Britannia Inn, Oswaldtwistle

Phone number: 01254 679744.

Lancashire Telegraph review by Jemma Humphreys from May 8, 2010.

IT’S always good to visit a pub when it’s under new management — they’re always eager to please.

And eager they were. The staff were friendly and attentive and even the owner’s puppy came to meet the new customers.

Even their prices are keen.

You can get an 8oz steak or a lamb shank for less than £6 and home-made lasagne for less than a fiver.

Because of the great value for money, we expected the portions to be on the small side. But our plates were overflowing with food when they arrived.

Everything was served with a large portion of chips or potatoes and a generous side salad and the quality was also far better than the price suggests.

The chips were cooked perfectly, just a little bit crispy, and the gammon (served as two large pieces) was as lovely as the waitress assured us it would be.

I opted for the homemade lasagne, which was a tasty treat, and had just the right amount of everything. The warm atmosphere, and the fact you can sit anywhere in the room to eat — something far too many pubs seem to have restricted recently — makes for a welcoming and cosy experience all round.

By the looks of it, they’re still settling into the community as it was quiet when we called in for a midweek tea.

So spread the word — it’s well worth a visit.

Lancashire Telegraph review by Richard Carr from May 30, 2009.

Feeling like a break from the old routine for my birthday, I headed up a group of 10 venturing out for a late Sunday dinner at the Britannia Inn.

The long-awaited roundabout being built outside seems chaotic at first, but inside couldn't be more different.

It is a lovely old pub with a series of tucked-away rooms and a terrace overlooking the Guide countryside.

Its size is a real benefit as it manages to work as both an eating establishment and a regular, old-fashioned pub.

Many pubs these days are nothing more than restaurants with a bar as the lingering smell of food in the air makes them off-putting for anyone out for a quiet pint. We arrived towards the end of serving hours but were seated and served with no fuss.

The menu catered for our table very adequately, offering plenty of choice while sticking to time-trusted dishes. As one of four vegetarians, I was pleased that we all found something we were happy with.

Prices were in the £6-£9 range, while the Sunday carvery was still going strong at £6.50. The portions were, frankly, enormous. A mention must also go to the Lancaster Bomber on hand-pull at £2.50 a pint.

Sadly, many pubs serving food still tend to neglect their cask ales but here it was kept to perfection.

At just over a tenner including two drinks each, I was happy to have chosen the Britannia for a birthday evening out.

A lovely old pub, especially in summer.

Lancashire Telegraph review by John Anson from July 28, 2008.

MANY pubs in business terms are in the same position as the Britannia is in geographical terms — ie at a crossroads.

Possibly one of the area’s best known establishments in terms of location, the Britannia is clearly setting its stall out to attract patrons in search of value.

‘All meals a fiver’ scream various blackboards both inside and out. So often this means you get a choice of about half a dozen dishes but, to be fair to the Britannia, there’s a fine selection of options to choose from in the ‘budget’ menu.

True, most of them fall into the comfort food category, but let’s be honest, what do you want for a fiver. Fine dining experiences tend to cost somewhat more.

I went for shepherd’s pie while the better half chose scampi and chips. With a couple of drinks we still only paid £14.10 — not at all bad for a meal out.

As we waited for out meals, I had a look around. A lot of work has been done to maintain the traditional farmhouse feel — when it reopened some 20 years ago it won a major award.

But, for the modern diner, you do feel a little like you’re dining in a railway carriage, particularly if you choose a table in the lower dining area.

Both our dishes were decent-sized platefuls. The shepherd’s pie was in its own earthenware dish and served with a mound of peas.

The potato topping was nicely browned and there was plenty of minced beef filling. A little more seasoning wouldn’t have gone amiss but it was perfectly fine.

The scampi was served, as you’d expect, in breadcrumbs and with chips and peas. Again there was nothing outstanding about the dish but it represented a more than acceptable alternative to cooking at home.

The Britannia has a real country pub feel to it and certainly offers a competitive pricing policy which will suit a lot of diners.

Lancashire Telegraph review by Caroline Innes from July 24, 2007.

IT'S a shame when bad-mannered restaurant staff almost ruin a good night out.

So when the already unhelpful waitress rudely yelled across the restaurant, "They've moved again," after we swapped tables because the sun was shining in my eyes, it got us off to a bad start.

But by the time the first drink had gone down the annoyance had eased and our Friday night mood returned.

Although the bar area was busy, the restaurant section was fairly quiet and our food arrived quickly.

I had Lamb Henry which came with minted mash (a bit shy on the mint for my liking) and veg courgettes, carrots and green beans, all covered in a rich gravy.

The portion was huge and even after I'd eaten so much I was fit to burst there was still at least half the meat left on the bone.

My boyfriend had the mixed grill which seemed to be a mountain of every conceivable kind of meat (steak, gammon, pork chop, pork sausage) with an egg, mushrooms and black pudding.

The generous dish was only spoilt by the poor quality of the oven chip-style fries which were bland and tasteless.

We visited on a Friday and after our plates were cleared there was just enough time for another drink until the pub quiz started at 9.30pm.

With three drinks each the bill came to just over £40.

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