MENTION Glazebury and most people will probably say their main reason for visiting the village is a weekend amble around Bents garden centre.

But there now may be another good excuse, since new head chef Paul Mullin has taken over in the kitchen of The Glazebury pub just a couple of minutes down the road.

We ventured there for Sunday lunch having heard that their steak and ale pie was not to be missed.

Landlady Michael and Sue Bunner moved into the pub last summer after relocating from Littleborough, and appointed Paul four months ago.

From the outside The Glazebury looks similar to any country pub, however internally it’s a tale of two halves – the left sporting a traditional ambience where you can sit with a pint and newspaper watching Sky Sports. The other side has more of a restaurant feel about it, with wooden floors and modern tables and chairs, which got gradually busier as the lunch service went on.

Warrington Guardian:

The Glazebury head chef Paul Mullin

Red wine is my tipple of choice so it was somewhat surprising that the only option available on the day we visited was their house tempranillo (and two separate white options). It was pleasantly drinkable however and went well with the Sunday lunch menu – a slightly more scaled down version than the evening menu.

For those diners accompanied by small children the wait for food seemed to take longer than anticipated, but since we were enjoying a leisurely afternoon together as a family of four this wasn’t an issue.

With a handful of starters to choose from my husband selected his – smooth but smoky haddock fishcakes that were polished off in their entirety, while my garlic mushrooms and ciabatta were creamy, rich and hearty in size.

For the main course I opted for the Sunday roast and carnivore readers will be delighted to note that diners are able to select one, two or all three meats on offer that day – beef, lamb and ham.

Now I’m no Nigella but have previously come away from pubs regretting my roast choice knowing I could have made a better one myself, however in this case I wasn’t disappointed.

Served on a large plate, it comprised a generous trio of thick meat slices accompanied by roast potatoes, homemade Yorkshire pudding and a good selection of perfectly cooked al dente vegetables – carrots, green beans, leafy greens and broccoli.

Warrington Guardian:

Sunday roast with a generous serving of ham, lamb and beef

As a general rule I like my beef cooked medium rare, however although this was slightly over it was deliciously tender and even devoured by my 11-year-old whose preference would normally lean towards the vegetables.

For fish lovers there was a special of pan fried swordfish with chive mashed potatoes and a lime and chilli butter cream sauce on offer, while for non-meaters options on the Sunday menu included five-bean chilli and cheese and onion pie (although the latter not available on our visit).

But for my husband it had to be the steak and ale pie, which was crammed with tender braised steak and topped with crusty golden pastry, and worthy of its word of mouth recommendation.

Meanwhile my youngest son chose fish fingers and chips from the children’s menu.

Not fish fingers in the traditional frozen sense, these were two large battered fish goujons which were well cooked and of superior quality to those on most other children’s menus.

Warrington Guardian:

Scallops and chorizo are one of the starters on offer at The Glazebury

Our eyes way too big for our bellies, it was impossible not to be tempted by the traditional desserts on offer including cherry bakewell and jam roly poly puddings with custard. Naively we indulged in separate portions before adjourning to spend the rest of the afternoon recovering on the sofa.

The Glazebury may not be reinventing the wheel with its menu selection, but if you like good, hearty homemade proper pub grub then it’s well worth dropping by.