The Assheton Arms in Ribble Valley

I have been in this restaurant many times and always really enjoyed food and service but not last time. On 5th of November was birthday of my daughter. I thought we could have a good time and good food but… The service was terrible. We have wait to see the waiter around 20 minutes. Then my daughter went to the bar and order the bottle of wine. The menu we talked from the next table. A few minutes later the waitress wearing leggings and t-shirt brought the wine, put on the table and walk away. She didn’t ask if the wine was ok, didn’t open it and said nothing. After we waited another half an hour to be asked what we would like.I have ordered fish pie and my daughter ordered sea bass. What a disappointment? Her sea bass was on dry side with with too much over fried samphire. My fish pie looked and tasted more as chowder. Just bland. In the end we have told staff about our bad experience that evening.

Awee break away for my birthday. The room (4) was stunning. Huge bed, excellent decor, size and furnishings, and a massive bath and shower. I think the Mrs paid the premium for the best room and it was well worth it imo. But sadly, the food was a let down. For dinner,we both had the same. Mushroom and onion bhajis, they were cold and very oily,just not pleasant at all. We then had the Tandoori spiced lamb,I liked it, but Mrs thought it was over done. It came with battered and deep fried broccoli, way too much batter and again very greasy. The staff asked, so I told her. She came back and offered us a free pud, which we accepted. Breakfast was ok, just ok. I paid the bill in the morning, we got charged for one of the puds. Very comfortable sleep in a superb room,. But beware, this place is very isolated.

It’s okay, just a bit bland and with that chain feel. Staffed with perfectly pleasant young people who perhaps are learning the trade but not much experience - friends reported an awful pint of off beer which bemused the staff- not really a pub. ‘It’s always hit and miss’ said a local sitting next to us.

An African,a French lady and an English man walked into a bar and were promptly ignored. Sadly this is not a joke. We sat at a table and asked for a menu which never came, with the two stewards never bothering to approach our table and offer us service. We won't be coming back. PLEASE AVOID.

With family recently moving to the area, we needed somewhere to stay whilst visiting. Everything was spot on. The staff were friendly and very efficient. The room was great, and the views were quite simply stunning. We will be returning in the new year.

Great food, great service, reasonably priced. Would recommend. I ordered the ox cheek pie and husband ordered the fish and chips which were both lovely, being really picky the mash were a bit on the dry side, but I would still recommend.

After our recent 5-night B&B+ evening meal stay at The Assheton Arms, Downham, Nr Clitheroe in Lancashire, we can honestly say the experience ranks among the best we have had - and we have tried some destinations we consider the best: The Devonshire at Bolton Abbey and The Victoria at Holkham, North Norfolk, to name a couple. The ambience was perfect - a classic, English country hotel with a long tradition of making guests and locals feel very welcome and relaxed. Our room was comfortable and well appointed, the menu was enticing, well-balanced and sensibly priced. And all this in such a peaceful and pretty location, close by Lancashire's famous Pendle Hill. We passed our compliments to the chefs and the front of house staff were great, including Kayleigh and Charlotte, plus the 'busy bee', Julie, keeping the hotel clean and tidy and our room spotless, cosy and well-stocked. Thank you very much everyone. We would love to return - and perhaps sample the other James' Places - but right now, we are singing your praises!

Spent four nights at this lovely pub. Room was clean, tidy and comfortable and equipped with everything we needed. Nice cosy pub and restaurant with friendly staff and good food. Set in a lovely village and ideally located for hill-walking or site-seeing in Lancashire and W. Yorkshire.

Lovely pub in a beautiful setting in the delightful village of Downham. We had a light lunch, and the food was very nice and reasonably priced. I did however think that £14.35 for a 175ml glass of wine, and a pint of Boxer Blonde ale was over the top.

