To introduce, me + food = disastrous! I am so fussy when it comes to food, my list of foods that I do like will be a lot shorter than the list of foods that I don't like. That is why pub food is always a winner with me. Traditional chicken and chips, minus the side portion of peas, is my favourite! Mascrat manor is by far the best place to get this food. For the past three years I have been going to Mascrat manor as it is the shore place that I know I will be able to choose something off the menu that I like. It was only last month however that I decided I would never return to that place, well at least to eat!

The pub

The pub itself is a very nice place, its an old traditional pub with a nice atmosphere. There are always plenty of people there but there is also a vacant table whenever you go so there is no waiting involved and no need to book in advance. If however there is a large party of people, over 15, you have to book in advance and you also have to pay a £50 deposit which gets deducted of your total bill. The pub is relatively large and I would think it fits over 100 people. There are several areas to sit, either in the pub itself or there is a large conservatory. There are lots of open tables but then there are several tucked away behind corners for a bit more privacy. The décor inside is old, this is in keeping with the pub itself, there are lots of old books, pictures, clocks etc. There is also a pool table and some gambling machines tucked away. There is a small park outside which is fairly modern with a big climbing frame, slides etc; This comes in handy if you have a bit of a wait. There are also outdoor tables suitable for eating, these are presented on a lovely porch type area but you would only want to sit on them in the summer and well every time we have been there in the summer they are already being used.

Food

There is a wide variety of food on the menu, there is your traditional pub food such as chicken and chips, burgers, fish and chips etc and then you have your not traditional pub food such as curry and pasta. There is a large selection of vegetarian food but I have never really looked at them much. I always get the half roasted chicken and chips which I think is lovely and my partner has tried a selection of different things of the menu and he has always liked everything he has tried. He wouldn't agree that it's the nicest place to eat however because he is more adventurous with food than I am, he would prefer an Indian or Chinese etc. The prices are very reasonable being 2 for £10 on almost all of the menu, there is also an additional offer where you can pay an extra £2.50 to get a larger portion, my partner takes advantage of this every time! There is also a great selection of starters, my favourite happens to be the nachos covered in cheese and chicken. The starters are rather large however so we always share. There is also an extensive list of deserts, such as cheese cake, fudge cake and ice cream. There is a whole separate menu devoted to children where you can choose a main, a drink and an ice cream, the portion sizes are just right and little boxes are given if you cant finish all of your food, whether child or adult. On the food side of things I have no complaints. The waiting times however are perhaps too good. The starter comes within 10 minutes and then as soon as the plates are taken you are presented with your main. On some occasions when its not busy we have been in there, ate three courses and have been home in an hour! Belly's positively bulging on the way home mind you!

Customer service

The customer service is ample. I mean as a pub goes, you go in, choose some where to sit, chose your food, go up to the counter and order it. The waiting staff are friendly if perhaps kind of creepy. There is one member of staff who has been there every time I have been in who is what you can describe as a lurker. He is extremely tall, (so he can see over all of the tables) and he just walks around staring at all of the tables waiting. He approaches the table several times during any one meal, he is there literally as soon as you have took your knives and forks out of the pot and takes it to another table, then he is back once you have a mouthful of food in your mouth asking you if everything is ok and if you need anything, and then he is there again before you can even finish swallowing your last chunk of food so he can take the plates away. Me and my partner always find him rather creepy but it is not such a big issue.

What is a big issue, well to me anyway, is the lack of personal hygiene. It was around a month ago when we made our last visit and my daughter, being a typical 3 year old drank all of her juice within 10 minutes of it reaching the table. This resulted in several toilet trips. As you do with young children (when the whole toilet is vacant) I was stood with the door open whilst she did her business, and a member of the waiting staff came into the toilet. She went to the toilet, came out of the toilet, didn't bother washing her hands and went back to serving food! I found this appalling and I told my partner as soon as we got back to the table. After that we had an anxious 20 minute wait for our food hoping to the heavens that is was not her hands we found carrying our plates! We sat examining every plate that came out feeling dreadfully sorry for the people that she carried food to the table for. Fortunately it was not her that brought our food over but after witnessing that I could barely eat my food and I think it has put me off going there ever again.

Wacky warehouse

The pub has an adjacent wacky warehouse which is relatively small but for my three year old daughter it is perfect. It has plenty of seats with a view of the whole play area so I don't have to constantly tackle the force of tight squeezes, rollers and slides that like to give me fraction burn just to make sure she is ok. That is always a plus side. The wacky warehouse costs £3.00 and you get an hour of play which is a fair amount of time. There are refreshments available to buy within the play area and the prices are well . . . Ok. Every place that declares that you can't take your own food and drink into decides to overcharge and dramatically inflate prices. But on the whole the wacky warehouse is a really nice play area for children between the ages of 2 and 6.

Party's

The wacky warehouse also offers party's which, as the place is so close to mine, my daughter has attended a few. The children get to play in the play area for an hour and then they have a party section where food, that has been pre ordered is served and the cake is lit etc. the prices for the party are reasonable coming in at £7.50 per child including the play, food and goody bags.

Access

The pub is very accessible being just of a roundabout at the end/beginning of several motorways. It is just at the end of Manchester road in Woolston, Warrington. It has a very large car parking space with disabled access very close to the doors. The pub itself is large enough, with ample corridor space to accommodate wheelchairs and pushchairs without needing to book in advance.

Overall, there are many advantages to the pub but there is one big disadvantage that is perhaps a downside to the whole place. I give my review 3 stars because of the positive aspects however the hygiene levels should be given a 0!