Birthday celebrations at The Swan, Salford

I think I've mentioned before how lucky we are to have so many pubs and restaurants on our doorstep – and so many of them are independents, so there’s never really a need to visit a chain. There are no surprises in this house, so I always knew where we’d be going for my birthday lunch.

Ash booked a table at The Swan in Salford Village – not too far from where I had my afternoon tea hen do at Truly Scrumptious – and had invited my mum and brother up for the occasion. It was a table for five at 1pm. I had previously heard (and seen) nothing but good things about The Swan – mainly from the Eat & Explore Facebook page – so was really looking forward to it. And in shocking twist of events (by my standards, anyway), I didn't even look at the menu beforehand.

We rarely go out for Sunday lunch, but I have to admit that while roast dinners often taste better when they've been cooked by somebody else, and you've not had to slave away for hours in a hot kitchen, so many places get it wrong. I'm talking soggy roasties and Yorkshires, overcooked veg and never enough gravy! As soon as I looked at the menu, I knew I was going to bypass a roast and opt for something a bit lighter – and different. And while I was jealous when Mum and Rob ordered the lamb shank, which looked and smelled absolutely delicious, I was happy with my choice.

I went for the market fish of the day – which was seabass. Two fillets served with new potatoes and wilted spinach. So fresh, light, and tasty. It meant I definitely had room for pudding. I occasionally buy seabass at home and it’s probably one of my favourite fish. It was definitely not as heavy as a big Sunday dinner.

Talking of which, Alfie ordered a kids’ portion of roast pork, and it was huge. He gave it a good go and mainly left the vegetables (cabbage!) – but had an extra Yorkshire pudding instead. Our waitress walked around halfway through the meal with a tray of extra roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings and even Ash, who had ordered the pie, had second helpings.

Pudding is always a must - and thankfully I wasn't too full from my main course so could go all out. The burnt Basque cheesecake was very much on my radar. Ever since I'd ordered several slices from Oh My Cakery, I literally dream about it and actually want to attempt to make it myself at some point. While it's very rich and very creamy, I think it's much nicer than your ‘typical’ cheesecake. It was the only option for me, and it didn't disappoint. The fig compote alongside it was delicious – and it even arrived with a ‘Happy Birthday’ message in chocolate, decorating the plate.

Alfie ordered the kids’ ice cream, which was three scoops of his choosing. He opted for chocolate, blackcurrant sorbet and raspberry ripple… later, turning it into some kind of Black Forest soup. I honestly don't remember now what everyone else ordered, but the general consensus of the afternoon was that the food was very good.

And the service was great too, despite it being a busy Sunday afternoon. Even the small touches like on arrival, double checking whose birthday it was, and then being presented with the plate for pudding. Our waitress was very attentive overall. I’ve already said we’ll definitely return and maybe next time I give the lamb shank or a roast a go…

Love, Lucy xx