What a Gem of a Pub.. Over looking lady Pendle in all her glory. I visited last week with my wife and having not been there since the new ownership we were excited to try it out. I did not let us down. The food was on point, service was fantastic. The young lady serving on was polite friendly and on point. We’ll definitely be booking in again soon 😎

We sat outside to enjoy lunch on 9 August 2024 at this delightful location. Club sandwiches were fine as was cold draft Madrí and cider. Alas the young bar staff member was less than hospitable. Gruff, monosyllabic responses were offered to any queries. No effort whatsoever was made to make us feel welcome, So, an ‘average’ rating results - a reflection of lacklustre service. We won’t be returning anytime soon.

just perfect. setting gorgeous, room fabulous, bar and restaurant superb, not expensive, great value for money. best black pudding ever!

I have been a regular user of James's Places for a number of years. As I live in Clitheroe, Holmes Mill, the Waddington Arms, the Emporium, the Shireburn Arms and Mitton Hall are the most frequently visited but I've also been to Falcon Manor and the Royal Hotel quite a few times and stayed at the Royal Hotel. Assheton Arms is another place I've been to on countless occasions both before and after it was under the James's Places umbrella. Today, I went for lunch with my partner. There was a queue to order with two people in front of me. There were two young ladies behind the bar - one serving, one for decorative purposes only. As it came to my turn to order a group of people came in and went to another part of the bar - one of the party, I am almost certain, was the local Lord of the Manor. The barmaid who should have been serving me chose to serve him and his party instead, part of his order included 'cold' Guinness which, for some reason, could only be found in an outbuilding, so she disappeared. Another member of staff came to serve behind the bar but he also chose to serve the Lord of All Things. By now, there were a number of people behind me including families with small children and I'd been waiting for quite a long time so I decided it was time to doff my cap and take my custom elsewhere.

Firstly this is a stunning location. Make sure you book as it gets very busy, the dining rooms are very nice just what you would expect of a country pub. There is something for everyone the menu is just right, the portions are generous so we just had nibbles to start at they were delicious, for main we all chose the pies but we asked for chips instead of mash and they were the best chips ever the meals were delicious and the service was excellent especially Chris who led the show an all round delight.

Faboulous meal at the Assheton Arms for my mums 90th birthday with the family . Setting is amazing, shown to our table in a quiet area off the dining room. Had great service and a fantastic meal , thankyou for making it special we had a wonderful time making memories!!

A lovely welcome in a typical country pub with a roaring fire and a great host. Enjoyed a couple of beers and chatted to the locals. Food looked good too.

Stayed 3 nights, great comfortable room with a great view. Village is lovely. The food was great. Excellent breakfasts. Good choice of food. Helpful friendly staff. It was my wife’s birthday and the staff made the stay special. Will recommend to friends.

This is a delightful pub/restaurant in equally delightful surroundings - the food was very good for some of the party but luke warm for others - the problem was the dreadful service -a wait of two hours to receive our food - the pub was very quiet and there seemed to obvious reaon for the delay - we loved the place but were not tempted to rush back

Visited here twice in the last few weeks, first visit there was quite a long wait for food, nearly an hour for mains from ordering. When the food arrived it was very good all round. Highlights included the cheese pie and fish pie - Both fantastic. Visited for a second time couple of weeks later, the long wait persisted again unfortunately, an hour to receive mains. The food this second time was very mixed, the lamb shank pie was delicious, the cheese pie was terrible, with cold beans. Another meal wasn't hot enough requiring re-heating. Had to wait a long time to pay, in the end gave up waiting and headed for the door, paid on exit after accosting a member of staff. Asked for a discount due to wait and mixed food, provided with a measly 50% off one meal. Not good enough when out of 5 only one meal was satisfactory. Not sure what is going wrong here, it wasn't fully booked, excuse was it's Sunday. My own view is the menu is either too large or too complicated for the size of kitchen / staff available. Really hoping the owners can sort it out, the pub is a fantastic location, we drove 50 minutes to visit, difficult to justify visiting again with long waits and mixed food.

Went for lunch with my husband. Have been to a few of the James' Places and this one is by far the best. Beautiful location, gorgeous venue, excellent staff and good was to die for. Will definitely be going again.

Two night birthday trip :). Room 12 was our abode with a very nice sitting room and 2 bedrooms, 2nd room had 2 bunks. The cottage was separate from the pub with a cobbled entrance and a small garden to enjoy the views (when the rain stopped). Friendly staff, locals and other guests. Nice to relax and chat with locals and other guests in front of the cosy fires after quality food and drink. Defo stay again, Thanks guys n gals.

