Review: Salters Wharf, The Island, St Annes

12:44pm Thursday 15th May 2008

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I used to be a regular visitor to the Salters Wharf pub at the Island, St Annes, when my daughter was little.

It has a great kiddies' play area where your little ones are fitted with an electronic tag so they can roam freely around the excellent facilities.

So I was feeling quite nostalgic when my family suggested Sunday lunch there, but oh dear, our meal turned into something of a farce akin to a scene from Fawlty Towers!

We walked into the virtually empty pub around 1pm on Bank Holiday Sunday.

I fancied ham, egg and chips, my brother wanted something light so opted for a sandwich and my sister-in-law selected soup and a baguette.

My little niece chose a mini meal of burger and chips with a free dessert to be chosen later.

Then things deteriorated: there was no ham, so I went for fish and chips. No problem. My brother was then told that they didn't do sandwiches on a Sunday! A jacket potato? "We don't do jacket potatoes on a Sunday"!

He eventually ended up with some garlic and stilton mushrooms.

And to rub Salt-er into the wound, our food didn't arrive for an hour and after two complaints.

Things got worse: my sister-in-law's soup came with half a baguette and when she asked for the other half she was told it would cost another 99p and the soup itself was so powdery!

I enjoyed my meal though and my niece ate hers, but when she went to ask for her all-inclusive ice cream she was told that she could only have an organic dessert...choice of two....neither of which appealed.

They charged us 99p for the ice cream. Our bill though for four of us, without drinks, came to just over £17.

Sadly, we weren't the only ones to complain.. a couple who came in for just two bowls of chips walked out as they were told it would be a 45-minute wait!

Come on Salters Wharf ... you can do better.

How did it fare? (out of six stars): Food ** Drink *** Service ** Atmosphere *** Value ***