Best find on holiday ever!!…read more Set in a beautiful little village with a huge village green with loads of parking round and about (although im sure that on a mid summer sunny day parking may be somewhat difficult!). The pub has a bar area and a restaurant area - we only ever went into the bar as you could eat int here and it was really cosy (dogs are also allowed!). The staff were incredibly friendly and chatty (lets face it, Yorkshire, particularly North Yorkshire folk are possibly the most friendly on the planet - i challenge you to disprove this!). The food was INCREDIBLE. Nothing fancy pants, just really good food, VERY big portions (trust me on this, you dont need three courses - choose your weapon of starter or dessert to go alongside your main - we made the mistake one night and 1) couldnt eat it all and 2)pretty much rolled home). We spent an evening in the pub, had a meal and then sat playing card games - we felt incredibly welcome. So welcome that we ended up visiting three times in a week long holiday. You cant really get a better recommendation than that can you??

After an 18km walk round Bolton Abbey, three hungry people needed some decent food down their neck…read moreand boy, did we find it here. A lovely country village pub with a roaring fire and a lot of people enjoying good food and great service (and dog friendly). The starters were go good the three of us couldn't choose which one we wanted, so a surprised staff member delivered their first (I'm sure) four starters for three people (there's nothing wrong with one for the table right!?). There was quite a strange silence fallen over the table as we devoured our starters. The creamy garlic mushrooms were amazing, the goats cheese peignet with pickled beetroot (for sharing) was delicious, and the pork spring rolls and pâté were met with equal delight. The mains of slow cooked pork belly (with roasts not mash), the steak & ale pie with chips and corn fed chicken supreme were all very well presented and more importantly, tasted amazing. The pork with LOTS of crackling was only let down let down by the lack of Yorkshire pudding (I know, not meant to have it with Pork dinner but I wanted one and it wasn't allowed due to exact numbers being made). The food was washed down with two bottles of white Rioja and followed by some beautiful desserts of chocolate brownie and Baileys Creme Brûlée with cookie. All in all, a perfect Sunday roast and for £122, was pretty impressive. Note: the staff were young but were absolutely honest and professional. It was great to see and they brought the food out promptly and couldn't have been nicer. A great find.

The place really is excellent, as you would expect for a pub in the middle of nowhere…read more.. We sat outside for an hour or so before lunch, just enjoying the views. It really was a pleasure to hang around here, despite being ever so slightly chilly (I'm used to the balmy climate of London). The views are awesome, there's wildlife everywhere and plenty of dogs around if you're a dog person. The lunch was in the cruck barn and this is really an. Exceptional building, it looks old despite being only 10 years old! The decor is perfect. Except maybe the projection of the menu, not the biggest fan if that (it was hard to read). The food was impeccable, I had the pigeon and venison and it was perfect, the table generally seemed very pleased with their food so I think everything else was good too! The roast looked incredibly, serious food envy there. The drink selection, as you would expect in a decent traditional Yorkshire pub, was local and very very good. If you're in the area (or even just in the north east) then I would definitely recommend coming here for some food. Beware the roads however, super difficult to drive around.

Stayed at a Air BnB Farm in Glasshouses and hiked the mile or so to the Birch Tree Inn. Totally…read moreworth the effort...after a great walk admiring the little village and surrounding dales, we had a fabulous meal in an extraordinarily lovely inn that's basically in the middle of nowhere! The service is first rate and the atmosphere is friendly and classy. They were so kind and accommodating of my toddler granddaughter.

Middle of nowhere, casual dress, Michelin-starred…read more My husband and I went out of our way to eat and stay here. Was it worth the 3 hour journey from London (2-hr train ride, 1-hr by car) to make our reservation from 6-months earlier? Absolutely. Courses are small, but plenty. Staff are immensely courteous and thoughtful (they made a custom menu for our dietary needs and even had the chefs sign it before we left). And the setting couldn't be more idyllic. I'd suggest getting the wine pairing as it really completes the meal. Go ahead and stay the night as breakfast is included the next day. Just make sure to work out your travel from the train station to the restaurant. It really is out in the sticks.

