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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Emma Gill

We tried the fish and chips afternoon tea at 'hidden gem' with incredible views

Afternoon tea conjures up images of delicate sandwiches and morsels of cake, but there's a place in Bolton that's serving up something much more substantial.

Tucked away down a quiet lane in Horwich, Curley's Dining Rooms is surrounded by stunning views over Rivington and even has its own Frederick's ice cream parlour.

There's all sorts on the menu, including breakfast, which is served until 4pm, but one thing in particular is grabbing the attention of diners and that's its fish and chips afternoon tea - made all the more appealing in a photo shared on social media, taken from the venue's function room and overlooking the glorious reservoir.

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Ours didn't have quite the same aesthetic when it arrived, mostly because we had a drizzly Bank Holiday Monday afternoon as our backdrop, but it looked tasty all the same.

As well as a plate of sandwiches, quiche and a mini cup of soup, you get a basket of chips and some fish goujons to share.

You get a pot of tea as well, or you can upgrade to prosecco.

Curley's looks out over Rivington (Manchester Family/MEN)

It's a bit of a bizarre concoction, but somehow it works - and it's certainly more filling than your typical afternoon tea.

And it's not without the sweet stuff either.

Once we'd cleared that lot, we were served our petit fours, along with a fruit scone and clotted cream and jam.

The petit fours consisted of a piece of cheesecake, a chocolate cake with cream and a macaroon - sadly all a little underwhelming.

Part of the afternoon tea for two (Manchester Family/MEN)

None of them were particularly tasty and the scone in particular was a little dry and hard. So much so that I left half of mine and that never happens.

With a couple on a neighbouring table tucking into a full portion of Curley's award-winning fish and chips, I was wishing I'd done the same. It's very unlike me to prefer the savoury over sweet options on offer, but perhaps that says it all about where this place excels.

Although I have to say my children had no complaints where their breakfast was concerned. And the fact you can order everything individually was brilliant, as it meant they could just pick what they'd actually eat.

Their dessert options were much tastier than ours - a mighty piece of carrot cake and a Belgian waffle with ice cream, Biscoff crumble and Biscoff and chocolate sauce.

Desserts to share (Manchester Family/MEN)

At £19.95 per person for the afternoon tea, it's not bad value considering what you get, but I still think I'd have been happier with the fresh jumbo cod, served with chips and mushy peas, which costs the same.

Apart from having to ask for the pot of tea, the service was perfect and the staff very friendly. Even when calling up with our sandwich choices during a busy lunchtime - as the afternoon tea needs booking in advance - they were very pleasant.

It's a little quirky inside and out - with metal animal sculptures dotted around the grounds - and would benefit from a bit of modernising, but it's the idyllic setting that makes this place so special.

The afternoon tea comes with fish and chips (Manchester Family/MEN)

I'm looking forward to returning there when the weather's warmer and dining on the terrace, perhaps with the pooch in tow next time as they're welcome too. Hopefully they'll have plenty of sausages in stock when we do, for the kids and the dog.

Afternoon tea must be booked 24 hours in advance, with a £10 deposit per person.

Do you have a family friendly restaurant you'd recommend? Is there somewhere that's your regular go-to with the kids? Let us know in the comments, or email your suggestion to emma.gill@reachplc.com.

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