Address: Clitheroe Road, Chatburn, BB7 4JY.

Phone number: 01200 440760.

Lancashire Telegraph review by John Anson from March 29, 2009.

FINALLY it appears as though spring has sprung. The birds are singing, the sun is (almost) shining and everyone is heading off to the garden centre.

In the interests of practicality, I decided to combine a traditional Sunday afternoon pastime with a spot of lunch out at the rapidly-expanding Shackleton’s Garden Centre and Nursery.

It seems that no self-respecting outlet can afford to be without some form of refreshment bar and The Pavilion is Shackleton’s coffee shop/restaurant.

Finding your way in can be a bit of a test. There are large floor-length windows but no apparent entrance — you have to go inside the shop and turn right at the toilets through a small door.

But, having safely overcome that problem, we found ourselves in a large, high-ceilinged extension full of chuck furniture and filled with the conteted buzz of a Sunday afternoon crowd.

The Pavilion offers everything from a cuppa through to a full meal. There’s also a licensed bar if you’re in the mood.

A number of daily specials are chalked up on boards and the better half opted for one – lamb hotpot with pickled red cabbage.

I stuck to the standard menu and chose the plate meat pie, chips and peas. Both dishes were priced £7.95. We also ordered a cafetiere to share — there are a number of coffees to chose from.

It was late in the afternoon when we called in, which perhaps explained the slightly well-done nature of my pie. The shortcrust pastry was a little over-brown and appeared to have been kept warm for a while.

But it remained flaky and light and the minced beef filling was tasty.

The chips too were on the sunburnt side but tasted better than they looked and mushy peas were a great accompaniment.

The better half pronounced the hot pot “delicious”, with large tender chunks of lamb and rustic vegetables under a potato crust and a side dish of red cabbage It was accompanied by a large roll and butter.

A coffee shop in a garden centre is never going to be a highbrow eating establishment but The Pavilion has decent, traditional food which is not overly expensive.

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