An absolutely fantastic experience enhanced by the charming and beautiful countryside that The…read moreBlack Swan at Oldstead is nestled within - an area that I wouldn't have visited otherwise but am grateful for having done so. Make sure to make a small detour to Kilburn to see The Kilburn White Horse which stands firmly in the hillside. The Black Swan is a beautiful picturesque old pub full of warmth and charm. Upon arrival you are welcomed into the bar area for aperitifs where a log fire crackles and glows. Make sure to notice the Robert Thompson mouse carved into the bar. Great selection of small batch gins - I enjoyed a glass of Sir Robin of Locksley from Sheffield with tonic. Amuse bouche are served here before moving upstairs to the restaurant. The Smoked Eel and Apple Tartlets were light and well balanced in their flavours whilst the Chicken Dumpling was rich, satisfying and would sit well on the finest of dim sum plates in Hong Kong. The restaurant is more modern in decoration with an "open kitchen" where some of the dishes are prepared with a clear artistic love and attention to detail. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Good selection of wines for most palates and wallets. I had the 10 course tasting menu which, at £85, felt like a bargain compared to the price of Michelin starred food in major cities. To start, a Mussel with Oyster Leaf canapé - so perfectly decorated that it felt wrong to eat it, but so tasty. Next up Langoustine with Caramelised Whey, served like a lollipop with a twig to hold it with - lovely textures and cooked to perfection. Venison Tartare followed - a small dish but rich in flavour and beautifully prepared and decorated. Sour Bread and Sour Butter was distinctive and a good filler in preparation for the main courses. The Monkfish with Asparagus and Onion, although delicious, was probably the weakest dish. The sauce tasted like heavy sweet soy sauce and was a bit overpowering in its saltiness for the delicate flavour of the fish. Still very enjoyable though. The Slowly Cooked Crapaudine Beetroot was the star of the menu. Cooked in beef fat (I believe), the beetroot takes on a heavier composition and is chewy and almost glutinous with all of the accompanying decorations providing broad and bold flavours. Absolutely fantastic! Scallop Cured with Rhubarb was another standout with the smoothness of the slightly charred scallops countering the tartness of the rhubarb, all tied together with a rich and balanced sauce. Herb-Fed Chicken with Wild Garlic from this Year and Last was another amazing creation with a blanket over the chicken in the form of a garlic leaf. The chicken was more warm than hot but extremely tasty. The first dessert was ice cream (or iced yoghurt?) Lollipops which were wonderfully innovative with their unique flavours. The Sheep's Milk with Douglas Fir Oil was also an memorable dessert with natural tastes of the season. The final dessert, served with coffee was Cake made from Artichoke, Chicory Root and Thyme. The combination worked well although the chicory root (?) was slightly bitter. A great end to a fantastic meal and experience. For most who visit The Black Swan at Oldstead, a significant journey will be involved but don't let that put you off...It's well worth the effort and will be one of those great food experiences.

This pub is amazing. Great food and fantastic friendly staff. Thoroughly recommendableread more

The Red Lion is amazing! Would highly recommend staying here. The service was amazing, and everyone…read moreis very nice. They breakfast comes out very quick, and servers are awesome. We stayed in a cottage and a room, and it was great! Will be back!

Set in a beautiful location, but if you go in summer expect lots of children. Food in the…read morerestaurant is subpar and you could tell it was all highly microwaved. We sat in the dining room area and it was very tired and worn, sit in the Pub area instead. Outside seating is very smoky. No A/C or even ceiling fans especially since we were in the new set of rooms. No one opened up the windows prior to our arrival and it was literally like an oven. As secluded as it is there is another hotel/restaurant nearby which we enjoyed better.

