The Hesketh Arms in West Lancashire

We have been before and have thoroughly enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere. So having raved to friends about The Hesketh arms we took them today. Atmosphere was drab, everywhere very cold, fire not lit and a very chilly dining area. Service as ever was wonderful, food was dreadful, changes on the menu since last time we visited. 2 of our group had fish pie, they renamed it fish soup with a pastry crust. Whilst packed with fish it was so watery inside a spoon was needed to eat it. My Steak and Guiness pie sounded very inviting on a chilly day outside and almost as cold inside. The pie arrived full of meat with a small jug of gravy, the gravy was tasteless, watery and really not the standard I expect from the Hesketh. Fish goujons were ok, tartare sauce wasn’t. I used to love the tartare sauce we used to be served with last year. Vibrant colour and truly a great taste. Not this one. Dessert Fudge was horrendously sweet, hard and shattered when try to eat an eve with the dessert for supplied. When eating it just disintegrated into thousands of sugary particles, sorry that wasn’t fudge. More like a sugar cube!!! This is all constructive crisis, we love the Hesketh Arms. Always obey and inviting with amazing food. Such an embarrassing visit with friends. Not the standards we’ve enjoyed before.

Called in whilst passing for lunch, we hadn't prebooked but we were shown to a table swiftly, amazing food and great service, we will definitely be back 👍

Festive Cheer and Chill A nice relaxing ambience awaits in this restaurant served by hospitable staff ,Robi in her Santa hat greets and welcomes you with a glowing smile, staff are so attentive enabling you to relax and enjoy the sumptuous culinary delights on offer . Nice and warm atmosphere music good food delicious what else can you ask for ? Thankyou and Merry Xmas Hesketh Arms Rufford . Jane

Visited to celebrate a family birthday, which was absolutely perfect. Staff all super friendly. Great choice and great price. Recommended.

Very nice big pub plenty of parking space and beautiful area. Went on a Saturday afternoon by chance. Not too busy but meal for me and my better half great! Only gripe meal took 25 minutes to arrive but that's why only 4 stars

Just has a superb Sunday Lunch, as usual the food was excellent, the beef so tasty and tender and plenty of it , the Fruit crumble the best we have ever had in pub and a large portion that we shared ..Price very reasonable .Thoroughly enjoyed it .

First time to this lovely pub for lunch today, had the Korean chicken burger and the steak and marrow burger. They were both delicious and the service was excellent. Managed to fit in a couple of great desserts too. Highly recommend

Popped into this "olde worlde" pub on a Saturday night and it was packed with dinners and those just drinking and chatting. It had such a warm and friendly atmosphere. I brought my little puppy in and lots of people smiled and came over to stroke him. There is a great stone/flagged 'doggie' area and other carpeted areas for people who prefer not to sit near dogs. During the visit my dog had a 'small accident' and someone quickly came over to help - so friendly! I love this place, it's little 'nooks and crannies' with glowing fireplace and historic beams is a great. There are loads of cask ales to choose from as well as delicious food - but the best part is that no matter what day or time, there is always people in to chat to! LOVE THIS PLACE!

We live locally and always try to give our business locally. We had a couple of bad meals here but thought we would give them another try The service was excellent. The food was actually quite tasty but the portion size for the price was downright disgraceful. £18 for a Malaysia seafood curry that was smaller than I'd expect for a starter. You'd pay £8 for a far better version of this at Mowgli but this is in a village pub that has no great reputation for food and sadly won't acquire one

Excellent food and friendly service, very reasonable prices from a well thought out menu and nice comfortable atmosphere.

Beware......£10.15 for a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (at least Zorro wore a mask) and only 3 very average beers on out of six handpumps.

A pub that shouldn’t pretend to have table service… This is the 3rd time I’ve been to this pub and I feel like the invisible man. Pub atmosphere good but don’t expect table service here… Staff are uninterested in either taking a food order or clearing plates. Go to the bar for everything…

I love coming to this pub and often come with friends and family The staff are incredible and always make you feel so welcome and can't do enough for you Keep up the good work we'll be back soon!

What a brilliant night it was at The Hesketh Arms, such a friendly and warm atmosphere. We loved everything, the cask ales and the fabulous 'olde-worlde' character with the living flame fire, the historic beams, the cosy cubbie-holes so you don't feel croweded and tonight the music was amazing! Everyone up and dancing to the fabulous 909 band! We went with family and at first wanted a drink and a catch-up so it was great that we could hear hear ourselves talk, then when the night went on we were lucky enough to find a space at a table closer to the lively 'vibe' and joined in with the dancing. The only thing we missed was the traditional 'Auld-Lang Syne' sing-a-long but that space was filled with more brilliant music and dancing and what was intended as a catch-up with family turned out to be a long night when the bell for last orders was rung twice and I think we were one of the last to leave after 1am! Loved it and will be back again, this time for lunch!