We stayed one night in room 3. Absolutely lovely old pub with a log burner and doggies so we sat and read the Sunday papers and had a drink . Dinner was really delicious and the room was large and comfortable and very dark with blackout curtains. Would recommend a visit

We have just spent four wonderful days at The Assheton Arms. The accommodation is beautiful and the food excellent. This is a real gem in a beautiful location with staff who can’t do enough for you. We will 100 per cent return.

We stayed here on the coldest night of the year thus far! However the welcome and hospitality was warm and exemplary. The room was lovely, nice decor and nice and warm. We enjoyed a well cooked and delicious evening meal a breakfast. A special thanks to Kayleigh who assisted in defrosting our car before we left for home. Overall a very enjoyable stay. With staff who went that extra mile. We will be back.

Saw a menu in a nearby dress shop and always like Calves Liver if done properly. So this is the 2nd time I thought I would give it a try. Last time I had to complain about burned food. This time Liver was cooked really well - although there was some pipes left in. I asked for a small quantity of chips. They looked fine till you bit into them and they were raw. Couldn’t find someone to complain too and really couldn’t be bothered to have to wait again. When I finished the liver I spoke to a lady may have been the manager who knocked £10 off the meal. Unlikely to go back.

Does have a drinking only area which is a good thing. Good beer. Had the cheese pie which was a really good filling although pastry had caught a bit. Sides were ok, perhaps a bit reheated, which might be unfair. £18.50 for cheese pie ( with a really good filling)

We stumbled across this pub on a drive out. We sat down and got a drink from the bar. There were New Years Day menus on the table, my husband asked at the bar if this was the only,emu and was told yes. On the way out we a specials board which obviously had more choice. We ordered food and the chips on both our plates were very dried up along with the mushy peas. The fish though was fabulous.

Absolutely Brilliant so cosy, great food and a beautiful setting but the staff are amazing they duo everything they can to ensure you have the perfect stay and we cannot wait to stay again soon

We stayed in the fantastic rooms as 4 of us had a business meeting there. Everything great- high quality toiletries roomy and a great bed. We had a Christmas meal in the restaurant which was good. The bar and restaurant staff were young, however were polite, great humour and personalities. All deserve a commendation however, Holly you were fantastic regarding the service in the restaurant and also the checkout in the morning.

Very disappointing. Our second visit this year and both very disappointing. Really poor customer service. Broken window in bedroom. No heating on when we arrived. Extremely average food. Sat in bar after dinner with lads vaping next to us. No one seems to care. Definitely won't return. Such a shame as beautiful village.

Is there a lovelier pub, in a lovelier spot in all of England? Tell me now if there is because this hidden gem is quite the find. Cosy, friendly and with roaring fires it hits the buttons the moment you arrive. We enjoyed a superb...

Cannot recommend the Assheton Arms highly enough. Have dined there three times recently and the food and service have been exceptional. Last night I treated my Mother and her partner to a night away there (they are both in their twilight years!!) They were looked...

delicious food, huge portions, a lovely homely pub, very cosy. was busy but no trouble getting served.

This pub with a great location in a pretty village should be so much better. It’s actually awful. Poor service, needs a clean, zero evidence that there is any management. We are local and we’re so excited when it reopened but it’s been downhill since...

Nice Pub Nice Beer, food wise my Burger was like eating a Flip Flop on a bun my Wife’s Monk fish and Scampi was average. The service was poor no one seemed to know what was going on but that’s just about the way it...

Stayed here for dinner, bed and breakfast. The room was very comfortable and the food fantastic. The staff were friendly and helpful. There are log burners in the bar area and restaurant making the areas really cosy. We will be making a return visit.

Can honestly say that we wanted for nothing on this stay at The Assheton Arms. Everything from room cleanliness to all the little home comforts and necessities catered for in our absolutely gorgeous room. I have MS, so was exhausted by the time we arrived....

Stayed one night at end of September and was very happy with the hotel/pub, the area is outstanding and ideal for walkers and cyclist, the staff at the pub were very friendly and the atmosphere was very welcoming, the restaurant is very nice and the...