I have eaten here quite a few times now and every time the food has been absolutely top notch. The…read moreservice has always been very good and fast. and the menu changes frequently so you cant get bored I have eaten here at lunch and in the evening and at both times the food has always been of the highest standard. In fact the standards have been so high that I chose to eat here with friends for my birthday. The meal was perfect, every course was superb. The portion sizes are great too so the big eaters among us don't go home hungry The staff are friendly and helpful, and if they are not , the manager Martin very quickly makes sure they are. his level of attention is exceptional, i am sure he has Spidey sense, he always notices first my glass is empty, hurrah.

Tally-HO! And we'rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre OFF!! Two dogs, threatening rainclouds, slushy snow and the…read moreHUNGER- what better way to spend a Sunday than squelching around a pretty Yorkshire village just a few miles out of Leeds and then ending up in a gorgeous, dog friendly proper country pub with delicious food and waiters skilled in the art of Monkey tickling. Monkey is the dog. Lola is the other dog but she doesn't like me talking about her behind her back so to save time let's just say Monkey is the cuddly one. *looks round nervously to check I'm not being watched* East Keswick is just up Wetherby Road- and the great news is you can get the 98 and 99 buses from town to RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DAMN PUB DOOR! Can't argue with that logic. The pub has a Snug at the front where dogs of all shapes, sizes and aromas are made to feel truly welcome. There's a tv for catching up with sports, an open fire, a doggly bowl and some cracking local beers and ales on offer. I had a pint of Mary Jane from the Ilkley Brewery and it was luscious. We'd first bunged the dogs in the car and had lunch in the restaurant part of the pub- which in contrast to the homely snug is really pretty classy for a pub meal. I think an evening meal here would impress. The staff were warm and welcoming and we had 3 courses for £15.95 each, with a decent bottle of red wine this brought the bill to just over £50, which is pretty reasonable for doing it 'all' and less pricey options were available e.g 2 courses for £12.95. This is for Sunday Lunch and there are weekday menus too. To start I had chicken liver pate which was smooth with a decent portion of chutney. Ade had ham terrine which was again sizeable and competently done. Both dishes were well presented and came with Melba toast. All very very good fare. For mains I went for the lamb cutlets and Ade the beef roast. The portions were again pretty sizeable, the roasts generous, crisp yet fluffy, mixed veg was properly al dente and had nice variety.....but it was the lamb that really stood out above everything else. Four almost fist sized hunks of perfectly cooked quality meat, pink on the inside, melt in the mouth and with a subtle and creamy peppercorn sauce to lubricate the GIANT mouthfuls I was pushing into my greedy face. It was sublime and my pleasure sensors were bordering on ridiculous. All this scumptiousness was topped off by Ade's dense and super sweet Sticky Toffee Pudding and the heavenly dark matter that made up my Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake. Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. We staggered back to the car to 'release the hounds' and then enjoyed the friendly snug for a slow drinking pint as we digested our heavy yet heavenly loads. Monkey in particular made SUCH a friend of the barman that every time he passed by and patted her head she jumped up, wrapped her front paws around his thigh and tried to walk off with him. I thoroughly recommend The Duke of Wellington if you are out that way, and as a diversion for excellent food/drinks and company even if you are not. With a bus to and from the door there's no excuse my little Leodensians, go get some fresh air and hearty fare.

We popped here for a very tasty meal a few weeks back!…read more This is such a great place if you want an authentic British pub/restaurant with a unique personal touch in North Yorks. Situated between Harrogate and York, it's easily accessible by car and I'd recommend booking in advance. We enjoyed a number of meat and fish menu items, with some lovely freshly made bread served with our starters - very very good. The beer selection was fairly country inn offering in terms of choice but there was one great local beer - very light and enjoyable to quaff. We'll be back!

This secret hideaway was revealed to me by a dear friend. We often frequented Malt Shovel for both…read morefood a drink, drink, drink... and more drink. GAWD, do I LOVE a nice, warm British beer!