The Grapes, Wrea Green

Lovely location on one of the largest village greens in Lancashire. Real ale and food.

However, this Chef and Brewer pub is blighted by complacency. Guest real ale constantly runs out by 8pm Friday night; and only the assistant manager (2012) and one other member of the bar staff know how to pull a proper pint. Staff training is also an issue - it would be nice to have the odd smile (I suspect leadership at the top does not set a good example) and bar service is slow, generally.

Service for food is little better. Last meal (June 2012) meant a long wait, even though the pub was not busy; my shoulder of lamb was fatty and over minted, whilst my friend''s megrim sole was beautifully cooked (kudos to the chef) but spoiled by a "seafood medley" that was vinegared mussels a dumped on top of the fish.

Previous responses to complaints (yes, we've eaten there before) include "chef says it was there when it left the kitchen" when we pointed out that the salad had no dressing; "There were the same number on each plate when I picked it up" - I gently pointed out to the server that one plate had three scampis whilst the other had seven (the server had just put the plate down on the table!)

So no surprise when our complaint was greeted with the word "Oh" as the server walked off.

A shame - potentially a great pub. Back to the Villa or the Taps in Lytham for us.

4 Jun 2012 08:39