^ totally agree! However, i had a very good curry at the Syhlet Indian Restaurant.

Am unsuprised about Short becoming a manager - even prior to his stint in Hungary. Managed to speak with him at a reserve game late on in his rovers carear and he seemed the management type - level headed, clued up and able to convey his thoughts.

Dickov's a shock to be honest. He knows those leagues like the back of his hand but you can hardly say he has the right temperment to management. He'll be sent to the stand every other game - for disputing minor things like throw ins no doubt. Can't see him making it, especially as Oldham isn't an easy job.

I totally agree....Mark Hughes would never make it as a manager either because of his temperment. Hope he doesn't attempt it.

Royal Oak, Riley Green - very poor now! I shall not be returning.

Any recommendation's for a nice meal in or around Blackburn town center Saturday night ??

thanks in advance

haha! This has to be the best question ever!

Absolutely NOT! The town is on its backside with regards to central dining.

However, 10/20 minutes away we have an abundance of fine eating establishments.

Covering a whole host of different cuisines but i personally think we excel in the "pub grub" category.

Glad you enjoyed it Tris. We run a Boozy Bus Trip through the Ribble Valley each summer (pub crawl + coach!) and we usually end up in Waddington. You can choose your pub there from the three in the village and we normally opt for the Lower Buck. Great place.

Sounds interesting...you should invite people from the messageboard too!

Ocean palace on Bolton Road at Bull Hill, Darwen was usually very good. Although I must confess I have not been for a couple of years or more.

Yeh i have been there a couple of times. Never really enjoyed my meal or the set out of the room to be honest. I was sat so close to the next table i could have been sat on the lap of the person on the next table.

The food was bland and over priced!

For me Hollytree is the best but fancied a pint as it is bring your own!

Sorry I forgot to mention it was only available on a Tuesday. I went to the Butlers on Sunday and had a lovely homemade soup, the main was typical pub grub and decent but the desert ruined it by being a frozen mass produced messy slop. But for £13 per person I could not complain.

I must note that it is quite surprising how many restaurants which serve decent food round Blackburn, Chorley and Preston don’t have any web presence. I like to have a look at the menu and any special offers before a make a move on a new place sometimes.

On a different note, we go to Thyme at the Sir loin a lot as we live locally. It is very good food for the price on a Sunday! Certainly recommended.

Anyone know the name of the Chinese / Cantonese restaurant on Darwen Street that used to be the Welcome? It used to be really good and I fancy eating out at a Chinese restaurant this Sunday. We only have two or three left in Blackburn now which is a shame.

Hollytree – in my opinion the best I have had but very small.

Guide – Wasn’t that impressed

Welcome? – Always decent food

Blackburn Buffet City – Never been….should I try it at my own risk?

It's still got the same name Hughesy, still called Franco's.

A few years ago the best in my opinion was Quattro's at Samlesbury, I havn't been since it changed it's name to Nuraghes or whatever it is now.

We are going to Mangiamo's at Darwen with some friends on Tuesday night and tonight the wife went to Parmesan and Pepper at Abbey Village as they do a sort of Italian Tapas menu, £15 each as much as you can eat on a Thursday or a 3 course meal for a tenner on Friday nights with a fair selection as well (if you wanted it I'll type it out as it isn't on line).

Edit: Bugger it I'll type it up anyway in case anyone else fancies trying it, I'm going to at some stage;

Stuffed Garlic Mushrooms topped with cheese

Soup of the Day

Garlic bread choose either plain, cheese or tomato

Cheesy potato skins

homemade chicken liver pate with galic toast

black pudding on mash with creamy peppercorn sauce

--------------------------

Mexican chicken - chicken breast in a spicy tomato sauce with onions, chilli and garlic

Fillet of Salmon coated in a light creamy pink prawn sauce

Any pizza or pasta

Swordfish Steak in a garlic butter sauce

Chicken Pepe - chicken breast in a creamy peppercorn sauce

---------------

Chefs selection of todays puddings

I have been tempted so many times to try this again as it was good the last time i went. However, they really should have a website in this day and age.

Do you have any idea as to what sort of dishes are on the tapas menu?

That is a decent list of dishes for £10.

On another note...not tried it. But the Butlers at Pleasington (think they now have a proper chef too) is offering 2 steaks, homemade chips, peppercorn sauce, onion rings and vegetables with a bottle of wine for £20 (for two people)

TCO - how was it?

Awesome as always is the Clog! Best pub grub around here!

The Butlers at Pleasington has moved forward over the past month or so. I think they have a new chef!

I went to the Royal Oak a week or so ago and while i really like the place, the food has started to go down hill a little. I was looking at the extensive specials board when i popped my head into the kitchen. I saw the chef tipping the contents of a microwavable dish onto the plate.

It put me off!

Has anybody been to the Fisherman's Retreat in Ramsbottom? Thinking of taking the old dear for Mother's Day!

Sounds great.

Reckon a can of good quality chopped tomatoes could replace the 8 large fresh tomatoes?

Yes, they would be a good substitute but the large fresh ones are cooked down in the water until they turn into a mush and form part of the sauce.

Try it and let me know

I am talking crap sorry!

