As the days are getting warmer and any restaurant with outside seating is booked up until 2030, Blog Preston has decided to do a series of reviews on the food vans of Preston.

Number one on the list is the well-recognised Green Frog, situated on the car park next to Preston Docks in Ashton-on-Ribble.

It was a sunny day, so my daughter Ground Zero and I decided to park up, get some food and watch the seagulls smacking seven bells out of each other before hugging it out in a very special way, which Google later informed me was something they were keen on between the months of March and April.

There were a few other customers at The Green Frog, some obviously regulars, and we all got the same cheerful greeting. As I was ordering, another lady came to the serving hatch to ask if anyone had handed in some keys, and despite their busyness the helpful staff had a quick look round and advised her to call later to see if they’d been found.

Taste Test: Private chef makes our day with scallops, steaks and soufflé 

There was an extensive choice of hot and cold options, all at a good price. The sausages were the chip shop saveloy type that I’m not keen on so I ordered the £2.20 bacon barm with the bacon well done, and a cheeseburger and chips combo at £3 with fried onions and burger relish.

Ground Zero baggsied the bacon barm, which was cooked just as requested, though the bacon had done its bacon-y thing by becoming increasingly small the longer it was exposed to heat; a talent I’d kill for. The barm would have benefitted from butter as it didn’t appear to have any, so perhaps customers have to ask for it.

I didn’t like the burger. It was the thin, gristly type that brought back memories of 1980s fairgrounds when they were traditionally washed down and then back up again with a bottle of Strongbow. The voice booming “The louder you scream, the faster we go” (which should be played on a loop at the tills in Aldi) was blessedly absent, as it would have added a new level of horror to the seagull’s babymaking flash mob. The cheese was the standard burger square type that doesn’t bring much to the party except yellow and another 60 calories.

Fortunately the similarity to a fairground concession ends there as The Green Frog has an excellent five star food hygiene rating. The kitchen was immaculate, as were the hygiene practices of the staff.

For dessert we ordered a crepe each, one plain with lemon juice at £2.50 and the other with Nutella chocolate spread and strawberries. That was usually priced at £4.50, but they knocked a pound off because it was the last of the pancake mix so turned out a little smaller than usual.

The crepes were undercooked making them pale, unattractive and soggy. However, both pancakes had a generous amount of filling so I decided to take them home and try to revive them in my air fryer. Unfortunately that didn’t happen as my mother Yvonne called round briefly when I was in the bath and informed me as she was on her way out that “I’ve binned that pie you left out on the side.”

The staff weren’t given the opportunity to put things right because the long queue meant I didn’t have the time to go back and mention the issues with the food. However, considering the friendliness and professionalism of the people behind the counter I’m confident that they would have resolved them.

The Green Frog has a lot going for it. Excellent hygiene, lovely staff, a cheap yet extensive menu, an attractive location and a great many positive reviews on TripAdvisor. It also has some healthier options, although not many for vegetarians or vegans.

I wouldn’t order the burger again as I’d rather pay more for better quality and this one ended up in the bin. Perhaps the seagulls might have liked it, but we’re not allowed to feed them and this bunch looked like they’d prefer to have a cigarette as they wind down to some smooth jazz.

I’d go back to The Green Frog for one of the sandwiches, a baked potato or another bacon barm with butter on it. The chips are the usual catering type but hot, freshly fried and crispy.

I’d also try another crepe because the price and amount of filling was good, but I’d ask that they leave it on the hotplate for longer to ensure it’s light and cooked through, and that the polystyrene container be left open to prevent the crepe falling foul of evil sogginess created by trapped steam.

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Are you a fan of The Green Frog? Let us know in the comments.