After visiting for a really good late lunch a few weeks ago we booked to stay for one night. Fabulous old pub surrounded by amazing scenery. Did a couple of walks in the area, so beautiful and surprisingly nobody about. Had a really nice bedroom,...

Just had the best meal of our holiday! We ate in the bar where our dog was welcomed. Delicious smoked haddock risotto complete with tiny crunchy veg and sweet pea shoots. The other half had a truly excellent burger. We walked it off on the...

We had a family meal here, it was one of the best meals I've had for quite a while. I'm surprised to read the recent poor reviews. All 4 meals were excellent

We arrived and sat outside. We went in to get a menu as none of the staff thought to offer us any kind of service. After getting the menu and deciding what we wanted to eat I went in to order. The waiter/barman or whatever...

This is a lovely pub in a gorgeous village with nicely appointed rooms in converted village houses. Pre- pandemic it was absolutely fabulous both food and service. It closed and reopened in this guise. Firstly you just cannot get through. Calls are not returned. One...

My friends beef cheek pie was good, my wife’s fish risotto was ok, but the two of us who had the three times cooked chips were very disappointed! They seemed almost a little stale. The bacon chop was a little over cooked. I wouldn’t rush...

We called in today for a quick lunch on the way to Harrogate. Only a sandwich but the offer of triple cooked chips was too much to resist. The sandwich was fine as were the sides. The chips were simply awful, tasteless, overcooked and dry....

Lovely lunch. Ox cheek pie to die for. Lovely service. The only fly in the ointment: The 3 miserable, middle aged women who split their bill to £12.63 each cos their food had been inadvertently missed and the staff "didn't apologise enogh" They still troughed the lot though!! Hope they read this. We will return. X

I visited this gem of a place with my wife and kids in tow. We were stopping a caravan park close but and we’re looking for a nice evening meal. We’re weren’t disappointed. The prices might look slightly higher but you paying for absolute quality. The menu was mouth watering and the food didn’t disappoint, full of flavours unique combinations. The kitchen teams are amazing, the quality of the food was outstanding. I fully recommend this place.

Visited this place on a gloriously sunny August day. The young ladies on the staff especially Holly and Daisy were full of smiles and goodwill. We enjoyed meals from the light bites menu along with cooling drinks. Nothing was too much trouble for the servers and their general bonhomie enhanced our dining experience!

Visited many times. Great service and delicious food with beautiful scenery. Beware though, last time I visited the "coconutters" were also customers. They wear "blackface" so don't visit if find offensive.

Delicious Sunday lunch. Very tasty and well presented. The bacon chop was luscious and succulent. The belly pork was plentiful with a well flavoured noodle dish and the rib eye steak was superb quality and cooked to perfection. Wonderful meal overall.

Great menu. Family have been before so knew that portions were large so we didn’t have any starters. Fish pie was glorious! Mange tout and green beans accompanied it. Others had cod loin on pesto spaghetti. Daughter had ox cheek pie with mash, parsnips and...

What a wonderful place. Visited Downham village last Saturday and took a couple of pints with some food in Assheton Arms pub. Very nice and cosy interior with beautiful fireplaces, delicious food and exclusive craft beer , friendly staff and all this for affordable prices....

If you have a bit of time on your hands and not in a rush then this is the pub for you when you are having a meal in the restaurant, particularly on a Sunday. The food was excellent, however waitress perhaps needed to brush...

Fantastic food, lovely service, could not fault the service or food and we would definitely go again

Had an excellent 2 night weekend break on a DBB deal. I’m 100% gluten free and contacted the manager Chris who managed to source me gluten free sausages for the amazing cooked breakfast. The chef can adapt many of the dishes to be gluten free...

We only stayed for one night but has left a lasting impression on us. Our check in was faultless and shown to our room immediately. We stayed in Room 7 which was so lovely, the biggest shower we’d ever been in, the bed was so...

Came upon this pub by chance after driving in a torrential down pour we was drenched lovely warm log burner roast beef dinner it was amazing love to go back soon

Went for lunch after seeing recent publicity. Very disappointing... the service was casual at best, unprofessional at worst. The food was not so good. Ham hock terrine was inedible, risotto over seasoned. We won't be returning.