Well, i have quickly jotted down my curry receipe whilst on my lunch break. This is located below:

Knob of Ghee

Olive oil

2 large chopped onions

6 cloves of garlic (Crushed)

Two inch knob of fresh ginger (grated)

Fresh Spinach

Lamb Leg

Pre-cooked chick peas

2 fresh green hot chilies

Tub of natural yogurt

8 large freshly chopped tomatoes (quartered)

Chopped coriander

Tomato sauce

Salt

Pepper

Vinegar

Spices (1 tea spoon of):

• cumin seeds

• coriander seeds

• mustard seeds

Spices 2 (1 tea spoon of):

• Ground fenugreek

• ground coriander

• cumin

• chilli powder

• garam masala

• turmeric

• 2 table spoons of hot curry powder

• Heat the Ghee and olive oil in a saucepan

• Add Spices 1 for three minutes on a medium heat until they start popping and then add the onions and a pinch of sugar to quicken the caramelisation (sp) process. Cook for a further 3 minutes in total. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and sauté for a further 5 minutes on a medium/high heat (do not burn!)

• Add the meat for 3 minutes and then add Spices 2 – cook for 5 minutes stirring regularly in order to coat the meat.

• Add the quartered tomatoes, a large squeeze of tomato sauce, a large pinch of salt, large pinch of sugar, plenty of pepper, a large dash of vinegar and a large handful of freshly chopped coriander.

• Pour in enough water to cover the lamb by 2.5cm/1in. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1.5 hours. (You may need to add more water if the mixture begins to dry out.)

• Blend the two chillis with 300ml of water, plenty of coriander and plenty of spinach. Add this to the mixture in order control the heat of the curry to your preference. I put it all in!

• Stir in the natural yogurt and cook for a further 15 minutes (stirring on a regular basis)

• Add the peas and spinach.

• Cook for a further 5 minutes.

• Sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve

Tip for rice: Cook it in coconut milk and not water!

Hope you enjoy it....everyone i have cooked it for has!

White men cannot wrap either.....

We cannot wrap or rap! Where did that w come from?

White men cannot wrap either.....

Rubbish. Meat is an integral part of most people's diets but there is no place for needless cruelty during slaughter.

Where would you draw a line Colin? Should we kill all bovine animals only after they've spent an hour in a bullring being stuck, bled and tormented? Should we pluck / skin animals first before we kill them? Would you carve a piece of a living animal, cook and eat it and save the rest for the day after?

Just cos some long dead prophet(s) from primitive times wisely attempted to keep his followers healthy by instructed people who had never even heard of hygiene and refrigeration to make sure an animal bleeds before they eat it to make sure that it is still alive doesn't mean we should ignore science and progress does it? Or should we all still be living in caves?

Nowadays every auction and abbattoir has either a govt meat inspector and vet in place ( and at significant cost) to make sure that there is no cruelty involved in transporting an animal from farm to abbattoir before they have to stand back and watch strange men from distant lands with frizzy beards, robes and long knives carry out kosher and hallal slaughter whilst chanting praying to some non existent being.

You are condoning completely unecessary cruelty so please direct your flimsy reasoning to answer these two questions.

Why is a normal slaughterman found doing the same (killing withour stunning) likely to be dismissed forthwith?

Why is a farmer found slaughtering a lamb or a pig on farm by slitting it's throat up for the high jump?

Off you go.

A truly great post! You have a fantastic way with words!

However, it is hard to actually stay clear of Halal meat in Blackburn and surrounding towns.

My Chinese is and always will be Hollytree but my delivery chinese (when i have had a few sherberts) has now changed to Halal, the Subway chain at the top of Montague Street is, KFC in Burnley is and so on.

Good job i can make a fantastic curry at home eh? (Lamb, spinach and chickpea - YUM!)

Alghero's does not claim to be fine dining! What it set out to achieve it does very well in my opinion.

It is quick, decent tasting grub in an informal and fun environment!

A typcial example was late last year! After returning from an away game we wanted somewhere to go for a quick tasty meal as it was pretty late. We opted for Alghero's and we had a lovely garlic bread, pasta dish and a few beers in around 45 minutes. No complaints.

I have eaten here over 50 times and have never had a bad meal as i know to stay away on a saturday evening when it is very busy and so on.

The Boatyard @ Riley Green, Hoghton! Very decent Sunday lunch and a nice place with ample parking.

I still think DUK is one of the best restaurants in Lancashire but i visited Calypso this weekend and the food was absolutely spot on! It is under the Woodlands pub and specialises in Caribbean food. It was very different and a fun evening was had by all.

The chef Dave is very talkative and comes to meet all diners. He takes your ideas on board and is a really nice guy.

Hope is stays open.

Anyone tried that Maida Restaurant yet? Used to be Shere Khan, looks very swanky for Blackburn.

How does the Hi-life card actually work??

Is is just main meals that are 2 4 1 ?

Any help much appreciated.

I too have also eaten out a couple of times in the last week.

First was DUK in Preston, superb meal as always and really good service. I really couldn’t complain about anything.

Second was the Hoghton Arms. Now, the last time I visited this place it was empty and the food was very poor. The food is now good but the prices are even better. On certain nights they have really good deals but the menu is also very cheap. Off the top of my head the deals are as follows:

Monday – Rump Steak, Chips, Peppercorn Sauce and veg - £4.99

Tuesday – Pie Night – Choice of 5 homemade pies

Wednesday – Curry Night – Choice of 6 curries a pint, naan bread for £5

Thursday or Friday was BOGOF on fish meals.

A free curry is available at Oceana (Darwen Street) with no strings attached.

Enjoy!

Is that called Bungla Cafe or something along those lines.

It always looks busy and i too have heard good reports.

Went Royal Oak (Riley Green) this week - was very good. Proper pub grub with a decent array of specials. Good Prices too.

Also went to Huntleys and that was also very good food and the farm shop is class.

Has anyone been to Lee Sang chinese on Bolton Road??