SMALL, pleasant hotel on the hillside above Summerseat, the Red Hall is at Manchester Road, Walmersley, close to the Ramsbottom exit of the M66.

Its restaurant and bar are popular with discerning diners at lunchtime and evening, and non-residents are made very welcome.

The area is semi-rural and the hotel has an out-of-town atmosphere. We immediately warmed to the place on walking into the comfortable lounge bar.

The waitress told us that, not having booked, we might have to wait.

Considering how busy the place was we felt the staff did a good job in trying to accommodate us quickly. The wait enabled us to enjoy a couple of glasses of Lincoln Estate sauvignon blanc, an excellent drink that can be had in the restaurant for £12.90 a bottle.

The restaurant has attractive dcor and was lively without being noisy. Well-supervised young staff coped very well with a fairly full house.

The a la carte menu was broadly international though British favourites were well represented. However, there is a two-course table-d'hote menu that we felt offered good choice and value at £11.50 and we made our selection from that.

My husband chose Smoked Mackerel au Gratin for a starter and said that the fish was succulent, a welcome change from the shrivelled version served at many restaurants. There was more evidence of the use of quality ingredients in my starter, excellent Avocado Vinaigrette.

Starters available on the other menu included Gruyere Proscuitto with mushroom salad and cream and mustard dressing, for which you would pay £4.95. Prawns in Tikka Masala Sauce with poppadoms can be had for £5.25.

The table-d'hote main courses were largely British in character. I enjoyed beautifully cooked Grilled Fillet of Cod served in a tasty crust of cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs.

My husband's choice of home-made Steak and Kidney Pie was made with good meats and had rich gravy. Our vegetables were well cooked and presented.

We could have had Sauted Breast of Chicken Piri-Piri; Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding, or Scottish salmon fillet with asparagus, white wine and cream sauce.

The a la carte menu's main courses included various steaks ranging in price from £14.95 to £16.50 with the choice of a number of sauces. Two duck dishes were available, but then there was plenty of everything on this menu.

Although we had already eaten enough to satisfy the normal appetite, we had a duty to try the sweets and my husband was very happy with his choice of dessert, Chocolate and Hazelnut Roulade (£3.50), and with the coffee that followed.

The dessert list offered popular choices such as profiteroles, apple pie, strawberry cheesecake, and ice creams, but there was also tempting fresh raspberry and strawberry Vacherin

We saw an impressive cheese and biscuit selection being taken at another table, but for us it was a step too far.

The extensive wine list offered old and new world wines at reasonable prices. We were pleased to see that several half bottles were available, and we chose one of those, Macon Villages at £6.95. It was as dry, crisp and rounded as the list said it would be.

We got great pleasure from our visit to Red Hall, and it was added to when we looked at the bill.

Discounting the drinks in the bar, our food and drink had cost a mere £34.70.

The Red Hall, Manchester Road, Walmersley, Bury.

Tel: 01706 822476

Open: Lunch - Sunday and Tuesday to Friday, noon to 1.45pm (closed at lunchtimes on Saturday and Monday). Dinner, seven days a week, 7pm to 9.30pm.

Star rating: * * * *