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This is where the renowned chef-restaurateur Paul Heathcote made his name, since when his restaurant empire has spread across the North of England. After being awarded the coveted AA Three Rosettes rating again, The Longridge has moved to a different league altogether and is described as 'one of the best in the world'. This top accolade follows an excellent review in the Good Food Guide and Heathcote's decision to take the restaurant off the property market and work closely with Head Chef and Gordon Ramsay scholarship award winner Chris Bell and his wife, Kath who is also the General Manager.

The décor calls on creams, greys and blacks skilfully blended in to what started life as a 19th century cottage. A private dining room seating 14 increases the versatility of what has always been a forward looking range of events and happenings in this attractive restaurant. The ability to spread the word has been enhanced by the addition of a cookery school, created by designer Karen Brierley.

Much of Chris's food has an earthy base to it, using local products like excellent black pudding, but is then elevated either by being served in interesting combinations or by the sheer flavour and technical expertise deployed. Puddings have always been praised, with one of the finest bread and butter puddings in the country, served spoilingly with a compote of apricots and clotted cream.

Menus at any Heathcote restaurant, whilst exploring interesting backwaters, and keeping faith with British cuisine, could be expected to offer a duck terrine with rare wood pigeon, seared Scottish scallops with roasted foie gras, and ham hock and Lancashire cheese hash brown. A risotto of pea and mint, Cumbrian ham and slow cooked duck egg makes a real treat of a starter, but even simple dishes such as salmon gravadlax are given new meaning with marinated cucumber, ratte potatoes, warm shrimps and cress.

Bowland beef enjoys a reputation that appeals to the increasingly concerned and steadily growing minority who like the ingredients used in creation of their dishes to have a credible background. Here a roast fillet is served as a main course with fondant potato, creamed and roast parsnips, Savoy cabbage, green peppercorn and thyme. Pan roasted sea bass with creamed cauliflower, spinach, new potatoes, shrimps and parsley is also worth every penny.

Leaving on one side the renowned bread and butter pudding, the sheer artistry of coffee and bay leaf crème brûlée with white chocolate sorbet and peppercorn meringues is hard to ignore. Don't even try!

Those seeking value will find the lunch menu an attractive proposition, competitively priced and offering the sort of selection more commonly associated with a top notch à la carte.

The wine list is superb, but very little dips beneath the £20 mark. Console yourself with the thought that food of this quality should not be associated with anything less.

For more information, including their latest menus and details on any special offers, do visit their Website. The menu changes seasonally - three times a year - for Spring in February, Summer in June for and October for Autumn/Winter.

Before you become swept away on thoughts of flash red automobiles, it's not like that at all, even if a few of them appear in pictures hung round the hotel. It is a charismatic Italian family, working hard to offer their take on the country house hotel experience in a delightful corner of the fiercely rural Ribble Valley, one of the most beautiful parts of Lancashire, but only a mere ten minute drive from the M6.

Several different menus are offered but the daddy of them all is the Saturday night job when, in common with the rest of the county, hair is let down. Start with a duo of pates, a composition of chicken liver, port and Stilton, served with salad and melba toast, or the delicious Medaglione di Bue, beef patties wrapped in bacon, slowly oven roasted with red wine and rosemary, then drizzled with horseradish cream. Those with a fish addiction may prefer the brioche de Coulibiac, a combination of salmon, boiled egg, parsley, saffron rice, tomato and onion, wrapped in puff pastry and served warm with salad and balsamic vinaigrette.

Main courses are robust, with a frisson of Italian finesse to ensure generous and attractive presentation on the plate. The sirloin steak on a bed of shallot confit is accompanied by a Guinness and red wine jus, whilst the loin of pork arrives astride a sautéed black pudding, finished with a grainy mustard cream.

Service is full of Italian charm and the Italian family atmosphere comes though strongly.

Whilst it is doubtful whether the Michelin inspectors will ever come knocking at the door here, stranger things have happened, and the warmth of the welcome from Jason and Emily is an encouraging start.

Part of the problem is that their website carries menu headings which, on being clicked do not list any dishes at all. This is much less than fair to themselves since a visit reveals ham and chicken suet pies well supported by chips, mushy peas and glutinous gravy, traditional roast pork, gammon and chips, shoulder of lamb and spicy crab cakes. A broccoli, cheese and red lentil tart is wholesome and refreshing, and the no matter what you order the helpings are of the mammoth class.

Puddings really are. Expect to find apple crumble, treacle pie, and Bakewell tart. So for sheer nourishment and filling capacity the White Bull is your bag. The real ale is excellent with Bombardier and Black Sheep there for the enjoyment of some and the misguidance of others. The smooth beer is just like smooth beer anywhere - I am not encouraged to say more.