Esholt Restaurant Guide

This “buzzy, busy” subcontinental started out here as a tiny 28-seater, but its waistline has expanded over the years in sync with what is now a ten-strong national chain (the most recent offshoot of which, opened in early 2024, is the flagship of Blackburn’s £50m Cultural Quarter). The “seriously yummy food” (“always cheers us up!”) features epic naans, baltis and a special section of old-school classics; if you can’t get enough of it, try the ‘Chef’s Challenges’: the quantitative ‘For the Big Man’ and qualitative ‘For the Brave’ (you face a plate ‘hotter than a dragon’s breath’). Breaking news… RIP the founder of the chain, Shabir Hussain, who passed away aged 56 in October 2024.

Launched in February 2024, this welcoming, unpretentious bistro in Horsforth is the work of Yorkshire-born chef Sandy Jarvis, returning after a successful decade at kitchens in London. Low-intervention wines are also a major focus, as his partner and co-founder Clement Cousin grew up on a biodynamic vineyard in the Loire Valley, and his family’s wines are on the list. Early feedback in our annual diners’ poll suggests it’s doing an excellent all-round job as a superior local bistro (but its early PR coup of being declared the best local restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide may be over-egging matters a bit).