a bottle of wine for £30.00, Tuesday is Pie Night, a pie and a drink for £10.00, Wednesday is Quiz night, with an 8.30 start and 20% off the food bill for those who have dined earlier and not to leave out the younger clientele, from Monday to Thursday 12.00-7.00pm Kids Eat Free – one child aged 12 or under eats free from their own special menu when one adult purchases a main meal from the main menu!  As if this wasn’t enough, there is also a breakfast menu, available from 11.00am and of course The Ship’s Sunday menu where you can choose from 1 course for £9.95, 2 courses for £12.95 or 3 courses for £15.95.  There really is something for everyone!

We really enjoyed our visit to The Ship and will definitely be returning very soon.  If you’re looking for a local pub with a warm, welcoming atmosphere, good beer, excellent food and friendly staff then you need look no further.  I think this Ship has only just set sail and it’s journey is happily set to continue for a very long time.