Been twice, won't ever go again. Awful

To be brutal, I live about five minutes away and have only been once. It's where all the local kids go for part-time jobs. Plenty of better options if you're not committed to this one. I can't recall anyone suggesting we pop in there for a drink. Depends what you want but I'd suggest the Golden Lion in Higher Wheelton if you need to be in this area, the setting isn't as good but I can vouch for the food being OK, not a great culinary experience but good.

I'd put money on it.........................

Just finished reading Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas." Our hero is Odd Thomas, that is christian and surnames, who lives in small town in / near the Mohave desert. Odd, a short-order cook at the local grill, can see dead people and various other manifestations from the other side, including Elvis! Now this is not as corny as it sounds, not great literature but it is entertaining, has a good story line, is very descriptive and has enough twists and turns to keep one occupied. The central plot relates to a terrible event which threatens the town ( saying what would be a spoiler), Odd's efforts to discover what the event is and prevent it. Odd's relationship with the beautiful Stormy, the love of his life weaves in and out of the storyline. Plenty of diversions away from the main plot to describe the other side and its beings! This is holiday reading not mind expanding and thought provoking but I can recommend it.

Thanks John, that's my Friday night sorted out.

I saw The Road on Saturday - driving home from Cineworld, Bolton over Belmont in the fog and drizzle was a touch spooky afterwards!! Really enjoyed the film which I felt captured the book very well. All the key elements of the story were there and the bleakness came over very well. I didn't expect the utter desolation of the book to get through on the screen and it wasn't as bleak as my mental picture but still done very well. I may have forgotten bits of the story but I don't recall the wife being so much a part of the story? My one criticism would be the boy too healthy, the other children in the film looked pretty distressed so why the boy had a healthy glow I can't imagine. My wife did suggest it was unreasonable to expect a child actor to starve himself just to fit the role - I'm not so sure, he probably got paid a lot. I also wanted to see Nowhere Boy but it dossn't seem to be on locally anymore and Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll was very limited. Don't the cinemas relaise if you give a film more than a week folk might come along. Hughesy if you want good films I've mentioned three.

You're quite right. From the very little I've seen, a trailer and the media ads I get the impression the film will be a let down to anyone who enjoyed the book. It looks so Hollywood.

Watched "Is Anybody There?" tonight starring Michael Caine, Anne-Marie Duff, Thelma Barlow, Sylvia Simms, Lesley Philips, Bill Milner and written by Peter Harness. Funny and sad in equal measure this is a great British film exploring death, ageing and how society treats old people - great line from Michael Caine " I've spent all my life alone and now I'm old I'm put in a room full of people." I know the subject matter doesn't sound inspiring but this is a really good film which will both entertain and provoke discussion. It won't be found in the cinema but is available on DVD.

The Road, based on Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name, goes on general release January 8th. I'm really looking forward to this though the trailer I've seen and the media adverts suggest the film may have failed to capture the bleakness and nervous excitment of the book. I find it strange to be anticipating a film, and have been for weeks, yet worrying that it may fail to recreate a fantastic novel. The Road is short and very readable so I'd strongly recommend getting the book before seeing the film. It's unremittingly bleak, hopeless but marvellously descriptive even though the subject is so utterly depressing. Enjoy!

We went to see Avatar tonight partly out of interest and partly to get out of the house for a while. I hadn't expected a morality tale based around global warming and the destruction of the north American Indians. The film borrows heavily from Pocahontas, Little Big Man, bits of Platoon and Apocalypse Now, Lord of the Rings plus others I can't quite call to mind. Perhaps also Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee? I fully expected the Ents to save the day in the final battle scene. There was a department for just about everything but not plagiarism? Having said that the visual effect was very impressive. The CGI parts in 3D were excellent and worked really well, the parts filmed with "real" actors didn't work so well for me, the immediate foreground and the background was often out of focus for my eyes. For example the two characters would be in 3D but the computer screens were just a blur. The first 10-15 minutes I felt quite nauseous, this may have been the 3D or could have been because we had to take seats three rows from the front? Decent entertainment but about 30 minutes too long, weak and predictable storyline, very clever CGI and 3D, so overall good value for money but someway from stunning or brilliant. I have seen many far, far better films using real people to create the illusion need in the cinema.

