UNLESS you are the sort of person who goes around listening to terrible rap music on a mobile phone – or who has young children – the likelihood of you ever sitting down and eating in a McDonald’s is most unlikely.

Let’s face it, the Golden Arches is not the sort of place many people would ever head to for a meal out.

But, in the interests of fairness – and because it was one of the few places open on New Year’s Day – I made my first foray into this town centre establishment.

The whole chain underwent something of a makeover with dark green replacing the in-your-face red and yellow and even semi-trendy seating.

Given that it’s usually so busy and really takes some hammer, the Blackburn outlet is not surprisingly a little worn around the edges but there are many ‘chain pubs’ which are far worse.

And now for the real surprise ... say it quietly but the food was actually quite good.

Sure the Big Macs and McNuggets are still on the menu but the word ‘healthy’ now appears on the illuminated signs, the number of calories are clearly displayed and there’s a surpising amount of choice.

I’d actually recommend the Chicken Celebration, a seasonal offering based around the Chicken Legend (basically a chicken burger). At £5.53 with fries and a drink it’s not bad value either.

Sure the fries (you can’t call them chips) were far too salty but the chicken burger itself was a tasty offering which surprised me.

VERDICT

  • Food: 7
  • Drink: 8
  • Service: 8
  • Atmosphere: 7
  • Value: 7