The Wayfarer Pub & Restaurant

This was my first meal out in any of my local pubs and I am also teetotal, so please take my review with a grain of salt as I defer to the opinions of the regulars.
With the ladies in the family stopping over at mine on their way home from a wedding down south, The Wayfarer was my choice for a family meal. Of the Parbold pubs, my understanding is that Stocks, The Windmill and The Wayfarer are all at least OK for a meal out, with The Wayfarer recently having won a Wigan Food & Drink Festival award. I pass this place all the time, and it looks as if the building of their on-​site microbrewery is now complete. Even though I am not in the market for a drink, such an initiative speaks of a progressive food business and draws me in.
The pub and restaurant are miles apart in terms of décor. From their website, the pub was built in the 18^th century and so a proper, low-​ceilinged old country pub if you like that sort of thing. Me and my 10 year old niece prefer a bit of glamour and light, and so it was straight through to the restaurant in the conservatory.
Our party of four enjoyed the ambience and the staff were great. We went for pizzas with some sort of creamy chicken dish for mother — not the first time we have made a similar order in a restaurant! Food was not that great, with a fair bit of all the meals left unfinished. My niece went for a glamorous-​looking £5 chocolate dessert but again failed to get through it, and pronounced it «not up to the required» standard in the fashion of Great British Bake-​off, of which she is a massive fan.
I have heard from a vegan friend that she has eaten here often and they always manage to come up with something nice for her. I would be up for a return visit as there look to be some interesting vegetarian options on the menu — for example, roast mediterranean veg & goats cheese tarte tatin. But my current three-​star rating is more for the ambience and service, than the food.

The Wayfarer is a popular pub /​restaurant situated in the small village of Parbold in Lancashire. The pub has a large car park and is within walking distance of Pabold train station. The pub has a dedicated restaurant with a varied menu, there is also a substantial bar menu, both are reasonably priced. The pub is generally busy all week particularly the restaurant, the bar area can be quieter sometimes but is normally very busy on Friday and Saturday nights. The beers are nothing to write home about although there are one or two cask ales and continental lagers on offer.