Address: Sandy Lane, Brindle

Phone number: 01254 852912

Lancashire Telegraph review by John Anson from May 14, 2007.

IF ever you need to define the term village country pub then the Cavendish Arms would be a splendid example.

It's the kind of place which would send an American tourist into paroxisms of delight with its stained glass windows - a legacy from a previous life as home to lords of the manor - quirky layout, heavy wooden furniture and general timeless quality.

But this is no Disney-fied example, it's a tiny bit scruffy in a comforting kind of way and exudes a genuinely warm atmosphere.

The dining area is through the bar and you hear all the chatter from the locals as they gather for a pint after work.

The menu befits the premises - it's simple, wholesome fare with daily specials displayed on a blackboard.

I went for the cottage pie at £7.20 while the better half chose the breaded scampi, chips and peas at £7.95.

The cottage pie arrived in a plain earthernware dish which, had we been at home, would have been big enough to feed the two of us. It was served with warm red cabbage The mashed potato layer must have been a good inch thick and topped with melted cheese.

Underneath was lean meat with carrots and celery.

Being churlish you would say there was rather more topping than filling but this was a monster helping.

Judging by the scampi, they must all have hearty appetites in Brindle as with a pile of chips and peas the large plate was totally covered.

The scampi was nice and moist inside a breaded outer coating which wasn't overdone. The chips too had that home made feel to them.

With friendly, attentive yet unobtrustive service we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening out.

Chorley Citizen review by Lisa Hackett from October 23, 2006.

The Cavendish Arms is an old country pub offering the delights of good old-fashioned homemade pub food.

Once inside at the bar we ordered two half pints of shandy.

There were a couple of families already ordering food and we got a quiet table for two in the corner.

We chose our food from the menu which was on the table but decided not to have starter, despite the choice on offer which included: homemade soup with thick bread and butter (£3.25); pan-fried mushrooms with garlic sauce (£3.90); black pudding bacon and tomato stack with mustard dressing (£4.35); potato skins with dips (3.95); smoked haddock and spring onion cakes (£4.75); buffalo chicken wings (£4.85) and Cavendish combo (£7.50). This was for two people to share, and consisted of: potato skins, garlic mushrooms, buffalo chicken wings, garlic bread and nachos, served with BBQ, garlic, mayo and salsa dips.

So it was straight in to the main course.

We both decided to go for the gammon steaks, served with two free range eggs on top and chips on the side with salad.

The steaks were cooked perfectly and the chips were nice and hot while the side salad was simple yet freshly cut.

Also available to choose from was; smothered chicken, (£8.35); cottage pie, (£7.15); steak and ale pie, (£7.55); sausage and mash, (£7.50); lamb's liver and onions, (£6.50) and chilli with rice and tortilla chips, (£6.75).

There was also a grill section which included steaks and a mixed grill.

All dishes came with the option to substitute chips with new potatoes.

We finished our meals in quick time and "toyed" with the idea of dessert, but neither of us thought we could manage one because of the size of the gammon steaks we had just enjoyed.

But had we wanted a dessert, we could have chosen from a selection of traditional hot puddings such as apple pie and cream, or cold desserts and ice creams.

If venturing to The Cavendish Arms during the day for lunch, you could choose from some delicious sounding sandwiches.

There was tuna with lime mayonnaise, steak and fried onion and chicken and bacon club, all served with salad garnish and coleslaw, at £4.25 each.

Salads were also on the menu from warm chicken and bacon, honey glazed ham and seafood through to Ploughmans, all served with a wedge of bread and butter.

Staff were very pleasant and couldn't do enough for us, however I felt that if we had come later, and maybe on a week night, we would not be lucky enough to get a table as there are not that many within the eating area and it looks like a very popular place.

For all the bitter drinkers, who like a pint with their food, there was a selection of draught real ales.

Liqueur coffees were also on the menu to enjoy after your meal.

With just two shandies and our meals, the bill came to a reasonable £18.20.

We also noticed that the pub offers Sunday lunches on the specials board and home made specials during the week, which has made sure that we will be going back very soon.

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