Review: Sunday dinner at The Aspinall Arms, Mitton

Perched nicely on the beautiful banks of the River Ribble, the Aspinall Arms is a large countryside pub between Clitheroe and Whalley with an extensive garden and amazing views across the river and over to Pendle Hill.

As you would expect for the time we visited, and given it wasn’t raining for the first time in a month, the place was busy, but thankfully we (my mum was visiting again) were placed in a cosy corner in a room off to the side – far enough from the main area that it wasn’t noisy but not so far away it felt like we would be forgotten.

The Aspinall Arms (Image: NQ)

We were greeted promptly and our drinks orders were taken.

Neither of us are huge drinkers, so we opted for Diet Coke and Fanta, but there was a wide range of choice when it came to alcohol – Neck Oil, Peroni, Madri, Aspall, Guinness, Leffe, as well as local ales and, for any dads celebrating Father’s Day, a free pint of Budvar.

The Sunday menu provided ample choice, with six different roasts options and a wide range of classic mains.

Perhaps not-so-classic, but for starters we opted for tandoori king prawns with naan and the chicken and ginger gyoza with hoisin sauce.

The chicken and ginger gyoza on the left and the tandoori king prawns on the right (Image: NQ)

The gyoza was crispy and flavourful, and probably enough for two people on its own as a starter.

The prawns, though, were next level, and I could have quite happily polished off a few portions of them to myself and called it a day there. The tandoori seasoning was bliss, and the prawns themselves were cooked to perfection.

Moving onto the mains and when it comes to pub food, for me there are only really two choices – fish and chips or a pie.

I opted for the chicken and wild mushroom pie this time and swapped out the buttered mash for chips without any hassle – the staff were very good about swapping items around as I overheard from other tables.

Mum, meanwhile, went for the steak burger with beer onions, grilled pancetta, Monterey Jack cheese, spiced tomato mayonnaise, and fries.

Chicken and wild mushroom pie with chips on the left, and a steak burger with fries on the right (Image: NQ)

Like any good pie, the crust was firm and went all the way around the filling, rather than just being a layer of pastry on top.

The filling was pleasant – not the best I’ve ever had, but certainly nothing wrong with it apart from there could have been more.

I’ve sampled a lot of pub food in my time, which means for someone in their mid-20s I’ve definitely eaten more chips than any person would recommend, so though this may be a bold claim, I’m going for it – they were the best I’ve ever had.

Chunky, crispy, fluffy inside – exactly what I crave when I think about pub lunches. I would go back just for them.

The burger, which I have to say looked amazing as well, I’m told matched those looks – the meat was of excellent quality and was cooked perfectly, while the fries were top notch as well (nothing on my chips though).

Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream on the left and Biscoff cheesecake with raspberry sorbet on the right (Image: NQ)

As ever, a quick peruse over the dessert menu was standard and, also as ever, I went for the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.

Warm, rich, and complemented really well by the soft ice cream, it was a perfect way to finish off an amazing meal.

For cheesecake lovers (not me, sorry) I was given a one-word response regarding the Biscoff cheesecake with raspberry sorbet – “delicious.”

To top off a really pleasant afternoon, after we had paid we went and sat outside on a bench as close to the river as possible to take in the stunning views and make the most of the sun.

It is a stunning place to sit and while away the time – perfect for summer drinking and definitely, along with the amazing food, people should take advantage of in the coming months.

The Aspinall Arms is located in Mitton Road, Mitton.