For more than 300 years there 's been a hostelry on Chorley Road, Standish
The White Crow is well-known for its warm welcome, fine selection of guest ales and mouth-watering menu of hearty home-cooked fayre. But recently the talking point at the historic haven has been about a fairly modern phenomenon when it comes to food… the healthy option.
Hosts Helen and Stuart Birch have been at the helm at The White Crow for the past 10 years and with help from son and daughter Daniel and Jordan and head chef David Hamilton the team has built up a strong reputation for quality and choice.
For the past three months the clan at The White Crow has been working with Wigan Council’s Healthy Business Award team in a bid to increase choice and provide tasty but healthier options.
Helen says: “We worked with the Healthy Business Team looking at how we could modify some of our favourites in terms of reducing some of the fat, sugar and salt content to offer our customers greater choice.”
Often it’s simple tweaks that make the meal more of a healthy option – so the sweet and sour chicken comes without the deep-fried coating and the steak comes braised as a healthier cooking choice. “It has also taught us to be more aware about issues such as the different food intolerances – so we can make a visit to the pub an enjoyable experience for even more people,” says Helen.
The healthy options menu has only recently been launched and while Helen and the team are confident that home cooked dishes such as Sunday Roast will still be firm favourites, they are happy to offer a leaner alternative.
Jemma Grime, from the council’s Healthy Business Award team, is full of praise for the pub’s efforts, which has led to it picking up the accolade in no time at all.
Jemma says: “Helen and the team have a wealth of valuable experience in the catering and pub trade so it was easy to work with them. “They were also happy to take on new ideas and we were really delighted to present them with the award.”
The White Crow on Chorley Road, Standish, is open every day. Food is served from noon till 9pm from Sunday to Thursday and from 10am until 9pm on Friday and Saturday. For more information you can contact The White Crow on 01257 474344.