This being a food thread I hope it's appropriate to share a wonderful receipe I tried this Christmas; Basmati and Wild Rice Stuffing with Kumquats and Cranberries. 350g tilda basmati and wild rice (combined not each) 300g kumquats, quartered lentghways and deseeded 75g dried cranberries 125g butter 2 tablespoons caster sugar large pinch of ground cinnamon 50g unsalted, shelled pistachios (ever tried shelling 50g of pistachios!!!!) 100g macademia nuts roghly chopped 1 dessertspoon of fresh rosemary chopped juice of 1 large orange (I used 2 in the end) juice of 1 lemon (again I used 2) Cook the two rices seperatley (wild rice can take 40-60 minutes). For the best basmati rice, first put olive oil in base of saucepan, add salt, measure rice in fluid ounces, add to oil when hot to coat the grains, then add one-third more water than rice (6oz rice = 9oz water, etc). Rapidly bring to the boil, then turn heat to absolute minimum, seal with foil under saucepan lid, leave for 10-12 minutes, check, "fluff" with fork if all water gone, remove from heat and leave for 2-3 minutes before removing to a cold bowl to stop the cooking process. For the wild rice, chuck in boiling water and check every few minutes after around 35-40, you can only tell by tasting, should be slightly al dente. Melt 40g butter in frying pan, add sugar and cook for one minute on low heat, mix in cinnamon and kumquats, turn up heat to medium to high, stir gently for 5 minutes or until kumquats have softened. Place in a bowl when cooked together with the syrup formed. You need a high heat and constant stirring to keep this syrup from solidifying, I tipped the edge of the pan into the flame to melt all the syrup in one spot and then kept pushing the kumquats through it so they were never in one spot to burn. Skin the pistachios by covering with boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, wash with cold water, place on tea towel and rub vigourously then flush skins off in cold water. Put rice in large bowl, then add kumquats plus the syrup formed in cooking, macademia nuts, cranberries, pistachios, rosemary, orange and lemon juice. Melt remaining butter, pour over and then mix thoroughly with your fingers. Either use this to stuff your turkey or place in a greased gratin dish, cover with foil and heat for 30 minutes. I used the gratin dish and squeezed an extra lemon and orange over the mixture before it went in the oven. The beauty of this dish is it's really zingy and cuts through the very fatty food assocciated with a Christmas dinner. It also looks fantastic, gets compliments at the table. Would be great for veggie guests at a dinner party. It's good cold but really fantastic when hot.

Went to see Ray Davies last night at the Bridgewater Hall, not quite the place I'd have expected to see him but there you go. With one exception Ray played every number you would expect, many reworked and others as raw as they were 40+ years ago, plus many newer songs. Great night with a tremendous musician and song-writer who came across as witty, warm and as original as ever. Cool isn't a word I use often but he struck me as possibly one of the coolest 65 year olds you could meet!

A bit off topic but this is a food and drink thread. Tesco's are stocking a Freixenet vintage 2007 at the giveaway price of £5.99 and they have a fabulous Rioja - Marques de Carano Gran Reserva 2001 for the ridiculous price of £4.99, should be £10+. Get some.

Men Who Stare at Goats........hmmm a strange film. Not a clue what it's about, other than the plot line, some very, very funny moments. Amazed by the queues for The Twilight Moon at the cinema tonight. I'd never heard of it till last week.

