It is not until you catch on to the link between the Pennines and the Italian Appenines, that the presence of a real Italian hotbed in the unlikely setting of Ramsbottom becomes more justifiable. Then the credits begin to roll and you note that the Independent decided that Ramsons is 'one of the best ten places in Britain to eat Italian food' in 2004, and that in the same year they were awarded the Booker Prize for Excellence as Britain's Best Independent Restaurant.

But at the 2008 Which Awards held at the British Museum - where else? - Heston Blumenthal announced that Ramsons was to be Good Food Guide 2009 Restaurant of the Year, so the progress has been maintained. Oh, you might also like to know that it takes its name from the wild garlic that grows in great profusion along the banks of the nearby River Irwell.