A Royal Feast

Licensees Eric and Trish Hargreaves have perfected the art of pint pulling over nigh on a quarter of a century in the trade.

The hosts at the Royal Oak, Hoghton have been ever-presents in the Good Beer Guide since taking on the first Thwaites establishment, the Higher Buck, Waddington, in the mid-70`s.

"We`ve sold Thwaites beer wherever we`ve been and its no coincidence that we`ve featured in the Guide for so long," says Trish. "Obviously to run a succesful pub you need to serve quality beer but here at the Royal Oak we`re also making a name for ourselves in the kitchen."

Indeed, the Royal Oak`s home cooked food and impressive specials board is proving a real crowd-puller with customes travelling great distances to sample their growing menu.

From Southport to the Lakes, the spread of our customer-base is quite amazing," adds Trish. "Also, being situated adjacent to the M65 motorway and within a few miles of Preston, Blackburn and Chorley means we are ideally placed to cater for a large chunk of the county.

"Our chefs serve up at least a dozen different specials per day including whole legs of lamb, venison and fish, so we have lots to offer."

Inside, the Royal Oak is every bit a true old-fashioned country pub with a warm welcoming atmosphere and it`s recent external make-over retains its traditional appearance.

And it is this very `cosy` feel to the Riley Green inn that Trish believes is its main asset: "It`s just a good all-year round pub. Trade often slips in the winter months but more often than not we`re packed - whatever the weather"



Source: Inn Talk (2002) - Daniel Thwaites Trade Magazine.