Address: Blackburn Road, Clayton-le-Moors

Phone number: 01254 303400

Bolton News review by Andrew Mosley from August 7, 2006.

IF it is a splendid setting you require for a meal out, night away or even a wedding, then you will do well to find much better than the Dunkenhalgh Hotel.

Around 30 minutes drive from Bolton, you are less than a minute from the M65 when the sight of the 700-year-old Macdonald Dunkenhalgh, set in 17 acres of splendid parkland, appears before you.

It is immediately noticeable that the hotel manages to combine history with all the comforts of the modern age. Unlike many hotels that use the word "historical" in their blurb, the Dunkenhalgh does not rely on old-fashioned decor and furnishings to prove its point.

Indeed, its recent £5 million development programme has left it able to cater for everything from couples wanting a drink or a meal out to a full-scale conference or wedding.

There are 180 bedrooms, several restaurants and suites, a cocktail lounge overlooking the extensive gardens and the Vital Health, Fitness and Beauty spa, which has a 12-metre pool, thermal spa, fitness studio, gym and full range of beauty treatments.

It is the cocktail lounge where we choose to begin our evening, having first located a space in the sizeable car park.

I queue at the bar, but am invited to sit at a table on the grounds that someone will be with us shortly. This does not happen, and I eventually return to the bar to order a couple of gin and tonics.

While sipping the G&Ts and taking in the garden views outside, we read up on the history of the place and discover that the Dunkenhalgh first appears in recorded history in 1285, but probably existed for some time before then.

In 1332 it came into the hands of the Rishton family who held it for almost 250 years. There are stories of ghosts and murder, which seems fitting in this large building, with its castle-like exterior.

The menu itself is interesting and offers plenty of choice for all palettes.

Starters range from chilled gazpacho soup with parmesan croutons to ham hock rillette with beetroot compote, honey and mustard dressing, and black pudding, haggis and chicken terrine with tomato chutney to smoked mackerel mousse, horseradish cream and crostini.

We make up our minds and move on to the mains, which include braised lamb shoulder with rosti potato and port wine reduction; pot roasted pork loin, black pudding mash and marsala jus; oven roasted duck breast, braised red cabbage and star anise jus, and pan-fried trout fillet, with sauteed new potatoes and dill beurre blanc.

While we make our choices, a large group of people arrives, dressed for a hen party, which is taking place in one of the adjacent suites. Other guests range from those in formal attire to more relaxed types in shorts and T-shirts, proving that there is no need to feel out of place in the grand surroundings.

A waitress arrives to take our orders and show us to our table and we pick a bottle of Chardonnay and a mineral water to accompany our meals.

Before our main courses arrive, we are offered a choice of breads. You can smell the bread baking in the ovens in the nearby kitchens, an aroma that works up an appetite.

My partner's starter of smoked mackerel mousse with horseradish cream and crostini was excellent, while my goat's cheese hash brown with apple puree and herb salad was melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

Vanessa said her baked salmon supreme with white wine cream was "to die for", although there was some disappointment when the beetroot dauphinoise potato she was looking forward to turned out to be a misprint on the menu. It would have been nice if someone had mentioned this beforehand.

I had no such complaints about my vegetable and mozzarella wellington with pimento couli, meanwhile.

The portions are not for the greedy, but that was fine by us as the quality was excellent, and we were left with room for desserts.

Vanessa went for her favourite, sticky toffee pudding, while I chose baked cheesecake with mango and raspberry. Both were delicious and, on completing our meals, we took in the atmosphere of the building while enjoying a seemingly endless supply of coffee with chocolates.

The bill for the food was a straight £27.95 each as we chose from the house menu with its set price. We also paid £4.90 for a gin and tonic, £22.95 for a bottle of wine and a somewhat shocking £4.65 for the bottle of water.

All in, we had an exceptionally enjoyable evening in fantastic surroundings, finished off by a walk around the grounds.

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