FINDING a small and friendly restaurant that welcomes groups of lively (and often noisy) twenty-somethings with open arms is not always easy.

But our party found a great reception at the Villager Restaurant on Blackburn Road in Egerton.

This little gem high up on the road out of Bolton towards the moors has been recommended to me by many people so we decided to put it to the test. And it lived up to expectations very well.

We deliberately decided to visit on a Saturday night after the Christmas and New Year rush which made booking relatively easy. The restaurant was not full but there was a pleasant buzz about the place.

The range of the menu is perhaps not as extensive as the bigger steak-house and family restaurant chains, but the quality of dishes offered is excellent. I chose the savoury pancakes as a starter which had a strong flavour without being too spicy.

My friends enjoyed mushrooms with Stilton - described as "delicious" - while others saving themselves for their main course shared some garlic bread.

For my main course I enjoyed chicken Dijonnaise a generous portion of chicken served in a creamy sauce with pepper corns.

Some of our party had steaks - all cooked to a good standard - and two were more adventurous choosing the swordfish, served with a rich tomato sauce. All the main dishes were served with carrots, broccoli and boiled onion and a choice of boiled potatoes or chips.

Everyone was satisfied with their meals and did not have room left to choose from an enticing range of sweets. And the meal was rounded off nicely with coffee, liqueurs and mints.

Service throughout the meal was fast and attentive, but never over the top, which can sometimes happen in small establishments, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and smothered.

Despite a sometimes confusing round of requests from our table, drinks were re-filled quickly with a friendly smile at all times.

Not being a major wine drinker I stuck to pints of bitter. But some of our party who indulged with house red and white said it compared very favourably with others they had enjoyed. Parking is extremely easy as cars can park directly opposite the restaurant at the road-side.

The bill - including all drinks from the bar - was shared out between our group at what we felt was a reasonable £18 per head.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.