Excellent food. Mum says it was one of the best fish pies she has ever tasted, full of fish. My chicken and hock pie was great, and my dads gammon was spot on

We eat here weekly due to how good it is and today we had the fish pie and my partner had the steak burger. The burger was thick and full of taste and the bun fresh. We ordered onion rings and an extra chips too. The batter on the onion rings is so good. They melt in your mouth. So he was very happy with the burger. Now onto the fish pie…it was absolutely amazing! So many chunks of fish and prawns and in a creamy sauce. It is presented so well with mash on top in a pot and I think it maybe have had cheese on top too. There doesn’t look much but there really is and it’s really filling. We washed the meal down with Shiraz and Guinness and it was just lovely. They brought us a jug of water too. I decided to have a pudding and chose the egg custard with panettone. Wow! It was the nicest puddling I’ve ever had. Creamy egg custard and it was like sugared chewy toasted panettone cubes on the top. Just heaven. We retired to the bar which was busy with all kinds of characters - and that’s what we like about this place - you can wear what you want and feel comfortable. We are boaters so live in jeans/outdoor wear, jumpers and body warmers , but you have people dressed in evening wear, some in high visibility work clothes - you name it everyone is dressed comfortable. Friendly staff as always and really attentive to detail so always know when your glass is empty. Only one minus here is that lots of people stand at the bar in the way which can be awkward when trying to get to it to get your own drinks but they are really friendly and polite so move over for you. No animosity here at all. We LOVE it! Thank you.

Really nice pub. Cosy with a good atmosphere. The food is great (the apple and cinnamon crumble was fab), the service excellent and the mulled wine delicious! We enjoyed it so much we ate here two nights in a row. And we will definitely be back.

We visited on a very quiet Thursday lunchtime. The Steak Pie and service were excellent. Good value, good food, good service.

We visit almost every Friday for dinner and it’s always a treat! Tonight’s dinner was fantastic, the pheasant terrine starter was outstanding. The sea bass nearly tempted me away from the game specials but seriously, we’ve tried most of the dishes on the everyday menu and you can’t go wrong.

Another amazing meal at a local village pub whose food would grace any good restaurant. Starter: perfectly cooked Mallard with beetroot & fennel salad, pine nuts & feta. Main: roast Venison haunch {A haunch not a couple of slices} with honey roast carrots, cabbage, hand cut chips and game jus. Absolutely delicious and very generous. As ever, excellent beer kept to the highest standards, great wine by the glass and lovely staff. Already planning the next visit.

Went for the Tapas Night 29th September. We were very excited about it, the menu looked great when we sat down. Prices were a little more expensive than competitors but you'd expect that in a local pub. However when the food arrived, the portions were so tiny, I felt absolutely robbed! I personally paid £17.50 for my 3 choices: 2 thin slices of foccacia and a small balsamic dip £5.25) 3 tiny empendadas and a slice of lemon (£7.50 - absolute rip off) A bowl of roasted peppers (that was quite a generous portion actually but ironically the cheapest thing on the menu at £4.75) My partner had the tiniest serving of 3 meatballs (£7.95) and 3 chicken wings (£7.95) In summary - if I want tapas, I'm going to Pesto. Bigger portions, cheaper prices! DAYLIGHT ROBBERY!!!

We went for the Tapas night and what can I say other than it was absolutely amazing. We were seated on arrival and drinks order was taken promptly. We ordered 8 tapas dishes and they came at varying times which was explained they would do on ordering and it was perfect! The variety and choices offered was superb. Meat, fish and vegetarian dishes came and the taste was exceptional. This was washed down with Aperol Spritz for me and fine ales for my partner. 5 different members of staff served us and everyone single one was courteous, professional and made us feel really special. Their attention to detail was amazing as they noticed your empty glass and always offered you another drink. Creme Brûlée finished off our meal and it’s the best one we have ever tasted! Would highly recommend. We then had a Calypso Coffee and moved to the bar area to our friends who were sat in the area reserved for dogs. This rounded our night off perfectly as we sat in the pub in a lovely relaxed atmosphere. Cannot wait for them to do this night again. Credit to the chefs, staff and management!! Big tip was left and was well deserved. Thank you

We had my daughters christening gathering here today. Everything was perfect couldn’t have asked for anything more. The food was beautiful and the staff were amazing! Thank you Dave and all the team x

Visited here for dinner lovely Welcome & Service from Grace and the staff. Very rainy evening but there was a cosy fire.Venison cottage pie & steak pie meals excellent. Fruit crumble & custard to share delicious. All washed down with a bottle of Merlot- Perfect.Will definitely visit again.

Me a Chef of 30 years experience: