As a fan of The Moorbrook under previous management, I was hoping the change in ownership to new operators Out Lane Social wouldn’t mean too big a change food wise. When the new Croston Pizza Co menu arrived, I was pleased to see pizzas galore, breads, calzones, some sides off the previous menu and some exciting new additions including burgers. The pizzas are a little different than previous (Dear Northerner, I will miss you) but I was excited to try the Italian style with freshly made in-house dough.
We arrived post-match hoping the food would make up for another North End defeat and with it being a family outing, slightly over ordered to make up a plate of bits for Toddler B. I chose the Prosciutto Crudo pizza (£15), Simon picked the Ham and Mushroom (£13) with added anchovies (£2.25) and we got the Crispy Fried Chicken Loaded Fries (£12) and a Cheesy Garlic Bread (£7.50). B and I were drinking squash, Simon of course had a pint (Atom Brewery’s Dry Irish Stout) because if you like cask/craft beers, The Moorbrook still has one of the best offerings in Preston.
As a new game of snap was about to begin, the food started to arrive, but B also decided it was time for a toilet visit so we quickly dashed off and by the time we got back to the table, it was full of yummy looking pizza. Time to tuck in.
We’d asked for the sauces on the side with the loaded fries so we could put some chicken and chips with some garlic bread on B’s plate. She shouted “garlic bread” excitedly and swiftly snatched it up to eat. As I love a sweet and savoury combo, I very much enjoyed the balsamic glaze on my pizza together with the strong flavoured aged ham and the crusts were perfectly fluffy. I thought the base was a bit too thin which probably comes down to personal preference, but it was a bit floppy and fell apart. Sharing half and half, Simon enjoyed the flavour but thought there was a lot going on due to the loose toppings with Prosciutto and rocket going everywhere resorting to wrapping it up to eat it. A pizza wrap sounds good to me, that’s what I should’ve done.
Simon’s choice was the ham and mushroom with added anchovies (urgh). He thought it was nice but by the time he’d got round to eating it, it was a bit cold as we’d messed around coming back from the toilet and sorting out B’s plate etc. – obviously our fault, not The Moorbrook’s. I had to remove the anchovies before trying my half and it was tasty enough and well cooked, but a standard Italian style ham and mushroom pizza was a bit of a boring choice when you’ve got an exciting new menu in front of you. Simon disagreed with me on the thinner bases as he enjoyed the chewy fresh dough but we both agreed the cheesy garlic bread was excellent and had loads of cheese. Yum. B ate most of her chicken and garlic bread but is still not a fan of chips. I know, weird. The crispy fried chicken loaded fries were delicious with flavourful chicken pieces that were crispy but cheesy and the sauces, although deconstructed made tasty dips.
Watch Louise’s foodie experience at The Moorbrook below or on our YouTube channel
On this occasion, I’d wanted to try the pizzas as that’s what The Moorbrook was about food wise, but I’ll definitely try a burger next time and some of the other pizzas at some point, the carbonara being top of the list. I would however, love to see the loaded tots back. Drool. Oh, and desserts. Drool again.
On another note, I have tried the homemade sausage rolls on a previous match day. They are fresh, meaty, perfectly seasoned, and absolutely spot on… A must try.
The food totalled £49.75, which for a family meal was reasonably priced and we had some leftovers to take home. The service was as fast and friendly as it always was and it’s fantastic to see all the bar staff kept on.
We will be back and it’s great to see the place has continued doing great things despite the change in management. Long live The Moorbrook.
Who’s tried the new menu then? Comment and let me know what think.
Read more: Louise’s reviews are all here to tuck into
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