Any decent places for lunch near Grassington?

[malcolmwilliamson]

My family, 9 adults in total, will be spending the first week of August in a self catering farmhouse near Grassington.

Any suggestions for good QPR lunch venues (pub or restaurant) within 45ish minutes drive will be gratefully received.

[BertieWooster]

My second favourite town in the Dales. Depends on your definition of QPR though.

45 minutes gives you a beeg range. It will get you to the Yorke Arms at Ramsgill, the Angel at Hetton and The Dev Arms none of which probably qualify for a meal for nine (though the Dev has a bistro which is good qpr). Hell, you could probably make it to Harrogate. Should you want to.

Going the other way to the Red Lion at Burnsall (used to be highly rated, nowadays less so, but still good food), the Dev Fell (quality bistro), and then up into the dales, past the Kilnsey Trout Farm (sells the best fish and chips in Wharfedale), the Fox and Hounds in Starbotton and the Buck at Buckden, all do good quality pub food at not too expensive prices. There's also the White Lion at Cray and whatever the pub at Hubberholme is called--which is probably the most beautiful of the lot. There are also good pubs in Malham and Litton. The Amerdale House restuarant country-house hotel in Arncliffe is in one of the most beautiful locations in the country, but the food (despite two rosettes) wasn't to my taste at least.

In Grassington itself you have the Devonshire Arms (a pub this time), which is pleasant, good place to eat. The Fountaine at Linton I haven't eaten at since it got taken over, but it used to have excellent restaurant-level food. There's also a very good veggie cafe in Grassington itself, but thats probably not of any interest. Best bet for value might be to head back towards Ilkley. The Craven Arms at Appletreewick (pronounced 'Appletrick') is wonderful on a summer's day should we find one. Huge salads, good beef (you're getting into Lishman's of Ilkley territory here), excellent beer. IN Ilkley you have Farsyde which is a GFG-listed restaurant, and lovely, not too pricey, very friendly, the best type of local-restaurant. You also have The Vaults which has the best qpr in the valley (okay, its effectively my local when home), superb food, top beer, good wine list, and is worth seeking out.

*takes breath out*

Edited July 8, 2008 by BertieWooster (log)

[Simon Farrow]

Its the George at Hubberholme. Marvellous location. Have to say the last couple of visits to the Devonshire Fell have been disappointing. Rather gloopy main courses and lots of truffle oil....

[malcolmwilliamson]

Thanks guys.

We'll need to extend our visit to do your list justice Bertie. Googling reveals that most of your reccos have an Internet presence with sample menus and a few diner comments and reviews; all very useful.

Two other Ilkley eateries enter the frame via this googling. Any form on either?:

The Box Tree http://www.theboxtree.co.uk/ has a thread on this forum http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=44939&st=90 but no posts since '05. Food offer by Simon Gueller seemed well appreciated back then. Has food standard been maintained; did they sort the front of house or have egulleteers stopped eating there?

Martha & Vincent http://www.marthaandvincent.com/ has a seemingly decent lunch menu, 3 courses with wine for £15.95. It's Yorkshire Life restaurant of the year '07-'08. Being down south I don't know whether that is a worthy achievement. Jay Rayner had some reservations in his review http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/s...2272314,00.html

BTW Mrs W, who hails from Leeds, wonders which Dales town wows Wooster more than Grassington?

[BertieWooster]

The Box Tree, Simon Gueller's home, is very good (I used to criticise but its improved a lot over the last year). I wouldn't have put it on the same level as the Dev Arms, but then the chef of the latter left. Only issue, it is expensive. Good value lunches though. Typical late seventies michelin in service style too, and you will get Mrs GUeller talking at you for ages. Worth it, finding a table for nine in the tiny rooms (they have private dining, but not sure about use of it for lunch) could be interesting.

M&V Jay liked the service and disliked the food IIRC. I hated the service AND the food. The main people (who had previously won awards elsewhere) have now gone I think. Its trying to be something it isn't, a posh restaurant in a place that is very well-off but desires the more laid-back, good, but unobtrusive quality. Farsyde is far better at the 'notch-below-star' level. And then The Vaults just below that.

(and I count Ilkley as being in the Dales...its home, after all).

Edited July 9, 2008 by BertieWooster (log)

[Gary Marshall]

it's a big private dining room, sure they'd use it if they couldn't accomodate you otherwise.

my last visit was ingrained in my mind as the last free weekend we had before we bought the pub, lunch with bapi and rosie it wasn't great but that said i've got a lot of time for the guellers and when it's on song it can be excellent, closest you'll get to MPW style french food, and simon must be one of the few old mates of marco's not to have fallen out with him!

[Kropotkin]

A more recent experience – I’d never visited the Box Tree due to some ambivalent reports, but we tried it for lunch last month whilst en route to elsewhere and I was pleasantly surprised. A scallops and apple starter was excellent, and an assiette of strawberry was also very good. As Bertie notes, the lunch is good value.

Mrs. Kropotkin also liked the decent portions, but not so much the tweedy clientele (as she's worried she’ll be one of them in 20 years time if she’s not careful…)

[malcolmwilliamson]

My choice for our celebratory family lunch last Friday was Farsyde in Ilkley. All eight of us were well satisfied by the £14.95 3 course (3,3,4 choices), lunch menu from which all selections were made by at least one of us except for the cheese. The wines chosen by my eldest son were also good considering their prices of around £13. The friendliness of the waiting staff was accompanied by attentive and efficient service.

My wife rated it better than the more expensive holiday lunches eaten in ’06 and ’07 at the GFG higher rated Lewtrenchard Manor, Devon and Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo. Although I didn’t agree I did rate it amongst the best QPR lunches I’ve had in the UK.

My sons decided that it was proof that a more reliable result was obtained by asking Wooster than from Ask Jeeves. Thanks for the recco Bertie.

[BertieWooster]

My sons decided that it was proof that a more reliable result was obtained by asking Wooster than from Ask Jeeves. Thanks for the recco Bertie.

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You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. A little, and little-trumpeted (though, as its always packed, it doesn't need to be), gem.

Hoe the permanent rain didn't scar the holiday too much