Bengal Cottage

Bengal Cottage, in the Bolton suburb of Horwich, is a tribute to the many flavours of India. All their spices are imported directly from the subcontinent, their fish is too, and their staff all hail from that part of the world. When you enter into their location on Lee Lane, you will be greeted by a classically-designed British curry house, friendly waiters and a menu packed with all your Indian favourites: who could wish for more?

To say that Greater Manchester has a lot of Indian restaurants is something of an understatement. Few places – outside of the subcontinent, of course – have such a density of curry houses, and this breeds a fierce spirit of competition between establishments. Bengal Cottage on Lee Lane in the Bolton suburb of Horwich is right up there with the best, as they serve up all the classics one would expect, while also offering a few unique twists on Indian favourites along the way.

On arrival at Bengal Cottage on Lee Lane, as at all of the best Indian restaurants, the first port of call has to be the poppadom and pint combo. Kingfisher or Cobra – pronounced Cob-rer, this being Bolton after all – in hand, peruse the menu at your leisure. We’d plump for the platter to share, which takes in the full repertoire of lamb and chicken tikka, sheek kebab and onion bhajis. Moving on, we can’t see further than the thawa section – a Bengali speciality – or for those wanting a real filling feed, any of the biryanis, which are sure to sate any hunger. Top it off with a lassi and the obligatory Baileys shot after dinner and you’ve had yourself a top quality Horwich night out!