Review of the festive menu at the Foundry Tap and Kitchen

The pub, which was previously the Oyster and Otter, was bought by Thwaites and re-opened in April after a £300,000 refurbishment.

Being a relatively new pub in Blackburn, this felt like an ideal place to visit and with the festive menu being available during the week, it felt even more ideal.

I visited the restaurant with my partner and despite arriving far too early, we were immediately taken to our table by Lewis who talked us through our menu options and how to order.

The Foundry Tap and Kitchen in Blackburn (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

We thanked him for his help however we didn’t even open the other menus we as were already firmly settled on the festive menu.

There were four options for each course and you had a choice of having either two courses priced at £20 per person or indulging in three courses for £25.

There was a good range of options, however some Christmas classics did seem to be missing.

I also noted that there were no vegan options on the festive menu however, not being a vegan myself and having decided what I wanted, I did not ask whether such a menu was avaliable.

We decided to go all out and have three courses and thought we would also pick different dishes each so we could give the food a good try.

Lewis had explained that we needed to head up to the bar when we were ready to order so once we had decided amongst ourselves what we were eating, that's exactly what I did.

Serving me there was Kate who was pleasant and patient in her approach.

I ordered our food choices, deciding to wait until after our mains to decide on our puddings.

The drinks we ordered at The Foundry Tap and Kitchen in Blackburn (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

I ordered a bottle of house red, a Merlot, when I noticed they had their own lager on draught – Foundry lager.

Now, I have visited a few (too many) Thwaites pubs in my time and this was the first time I had ever seen an own branded lager so I thought I would give it a go.

It was nothing exceptional, but it was a decent pint and I must say, it is good to see Thwaites have moved into the lager world.

My partner opened the wine and was pleasantly surprised. He is not really a Merlot drinker, normally settling for a Rioja or a Shiraz, but, in his own words 'it is a very good Merlot'.

While we waited for our starters, we both had a good look around at the pub and the décor.

The Christmas decorations were very classy, not over the top like some pubs can be, but one thing we both said would have been nice to add the finishing touch to the festive feel would have been to have the wood fire burning.

The Fig and Goat's Cheese Tart (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

After a short time, our starters arrived. I went for the Fig and Goat’s Cheese tart while my boyfriend went for the duck spring roll.

The tart was enjoyable but when I order goat’s cheese I want the flavour to smack me in the face.

This tart tasted very mild and I was struggling to taste the goat's cheese plus the texture was more quiche-like than a tart, but enjoyable nonetheless.

It came alongside a beetroot and pine nut salad which was enjoyable and fresh.

My boyfriend took a mouthful of his duck spring roll and his eyes lit up.

The duck spring roll which was fantastic! (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

Starting to feel (and probably look) a little jealous, he offered me a taste and I must say it really was fantastic.

His was served with a plum sauce, which was also lovely, and a sesame salad which I did not try, however, I was assured that this was also good.

Our plates were quickly cleared and I thought I would pour myself a little bit of the red to enjoy with my main, passing the rest of the lager to my boyfriend to enjoy.

Our mains arrived in a timely fashion, not too long a wait but we also didn’t feel rushed.

I had gone for the featherblade of beef while my partner went with the traditional turkey dinner.

Our waiter asked if we wanted any sauces and I asked for some horseradish.

While we were waiting for the sauce to arrive, my boyfriend quickly put his sprouts on my plate before they further contaminated his meal – not a problem for me as I am a sprout lover!

I was not expecting to be given a full sealed jar of Coleman's Horseradish (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

My horseradish arrived and, to my surprise, it was an entire, sealed jar of Colemans – not a problem for me as I was able to break the seal but I wouldn’t want to be the third or fourth person to be presented with the jar as I may be a bit concerned about the hygiene.

I expected, as you get in many other restaurants, for it to be served in a ramekin or a pot.

My portion felt considerably smaller, however as someone with a small stomach, it was not an issue for me however if you enjoy a big roast, I would absolutely recommend the turkey dinner.

As far as my dish was concerned, the beef fell apart and was served with a very smooth mashed potato and beef-dripping carrots.

The carrots were nothing to write home about, I didn’t realise they were cooked in beef dripping but they were still enjoyable.

My featherblade of beef with the sprouts from my boyfriends plate (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

The champ mash was lovely but I did have to Google what the green bits in it were – it was green onion and it did add a lovely taste.

One thing I was massively impressed with was the brussels sprouts which, as sprouts go, were very good.

The meal was covered by a very tasty and rich gravy however it was after my plate had been cleared and I looked back over the menu that I realised my gravy did not have any pancetta in.

I am not sure if there were supposed to be chunks of the meat in the gravy but I did contain onions which were also mentioned as an ingredient, I think it was supposed to.

My partner said that his turkey was nice and moist and the vegetables were all good.

My partner's turkey dinner which was a very generous portion (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

He especially enjoyed the pigs in blankets, giving me one to try as he was so impressed and I must say they were good.

The stuffing looked a little anaemic and he said it probably could have done with a few more minutes however he still cleared his plate (sans sprouts).

Our plates were cleared within seconds and our compliments for the mains were passed on to the chef, with a special mention of the beef.

We needed a bit of a break so we sat down for about 10 minutes before venturing back up to the bar to order our desserts which are put together by the waiting staff in a counter area beside the bar.

I personally feel the dessert options were slightly limited, on a Christmas menu I would have expected to see a Christmas pudding but unfortunately not.

Despite this we made our choice and my partner opted for the chocolate junkyard while I went for the lemon and ginger crunch.

The lemon and ginger crunch, which unfortunately was not particularly crunchy (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

Not quite living up to its name, my lemon and ginger crunch was not very crunchy. The biscuit base had gone slightly soft, I assume from being sat in a fridge before serving.

The moose on top however was lovely and very tangy which is what I look for in a lemon dessert.

I was a little heavier than I thought it would be and after just a few mouthfuls, I was defeated.

My partners said his dessert was very rich and thick, much better than mousse he has had at other pubs.

The chocolate junkyard dessert which looked fantastic! (Image: Lancashire Telegraph)

Both desserts were served with Walling’s ice cream which, as always, was lovely.

My partner finished his wine and I finished my water and we got ourselves off, thanking Kate and Lewis for their fantastic service through the evening.

Overall, we had a lovely evening with good food, good drinks and good service, however, there were a few small niggles which were slightly disappointing given how good it was overall.

I give the restaurant a very admirable four stars for its festive menu.

I may have been slightly unlucky with my soft biscuit base, the lack of pancetta in my gravy and mild goat's cheese tart, however, if these had all been right, this would have been a very easy five stars - we will be back!