Pub cooks up title (From Gazette & Herald)

Pub cooks up title

A RYEDALE pub has snapped up the title of Yorkshire dining pub of the year in the latest Good Pub Guide.

The prestigious title for The Blacksmiths Inn in Westow came as quite a surprise to licensee Julia Brown, who didn't even know they had been nominated.

"We didn't know anything about it until a letter came in the post, but we assume we were nominated by one of our regulars," she said.

The pub is listed in the guide, which ranks winning pubs alongside some of the country's most respected restaurants, as "an unassuming village local carefully reworked into an upmarket dining pub".

It is one of around 18 pubs in the area to be named in the guide. Each pub is fully inspected before it makes the list of entries for each county, and winners are picked within this scrupulous process.

So why does Julia think they were chosen from so many other Yorkshire pubs?

"We offer unpretentious country dining with fresh food made by accomplished chefs," she said.

Julia has been at the pub, once in the hands of her husband's great-grandfather, for two-and-a-half years and is responsible for a major renovation in December 2003.

"The pub changed quite radically - it was closed for four months while the renovations were underway."

However, the Grade II listed building, which had its beginnings as a blacksmith's shop, retained its traditional character.

Its well-visited inglenook fireplace still provides the focal point with a mix of stone flag and plush carpet floors, olive green walls and rich red curtains.

Antique-style furniture has been sourced from local auctions.

Judges obviously enjoyed the Blacksmith's selection of traditional pub fare made with fresh ingredients, some of which come from the family farm in Eddlethorpe.

Meals include favourites such as lamb shank and steak and ale pie, while berry crumble is a popular pudding selection.

"The award-winning county dining pubs represent some of the best pub food in the country, with outstanding cooking by dedicated chefs who put enormous energy and imagination into creating delicious meals," the book's editor, Fiona Stapley, said.

The pub is still a haunt for locals with regular quiz nights and entertainment but also attracts many visitors. Last year, it was named a runner-up for newcomer in the Yorkshire Life magazine Pub of the Year competition.

Updated: 15:05 Wednesday, October 05, 2005