Buck Inn, Buckden

My partner and I had sunday lunch here today after a 3 hours walk up Buckden Pike and from entering to leaving 1 hour later it was a most pleasing experience. A warm welcome at the bar was complemented by friendly and efficient service at the table. The bar is very well stocked with a range of real ales. A couple of Theakston's on tap, including Cooper's Butt of which I had a pint. Very good it was, too. Others that I remember were two from Caledonian Brewery and Deuchars IPA. I'm sure there was at least one more but can't recall what. The Sunday roast was delicious and plentiful, including TWO big Yorkshires, a mix of beef, pork & ham and some of the tastiest veg I've ever had. There's a BIG screen TV where a chap was watching the Spurs/Arsenal game, but it is in a separate room (looked very comfortably furnished) and so doesn't intrude on those who prefer a more traditional pub experience. Clearly, this place has been completely turned around since the new proprietors moved in last summer. We shall certainly be back before too long.

3 Mar 2013 19:18

The New Inn, Clapham

I quite often encounter this pub at the end of a walk, while waiting for the bus home. I have yet to have a positive experience of the place. Lasagne like a brick, obviously microwaved from frozen. Beer distinctly below average. Welcome? Please don't make me laugh.

Advice? Go to the Bunk Barn, 50 yards up the lane alongside the right of the river, as you turn in to the car park. Cheaper beer and better to boot.

13 Feb 2012 23:53

The Buck Inn, Malham

First, the good news: this is not my local. If it was, I'd have frequent flyer miles from the supermarket and be an authority on all things telly.

Now for the bad news...

It's all that a tourist trap is renowned for. Overly expensive beer, served at the wrong temperature, accompanied by overly expensive and distinctly average food. And lord help you, gentlemen, if you need to visit the toilet at the same time as another. You'll need a shoehorn to get in.

All this is, depressingly, to be expected in a tourist area. But what is utterly inexcusable is to be asked to pay the same price for a pint of Coca-Cola (�3.60) as for a pint of Taylor's Landlord. That is blatant profiteering and, in an area with no public transport, hardly conducive to promoting sensible attitudes towards a designated driver system. Locals and tourists alike deserve better.

13 Feb 2012 18:38

Thirteen Wine Bar, Settle

Robert & Christine deserve all the plaudits that will surely come their way. Thirteen is that rare beast: a cafe/wine bar that also manages to appeal to the discerning beer drinker. Hetton Pale Ale & Pen-Y-Ghent Ale cater for the bitter enthusiasts, while those who prefer lager can partake of Budvar. The fridge is well stocked with a wide variety of bouteille, including 2 or more Belgian premiums.

Foodwise, it's a gem. Thursday night steak night is well worth the money. Wednesday early evening, known amongst the locals as "soup kitchen" offers casserole and a pint/glass of wine for �6 and surely can't be beat. I've also dined there several times on Saturday lunchtime and would do so more often if work allowed.

There is free internet access at the rear for those who can't bear to be sans technology for a few hours, and the ambience as a whole is relaxed yet modern and, should you wish it, you can always find someone to point out your shortcomings.

A lovely spot that is going from strength to strength.

23 Feb 2011 23:19

The Assheton Arms, Downham

I went to The Downham Arms with 3 friends today for Sunday lunch. It was everyone's first visit and I doubt that any of us will be returning. We arrived shortly before 1230 p.m., and made a point of checking with a member of the bar staff that Sunday lunch was available. Having been assured that this was the case, it was only after we had been served with our drinks that we were informed that there were only 2 Sunday lunches "left." This despite the early time and the fact that there were fewer than a dozen other customers in the pub. Clearly, the kitchen was not prepped to serve Sunday lunch, which is quite shocking considering that Sunday comes but once a week.Our waitress had the decency to look embarrassed.

Still, we decided to stay and 2 of us ordered from the main menu, the other 2 taking the Sunday lunches. I was one of the former, having the halibut. I never knew that it was possible to drown a fish, but this one had been drowned in the sauce. And several large bones had been missed during the filleting. One can expect the odd small bone when having a fillet, but this one looked like part of the spine had been left in. It was served with a few small new potatoes, and garden peas. Despite the sauce and the bones, it was actually a decent piece of fish. But it most certainly wasn't worth anywhere near the �15 it cost.

The other person dining from the main menu chose sausage and mash, and the best that he could say about it was that it was edible but not worth the money.

The Sunday lunch was the real shocker, though. My friends both complimented the meat: beef, and plenty of it. But that's where the praise ended. It was served with mash, roast potatoes that my friends were sure had been "roasted" in a fryer, and a veritable carpet of garden peas. Yes, that's correct, one vegetable on a Sunday lunch plate. A VERY poor affair. And the tin lid was put on the whole depressing experience when we received the bill. Each Sunday lunch was charged at �13. In an area where one can normally expect to pay �7-�10 for a pub Sunday lunch, often receiving more than one course, and considering what was on the plate, that was little short of robbery.

Which would explain my friend's muttered aside about DIck Turpin as we settled the bill, sans tip, and made a hasty exit. A lovely location, but a great shame about the pub.

20 Feb 2011 20:47