A family treat that great, great, great Uncle Alf would have taken his hat off to

My mother's Hargreaves tribe were in the trade with a country inn over in East Lancs in the 1800s.

And Alison's Pomfret clan ran a watering hole in Pleasington, between the wars, called the Bay Horse.

Much ale has flowed under the bridge since then, yet both are still going strong, albeit not quite in the same spit and sawdust fashion as when our forefathers ran them.

Hence our visit to the Clog and Billycock (nee Bay Horse) on the outskirts of Blackburn, a venue which holds a special place in the hearts of the Pomfret family.

Alison's great uncle was none other than Alfred Pomfret after whom the Clog and Billycock was re-named.

Alf, who always wore clogs and a billycock (bowler) hat behind the bar, ran the Bay Horse for two decades. The locals nicknamed it the Clog and Billycock in honour of him and it was only in 1973, long after Alf had passed on to that great taproom in the sky, that the then owners Thwaites officially adopted the name.

It has been in different hands since then, most notably celebrity chef Nigel Haworth, and it has been transformed into a spacious gastro pub which draws diners from far and wide.

So Alison and I decided to call in on a Sunday afternoon with the latest generation of Alf's line, four-year-old Ted.

As always the Clog was doing a roaring trade with a menu which offered plenty more than the ubiquitous Sunday roast.

Ted insisted on ordering first before he got down to colouring the picture on the back of the kiddies' menu - a hearty bowl of cheesy pasta (with tomato and basil sauce) and quickish please (£5.95). It arrived on cue, along with our starters.

For Mrs E it was the wild mushroom and tarragon risotto with toasted seeds and truffle oil (£6.95). I tried a forkful and both the tarragon and the truffle sang out.

My choice was the pressed feather of beef with a caramelised onion puree, crispy shallots and red wine sauce (£7.95). Wow!

While Ted alternated between pasta and picture, our mains arrived and, with it being Sunday, we both went for a roast with giant Yorkshire puds.

The boss chose a mixed roast of beef sirloin and pork loin at £19.95 . Both meats were perfectly cooked and the vegetables included a celeriac puree and also one involving carrots. Mrs E gave it full marks, not often the case on out Dining Out adventures.

I had the half roast chicken with stuffing, sausage and bacon, Yorkshire, roasties and lashings of gravy (£15.95). Sounds a boring choice, I know, for a meal out, but I just fancied poultry instead of red meat.

I was delighted with the outcome – there’s nothing quite like a professionally roasted chicken that (whisper it) you don’t quite get at home.

Ted by now was asking for something chocolatey to complete his perfect lunch and it arrived in the form of a rich brownie with vanilla ice cream (£3.95).

His little chocolate-covered face said it all – it had been a meal that his great, great, great Uncle Alf would have taken his hat off to.