What a wonderful weekend we’ve had staying and eating at the Assheton Arms. We are 2 couples, one younger and one older, and both raved equally about the place. Let’s start with the staff. The manager is fabulous, attentive and nothing is too much trouble....

A renowned traditional pub in an unspoilt village in the shadow of Pendle Hill. The well renowned James’ Place group took a lease and reopened in February this year. Their refurbishment has retained the original traditional elements of the pub and in keeping with James’...

Absolutely delicious food and great service. This was one of our favourite places under the previous ownership and we're so pleased that after a bit of a wobbly start the quality is back! Well done to the new team. Looking forward to becoming regulars again

Lovely atmosphere. Fab good and service and good value for money. Amazing chocolate fondant and the setting was amazing

Stayed here Sat 1st July, beautiful place in small picturesque village, stayed in room 3, was top notch , clean modern spacious, beautiful cotton bedding with superb comfy bed. Staff professional polite and very helpful. Had evening meal it was lovely. We enjoyed stay so...

Beautiful village location,very quiet & peaceful,such a lovely place to dine & stay. We had a ground level room,which was lovely & large with a huge bathroom.The room was lovely & cool even though it was a very hot day.The furnishings were very nice and...

Friends and I had lunch here after a walk in the area. The restaurant was very quiet - less than half full. However, it took ages for us to place our drinks and food order and even longer for our food to come. You know...

On arrival, having booked a table we were asked to go through to the restaurant area, on doing so a member of staff moved us back to the bar area, why? Very disappointed with the wait of almost an hour, the size of the portions...

Very disappointed after having lunch here before. Waited over 1 hour for our meal. Fish was covered in hard batter and not much fish. Very expensive for what you got. Service very poor not enough staff and after complaining was not offered a refund or...

On a nice warm sunny day you would expect the place to be busy and it was. The starters and mains were all very good and tasty. I had the fish and chips and the fish was "small" for the price but was good quality...

Now part of the James Places group this was our first visit to this venue since it’s reopening in February. We took advantage of the excellent DB&B offer. Quite simply a fantastic mid week break - drinks outside in the sunshine followed by a lovely...

The food was really lovely, but the service very lacking. We felt like the waitresses were serving us through gritted teeth, could barely smile. We waited an hour for our food and had to go and find them twice. The only breath of fresh air...

Waited over an hour for our food. The Chicken dishes were extremely poor, each had two very small pieces of chicken and not much else. Staff were forgetful and gave the impression they didn't really care. Won't be going back.

Lovely lunch today in the picturesque village of Downham . The service was good . We will definitely return.

We stopped for lunch in this delightful hotel. We sat outside in a lovely location. The hotel is full of charm and character. We had the best sandwiches we have tasted for a very long time. Ham and piccalilli, smoked salmon and prawns, as well...

We booked a dinner, bed and breakfast deal on a Friday evening. The hotel is a lovely building set in the beautiful quiet village of Downham with rooms outside of the main building that have been beautifully refurbished. We had drinks in the beer garden...

A friendly arrival at lunch time. Very busy as expected on a sunny day so we had some drinks outside and ventured into Clitheroe for the afternoon. On our arrival back we checked into room 11. Beautiful room with a very large bathroom with an...

We arrived Saturday afternoon after a hike up Pendle Hill. We was welcomed with friendly, happy staff who took us to our room. The outside area was busy with people sat socialising in the sun. We couldn’t believe our eyes as we entered the ‘Downham...

Not been here since the Seafood Company owned it. It was a let down. Straight through the door, no atmosphere. Services was a little slow and one waitress a little surly and obviously didn’t want to be there. Disappointed with the food, I had seafood...

I think that the main draw for this charming pub is the stunning location. It really is a divine setting and the interior is everything I love about James Places. Gorgeous and rustic. So the food. We have been three times now and have only...

Six of us, three couples, went for lunch on Sunday 30th April, to celebrate my wife's birthday. All of us enjoyed the food, so no problem there. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the service, which was disappointing. Other than one missing knife, things...

