The Cat is well and truely out of the bag...

When I booked a weekend treat away to Barcelona all those months ago, little did I realise I would be away for Father’s Day, oops.

So with bad-daughter guilt in tow, I treated my dear old dad to a slap up meal at The Red Cat in Whittle-le-Woods 
before I trotted off on my jollies.

Booking a table online (what novelty!) on Thursday morning for 6.30pm that night and with everything all done and dusted within a matter of seconds, I text Popsicle to let him know he didn’t need to trouble my mum for tea.

On arrival at the whitewashed building, despite being 15 minutes late, we were welcomed with a beaming smile and were told our tardiness was not a 
problem.

Bellies rumbling we declined the offer of a seat in the conservatory bar area and were shown to our table overlooking the nearby countryside – a welcome view on a lovely summer’s evening.

Appetisers of goats’ cheese croquettes were nicely gooey and the accompanying balsamic glaze was tangy and complementary.

Pair these with a fresh multigrain roll and our appetites were truly whetted.

Moving on to the starters, I opted for duck liver parfait with toasted brioche from the Market Menu that cost £25 for three courses.

The parfait was smooth and creamy with no “bits” in that I find can find off putting and was well paired with a fruit chutney

Across the table, Dad had gone for the a-la-carte menu’s soup of the day with mini sandwich.

Today’s option being celeriac soup with a pulled pork and apple sauce bun which was deemed “very tasty” but the cream in the soup somewhat overpowered the celeriac flavour.

For mains we both opted for chicken dishes.

On my side was a lovely chicken breast with crunchy savoy cabbage on crushed potatoes with baby onions and lardons in a mushroom sauce.

It was tasty enough and well-seasoned.

Opposite, a dish of baby Goosnargh chicken with pea puree and walnuts was well cooked and the meat fell away well from the bone.

However, always one to try every dish on the table, Dad said there was little difference between the taste of the two dishes.

Finally onto our desserts, a cheeseboard of smoked Applewood Cheddar, Dunshyre Blue and Wild Garlic Yarg was enjoyed alongside a vanilla pannacotta, mixed berries and black cherry ice cream topped off with a cup of tea to finish. The Red Cat is intimate and welcoming and the presentation of each dish was second to none, as was the service.

However, as tasty as each dish was, it was noticeable that cream was the overiding theme on the menu.

This cat certainly got the cream.

The total bill came to £77.33 including 10% service charge, which is optional, but will be added on to your bill unless requested it be removed or altered.

The Red Cat, 114 Blackburn Road

Whittle-le-Woods, near Chorley

Call 01257 263966

Opening times:

Thursday, Friday & Saturday - Lunch served noon to 2pm,

Market menu served 6pm-9pm (Thursday), Market menu served 6pm-7pm (Friday & Saturday),

A-la-carte and gourmet menu served 6pm-9pm

Sunday - Lunch served noon to 5.30pm, Market menu served 6pm-9pm, a-la-carte and gourmet menu menu served 6pm to 9pm