I was recently invited to go and check out the restaurant at The Bridge in Prestbury.

A beautiful Cheshire Village is the setting for this local Pub/Restaurant and Hotel. For many years The Bridge was a go-to place for locals and folk from further afield, though for a while it appears that this beautiful setting was allowed to fade into the background as locals fell out of love with the place.

Recently however, the hotel has been purchased by the FlatCap Group, who are also behind the stunning refurbishment of the Cheshire Courthouse in Knutsford.

With a refurbishment to help liven up the place, the stunning building has also been able to burst back into life, with a new and exciting menu.

The Bridge has tried to make sure that they really highlight some of the stunning produce that is available locally, then turning them into great dishes.

I went along on a Saturday afternoon, it was fairly quite, but still with the remains of what seemed to be a lunchtime full house, finishing wine and coffee. We were sat at our table and started to take a look around the room.

The fabrics are bright and the decor upmarket, the high ceilings and wooden beams remind you of historical past of this place.

I was also taken by the section of glass flooring near the bar, that looked down into a stone cellar, something I was very jealous of.

We were choosing from the lunch menu and I opted for a starter of Crispy Squid. Soft and delicate squid was encrusted in a gorgeous salt and pepper crumb, the slaw adding to the hit of heat as it contained Chilli and jalapeno. The spots of Saffron Aioli added a refreshing tang.

The Fish and Chips, also from the Lunch menu, came as a succulent piece of cod, battered with an onion seed crust. Soft and tasty, it sat on a bed of mushy pea puree and topped with curried chick peas – this was by far the poshest fish, chips, mushy peas and curry sauce I’ve seen.

As well as the standard menu, The Bridge also highlights the local dishes further with a weekly changing specials menu each Fri-Sun.

It was from these specials that I chose a fantastically juicy pheasant dish – wrapped in smoky bacon and served on seasonal vegetables, bread sauce and a port jus.

As well as the pheasant being insanely good – the bread sauce was flavoursome and the port jus – well, I could have managed double portion of that easily.

The Bridge offer a number of great dining options – including a Mon-Thurs offer where 2 people can course 3 courses plus a bottle of house wine to share for just £49.95.

For me however the real stars are the specials – the pheasant was shot in the local area and highlighted the great produce in these parts. Dishes like this won’t only have the locals beating their way back to the door, but will have people from all over coming to sample these delights.

I’m told that the bar is about to create some stunning cocktails to represent the local village folk – if these are anywhere as good as the food, then I’ll be needing to leave my car at home, or to book into one of their rooms.

You can visit the Bridge Website for bookings here

I was invited to try The Bridge Menu complimentary, all opinions and feedback are my own and honest as always.