Well our experience started with a waitress spilling a whole drink over our party...but it turned out this was the high point in the service, it was all down hill from there. We booked as a family group for my sister in law's 40th and...

Great location, lovely pub and staff. Food was ok. Made a comment regarding the Sherry trifle x2 as they were tasteless and watery. We was given a 10% discount around 75p on the price of those desserts, which we felt was offensive. Either give a...

I don't normally write reviews but thought this time I should - perhaps someone will make changes based on my complaint. We have been to many of James places and the food is generally very good. On Sunday it was busy and the atmosphere was...

At the heart of the village of Downham, the Assheton Arms is a warm and inviting place to stop and enjoy a quiet drink or a meal with friends. We had chosen this place for our evening meal for two reasons: it's having been used...

You can tell this is a James Places now as soon as you walk in. Pleasant staff but run off their feet although not that busy so can only assume short staffed like all their other venues. Found our own table which we were told...

Have eaten at this pub many times over the years and most recently around 6 weeks ago when both the food and service were excellent. My wife and I went today "Easter Sunday" and although the food was quite good the service was absolutely shocking....

Excellent meal with good service in comfortable surroundings. We are really pleased one of our favourite places has reopened. The venison was particularly memorable with fresh vegetable's not over cooked. i am sure regular family meals out here are on the menu!!!

We called in yesterday for lunch and thought the staff pleasant and helpful. However were definitely disappointed with our meals. I had the sea bass with new potatoes and greens, which were all beautifully cooked but then spoiled by the copious amount of oil coating...

We enjoyed a two night stay here in the picturesque village of Downham. The rooms are situated in a number of cottages and houses near the Assheton Arms. The room was very comfortable, quiet and warm on arrival which was appreciated. Nice bathroom with good...

Have been before under the James group, have noticed the subtle changes to the new owners, staff very friendly rooms very clean and bed extremely comfortable….. however problems with plumbing in the room lovely deep bath but the water just drained through the plug ,...

We had lunch here with a couple of friends on Saturday, so pleased to see this place up and running again a lovely country pub in a great location. I have seen some of the mixed reviews but for our part we all had excellent...

Went back here for the first time since it reopened yesterday. Was really busy . Got our drinks from the bar then decided to order some sandwiches and chips . These took around half an hour to arrive . I had an sweet chilli chicken...

We had a one night stay. The room was clean, no complaints. We dined at the restaurant for dinner, the young staff are lovely, friendly and accommodating, they allowed us to take our little dog in with us. We both ordered fish and chips, the...

We went on a Monday afternoon sat in the pub. We both had fish n chips which were dark brown (burnt) didn’t want to make a fuss just ate the fish from inside the burnt batter. So paid and left you can imagine how I...

Visited late on a Friday afternoon as a spur of the moment thing. The dining room was already full so we opted to eat in the pub rather than wait for a table - we were offered either option. The specials board was pointed out...

1/10 dreadful experience , absolutely not all the faults of the service people I blame the Senior Managment for allowing the young staff to be let loose on what was once a great restaurant… Food was not at all up to standard , when you...

Was quite a disappointing visit overall, the pub itself is lovely and in a pretty location. There were some serious mis-steps with the food and the service, some may be down to teething troubles as its only just reopened. However, a half an hour wait...

Friday lunchtime and the place is big but a 45 minute wait for starters seems a long time. Food was ok- nothing outstanding but no major complaints- only been open 3 weeks so maybe sone settling in to be done. Cauliflower and scotch egg starters...

We visited here for a light lunch. Lovely menu and the food was nice. We only had a sandwich but it was packed and tasty. Negative - the service was appalling. People walked out while we were there due to the wait. Took 10, minutes...

I visited this evening after a highly anticipated re-opening! I’d seen the roast dinners advertised on the Facebook page and booked a table in order to try one! First impressions were good, the pub has been beautifully refurbished and decorated with high quality furniture and...

Fabulous! Our stay was on the 7th night after re-opening on 10th February. The food was excellent. The team (some still being trained) were very efficient and helpful. The rooms are very high standard. Great for a date night treat/birthday ...any occasion!