THE Ribble Valley is ToM’s favourite foodie day out destination, usually to visit one of its great food pubs, the Freemasons at Wiswell, The Sssheton Arms at Downham, The White Swan at Fence or Nigel Haworth’s Three Fishes at Mitton (his Michelin-starred Northcote hotel/restaurant just for special occasions).
The area is home to excellent food producers, too, often supplying the above, while Byrne’s atmospheric and well-priced wine shop in Clitheroe has always been the major reason to visit – until now.
We’d heard about a vast beer hall, home to Bowland Brewery, part of a £10 million conversion of the town's Holmes Mill in Clitheroe, then came news about the opening of the Bowland Food Hall on the site a couple of weeks ago, so we had to check it out.
It’s early days for it as the centrepiece of a food, drink and leisure hub, but it looks the part already, while not fully stocked, with its in-house butchery, seafood bar and speilaist fruit, veg, cheese, charcuterie and drinks counters. There’s also a gelateria in operation next door, using local milk and eggs as the basis for its ice creams
The on-site bistro will feature all produce sold in the food hall on its menu and the complex will adhere to an ethically sound zero-waste policy, ensuring all unsold produce will be used in the company’s own range of dishes.
The bistro and a 38-bedroom are due to open in the Mill’s 1823 Spinning Block building by early autumn with a swimming pool/spa and cinema also in the pipeline.
For the moment, the most fully formed part of the complex, which is a 10 minute walk form the town centre, is that quite spectacular beer hall, utilising original features of the Boiler Room it’s housed in. The 107ft oval bar vies with one in Glasgow’s Horseshoe Bar for the tile of Britain’s longest.
It certainly aims to be among the busiest. There are 42 handpumps for cask ales including Bowland’s own Hen Harrier, with a penny for every pint sold going to the RSPB’s work to protect the bird of prey by the same name. Some 24 guest beers changing every week and bottles rom across the globe in the fridges add to the allure. Food is geared towards accompanying beer – chilli dogs, jerk chicken and pies feature.
All this would be something, with the gleaming tanks of the brewery at the end of the room, but step left and you enter The Engine Room, complete with the mill’s original engine, Elizabeth. The atmospheric space is beautifully restored with huge comfy chairs dotted around.
Well worth the 30 mile road trip from Manchester, though we’d recommend coming by rail if you want to justice to that bar.
Holmes Mill, Greenacre Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1EB. 01200 401035.
