Greens Bistro In St Annes Voted Best In Lancashire
Almost 20 years ago, when green was more a colour than a principle to live by, Paul and Anna Webster set up Greens Bistro in St Annes. They chose the name ‘Greens’ to reflect their passion for recycling and for local, seasonal produce – long before it was the fashion. A year after opening they were awarded an AA rosette (which they have retained ever since) and last month a reader poll in the Lancashire Evening Post saw Greens voted Lancashire’s best bistro.
The husband-and-wife team first met whilst working on the QE2. Anna, originally from Sweden, handles front-of-house while Paul, who was brought up in St Annes, heads up the kitchen. His culinary CV takes in various high-end London addresses as well as stints overseas in Australia, Bermuda, Sweden and Canada. The food at Greens Bistro is modern British with the emphasis very much on local produce and simple, rustic, bistro-style dishes. They are also very allergy-aware with some 90% of this dishes on the menu gluten-free.
Typical starters (from a choice of around nine) include French onion soup and Creamy crayfish risotto with parmesan crisps whilst mains might include Sea bream with new potatoes, peas, samphire and lemon butter and Slow-cooked beef blade steak bourguignon style with onions, mushrooms and bacon, flavoured with thyme. Dessert could be a Baked rice pudding with poached early rhubarb or Chocolate and almond cake with after eights ice cream and chocolate sauce. And the food is ably complemented by a small but well-thought-out wine list encompassing half bottles, sparklers, dessert wines, whiskies and brandies.
Greens Bistro is open from 6pm-9pm, Wednesday to Saturday with a set menu option running alongside the a la carte every evening except Saturday. However for many Lancashire foodies, Greens is very much an under-the-radar venue, hidden away as it is in a backstreet cellar location in St Annes. But for those in the know, it’s a venue that’s well worth seeking out.
we have visited many times over the years, never had to complain about anything other than you have not opened a branch in Edinburgh, still we can hope. we will be back for a week in July and then two weeks in September and we are looking forward to our visits already.