Dining Out: The Copper Horse, Seamer: Back in the limelight with new look and new menu

However, the established venue, famed for its theatrical interior as much as its food, has recently revealed its new look after a major refurbishment.

It was with this in mind that we decided to visit, curious to see the newly decorated interior but also keen to sample the new menu.

The venue has always been somewhere you would go for a special occasion – a step up from the local pub but with a more relaxed, cosy vibe than many restaurants can offer.

We visited on a Sunday evening with comfort food and particularly the promise of a good pudding in mind, having previously pored over the menu online.

We were impressed straight away with the new interior.

Personally I found the old decor a little busy and claustrophobic, but the new, pared back look is much more elegant while still maintaining the showbusiness element.

Muted tones of forest green mix well with antique leather, mirrors and black and white prints to make for an interesting and unique setting.

The new menu has echoes of the previous one, with homely yet refined dishes on offer, but has arguably a more modern feel.

After enjoying our complimentary warm bread and garlic butter, we decided to forego starters to leave room for dessert.

There are plenty of tasty-sounding starters on offer though, such as baby baked Camembert, garlic mushrooms and salmon fishcakes, with prices around the £7 mark.

Steaks feature prominently on the mains menu, along with classics such as leg of lamb, steak and ale pie and beer battered fish and chips.

We opted for fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce (£12) and leek, broccoli and Lancashire cheese hotpot, served with roasted vegetables (£11).

The presentation of the dishes was great, with special touches such as a lemon wedge served in a muslin bag tied with a ribbon, to stop pips going on your fish and chips.

The fish was perfectly cooked and neither the batter nor the chunky chips were greasy.

The hotpot was simple but tasty and a refreshing change from the standard vegetarian options you see on many menus. My only criticism would be that it is the only veggie main dish on offer, not counting salads, so more choice would be appreciated.

We enjoyed our mains, but the real star of this show was dessert. We chose orange and lemon creme brûlée (£6) and salted caramel Eton mess (£5.50).

The brûlée was beautiful – creamy and slightly tangy, with a wafer-thin layer of crisp caramel on top just waiting to be cracked. It was served with an orange tuile, which was so tiny you could have almost missed it. A more generous piece would have been the perfect accompaniment to the delicious orange cream.

The Eton mess was a naughty but nice combo of meringue, ice cream, caramel and raspberries – what’s not to like?

The meal, the service and the surroundings were top notch – take a bow!

Rating: 8 out of 10