It's possibly the worst film I've seen.........................no cinemas were flooded in the making of this movie

This is a bit off topic but there you go. I travel a lot for work at certain times which increasingly means a night in a PremierInn. I find I can't drive as far for as long as when I was younger, what used to be day trips have become overnight trips. I shall probably scream if I have to spend another night in a PremierInn and have recently tried Ibis. I think Ibis is much better than Premier and wondered if people can recommend other chains. My criteria are, in no particular order: consistent standard, wi fi, bar, good sound-proofing, good blackout curtains, comfortable bed, decent bathroom, anything up to £70 per night excluding food / drink. Places with decent food, Ibis is OK compared to the Premier crap, would be very welcome. Im happy with independent hotels as well but don't have time to go looking for them.

Taking the bit in bold I agree with you BUT I don't think Benni is the answer in our current formation, I think that's what I said, if not it's what I meant!

I'm not sure Benni is the answer to our problems, he certainly isn't in the current formation. I do agree though with those who question any idea of allowing him to leave at this point. At present we don't have a striker who can score goals, so getting rid of one who has in the past seems daft. Albeit McCarthy has done nothing for the last two years but with the World Cup coming up he should be highly motivated though I suspect he may be sulking. When the work experience kid leaves we'll have 3 strikers - with just a couple of goals between them to date? Crackers but then if you don't create chances you can't expect strikers to score.

Went to Tampopo on The Golden Triangle on Tuesday night which has a mixture of Thai, Malaysian and Vietneamese meals on the menu, basically lots of stir fry dishes. It was excellent. Good food, very delicately flavoured with all the spices coming through, well prepared, quick, friendly service. £40 for two including one starter, two mains, one vegetable dish, one desert, two glasses of wine and green tea for two. Really enjoyed this and much as I liked Wagamama the previous week I'd pick Tampopo ahead of it. If you Google Tampopo you can download a two for one voucher but we didn't find that till after we'd eaten!! Fleetwood Mac on the other hand was the most disappointing concert I've ever seen. Rubbish sound, very poor view and a performance lacking in energy, other than Lyndsey Buckingham's performance which held the whole thing together, such as it was. Without doubt this should be renamed The Pension Fund Tour.

I think it does what it says on the tin. I wouldn't rave about it but had good food, boisterous fun atmosphere and a good chat for an hour. I wouldn't go for a night out but was happy with popping in for a quick meal. I'm sure you get my drift. Good value yep I suppose prawns were a bit of a gamble!

In Manchester with the family last night and wanted something quick and good before going to see Michael McCintyre. We ended up at "wagamama" a modern Thai style restaurant on the Golden Triangle in the bottom of The Printworks building. Four people, two starters, four mains and drinks for £59 which I thought very good value for city centre in the early evening. A very varied menu, well presented and nicely cooked. A busy place were you sit at bench tables, as each meal is ready it's brought to you rather than waiting for all four to be served at once. If I wanted to be picky my curry was slightly cooler than I'd have wished but otherwise all very good. This is a place to have a drink, a good quick meal and chat, not for lingering over a long meal. Recommended.

Sadly this thread doesn't get the attention it deserves but the book I've just finished is so good I have to bring it back to the top. The Know by Martina Cole centres on life in East London and the events leading up and subsequent to a child abduction. The book deals with many other issues all connected in one way or another with the abduction. No doubt we've all watched numerous TV programmes dealing with sex, poverty, drugs, racism, multi-culturalism, prostitution, people trafficking, community self-help, child abuse; this book encompasses the lot, it's very gritty and often leaves the final scene of each chapter to one's imagination, which is probably worse than the actual description. It's a book to make you think or just a real fast page turner as you look to discover what happens next. Read it.

Vaguely yes but not on the same road. From Blackburn follow the A674 towards Chorley, go through the dip and S bends into Higher Wheelton, look for newsagents on left after S bends, the pub is then about 0.25 miles on right.

Golden Lion, Wheelton is about 5 miles from Blackburn and now offers very good value food. Don't expect a great culinary experience but very good value for money, reckon on about £7-10 per main course. New management are keen to impress. It's on the A674 Blackburn - Chorley road in Higher Wheelton.

Hope it wasn't a personal credit card!