Food writer Philippa James meets the people carving out new careers at an innovative restaurant in Chorley.

Even in tough times, a good new business can flourish and an innovative restaurant in Chorley hopes to prove that point.

Skewers Grill and Steak House has been launched by IT systems analyst Steff Baines and her creative partner Darren Smith, a plasterer, with help from Chorley borough. Business development councillor Adrian Lowe helped find Steff and Darren £11,385 in grants to support their own financial investment.

The Skewers concept is based on a South American style of ‘all you can eat’ 255dining at a set price where up to 16 meats and sausages are cooked over a specially imported Italian grill and served at your table from skewers. Each diner is given a card which you place green side up to indicate you would like to try the next meat that is ready, and turn it to red when you need a break from eating.

I did have some reservations, but rather than the mish-mash of flavours I feared, I was thrilled to find it more of a Greek meze style of meal.

On arrival, diners are presented with potato wedges and garlic bread slices and there is a selection of tasty salads, hot dishes, and vegetarian options too, including roasted vegetable skewers. Fruit and vegetables come from Chorley Market and Pick of the Crop, Bamber Bridge.

But the main event here is the meat, much of which is raised just down the road in Cheshire and supplied by Neil Frost of Stockport who has specialised in the restaurant trade for eight years.

My ‘favourite so far’ kept changing – the flank steak, piri-piri chicken, flavoured sausages – and then I got to the lamb! A golden, caramelised crust gave way to a thin layer of delicious fat, then the pink, melt-in-your-mouth lamb, slightly mature in flavour, and one of the best pieces of lamb I’d ever tasted.

This animal had lived a very happy life at Deemster House Farm in Wirswall, Cheshire, and the sweetness of the meat comes from it being raised on grass with no feed concentrates.

I finished with grilled pineapple and cinnamon, a lovely end to the meal, but left having not sampled everything I fancied on the menu, so I will definitely be back.