Sowerby Bridge Restaurant Guide

“It exploded onto the food scene two years ago, garnering two broadsheet reviews in quick succession… serving cod collar with XO sauce, fire-roasted razor clams with wild garlic – what were they thinking? This is Calderdale for god’s sake!” And Alisdair Brooke-Taylor and Aimee Turford are still absolutely smashing it at this converted moorland pub, ably delivering “mind-blowing meals” from a “surprising menu using exciting local ingredients”. “You would expect to pay three times as much in London, and would still feel you had got a bargain!”

Wil Akroyd and Mark Kemp’s minimally converted pub in this Calderdale mill town opened in late 2018 and has taken the local area by storm: “a young team working hard in an open kitchen, loving what they are doing and smashing it, and the front of house are the same”. “Outstanding Spanish tapas” attract the most mention but the menu is much wider than this, with “a huge range of vegetarian and vegan options”: “fire-roasted cauliflower with pomegranate, pine nuts and sesame/coriander dressing is something of a signature dish and other influences come from all round the world but don’t jar at all – (Sobrasada/pulled pork gyoza anyone?)”.

“Fantastic food” (“always plenty of interesting seasonal options, including great vegetarian choices”), that’s “great value” too, ensures the continuing popularity of Janet & Simon Baker’s eclectically decorated stalwart.

2018 Review: “Better than the significant local competition”; it’s “three times the size it used to be, but there’s no change in the quality of the food” at this “consistently excellent”, rather posh-looking and “always packed curry restaurant where you can BYO”.