The Saracen’s Head in Halsall had to turn customers away today because they had run out of food.

Following a busy Bank Holiday, plus chaos caused by overly ambitious lunch and night menus, the pub which opened in a blaze of glory last week was today only able to offer a small selection of sandwiches to their disappointed patrons.

Beer remains Old Speckled Hen and Directors but will change “if customers ask”. Do ask.

The Ship Inn in Haskayne was always a great bolt hole, out of the way enough to feel in the country but close enough to be back in Southport in 10 minutes. Good beer, great food, pleasing atmosphere. What more could one ask for?

Today was a different story, with the Southport Drinker family waiting one and a half hours for food, which when it came was useless.

The Ship must do better, especially as the reopened Saracen’s Head, a minute down the canal is bursting at the seams.

UPDATE: New start for Ship in 2009

The Saracen’s Head pub in Halsall reopens on March 19 following a £330,000 refurbishment.

The canal-side pub has been taken over by old friends Dominic Dunning and Steve Winstanley who have moved to the area from Bristol after many years in the pub and restaurant trade.

As the pair were putting the finishing touches to the pub, cash-strapped Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling was announcing huge increases in duty on alcohol.

The rises come amid warnings of catastrophic effects on country pubs, with Camra reporting that 57 pubs a month are closing down for lack of drinkers.

However Lancashire-born Dominic said the pair will resist raising their prices for the time being and are confident about the future.

“Pubs are closing because they haven’t got things right for their market. We’re sure that people will respond to what we’ve done, the place looks fantastic and we will offer customers a warm, Lancashire welcome.

“The Saracen’s will be a pub that family friendly and attractive to those interested in fine dining. I think we’ll exceed people’s expectations.”

For drinkers there will be two cask beers on a rotational basis with the possibility of more to come. The first two on will be Old Speckled Hen and Courage Directors. Neither will generate much excitement but let’s hope for more interesting beers in the future.

Next up for the pub is the bringing back into use of the children’s play area and trying to find someone able to repaint the famous swing-sign, which is more than a little weather-beaten.

“We’re trying to find someone who can paint a true comparison of the original pub sign but so far it’s not been easy.”

The Saracen’s Head during refurbishment

The Saracen’s Head in Halsall will reopen soon.

As previously reported, the canal-side pub near Ormskirk has been closed for some time but a spokesman for Punch Taverns, which owns the building, said: “The existing licensees are signing over the pub to new licensees.”

When I passed today, workmen were ripping much of out the old interior, although the bar will remain in the same place. Let’s hope for better things this time round.

The Saracen’s Head pub on the banks of the Leeds/Liverpool Canal at Halsall, Ormskirk, has been closed down for a month now, windows boarded up and not a soul to be seen.

Rumours are that it may have been taken over by local millionaire Mike McComb, who’s already snapped up the Swan in Aughton and the Scarisbrick Arms (Downholland).

The pub is in a lovely location and should be a goldmine but has suffered from a line of licensees with not a clue about what rural folk and weekend boozers like myself want.

Last time I visited, a Spaniard had taken it over and was trying to get the yeoman of Lancashire to give up their real ale and hot pots in favour of cold omelettes, olives and San Miguel. Another manager decided that what people really wanted was loud pop music, with a speaker above each table blasting out Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.

I used to go regularly, but in recent times, walked the extra quarter of a mile up the canal to The Ship, where the beer and food were better.