Review: Pendle countryside provides perfect backdrop for weekend getaway at Alma Inn

With its stone floors and wooden beams, historic venue on Emmott Lane, Laneshawbridge, Colne feels incredibly inviting, and feels as though you have stepped back in time.

We visited on a sizzling summer’s day, but with its open fireplaces, it is easy to imagine The Alma Inn would be equally as appealing as a winter getaway.

From the offset, the staff were incredibly attentive and enthusiastic about the venue, and made us feel right at home.

In addition to being excellent hosts to us, we observed them being the exact same way to everyone visiting; from reassuring an older couple, whose visit to the Alma Inn was their first trip away post-Covid, about the safety measures in place; to a family who wanted directions to a walking route.

After arriving, we were quickly shown to our room, which was front-facing, and had an utterly gorgeous view of the Pendle countryside.

The room was furnished with elegant, wooden furniture, and a selection of plaid covered items including the headboard; cushion; bed runner; curtains and chair; which helped the room to feel incredibly cozy.

The bed was the kind you just sink into, and was divine; and the rest of the room was also well-appointed with plenty of plug sockets.

The tiled en-suite was modern and spotlessly clean, with soft and fluffy towels, and we also really enjoyed the selection of toiletries from Noble Isle.

We arrived early evening, and after settling into our room, made our way downstairs to have a drink to the pub’s garden at the front of the property, prior to our evening meal.

They have a wide range of local ales; craft beers; wines and cocktails, and for an apperitif we tried Moorhouse Brewery’s Pride of Pendle ale.

From there, we moved into the dining room, which benefits high, beamed ceilings and from plenty of windows, which meant we were able to watch the day’s final glimmers of light disappear over the horizon as we ate our dinner.

The menu had a wide selection of high quality pub dishes, and to start I selected the Lancashire cheese fritters, which were served with piccalilli. The fritters were really gooey and rich, and paired brilliantly with the tart piccalilli.

My dining companion opted to start with generous helping of delicate Queenie scallops in a light gruyère-enriched crumb, served with a lemon wedge and crisp melba toast.

For the mains, I selected the crispy katsu tofu with shredded vegetables and coconut rice, which was very tasty. I was not expecting the tofu with breadcrumbs to pair so well with the katsu sauce, but they complimented each other perfectly, and was simply delicious. The rice was perfectly cooked, and on the whole, was the stand out part of the meal for me.

My dining companion chose an expertly-cooked rib eye steak: he asked for medium rare on this occasion and it was presented as such. Classic sides of thick chips, crisp and golden on the outside and fluffy inside, portabellini mushrooms cooked with the slightest hint of garlic and the kind of plum tomato with a deep flavour, seasoned and grilled to perfection.

For dessert, I could not help but go for the raspberry and Pendle gin trifle that was decadent and sumptuous. It was topped with toasted almonds, and the texture that created was a welcome addition. Meanwhile the Pendle gin helped to give it a lovely little kick.

My dining companion is a big fan of any dessert involving a sponge, and so chose the steamed syrup sponge which he found to be an airy light sponge with golden syrup and proper custard which he enjoyed immensely.

Our meals were paired beautifully with a 2019 Melodias Malbec, and after dinner I also enjoyed a gorgeous espresso martini.

We had an excellent night’s sleep. Unfortunately, a fault with the water company meant the area had no running water for a couple of hours the next morning, but staff handled it expertly. They informed all of the guests of the issue with a note under the door, and offered a late check-out.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay. The food and service were great, and the Pendle countryside provided the perfect backdrop for a weekend getaway.

For more information please visit: https://thealmainn.com/