Great night a certainty

Oct 26 2007 By Neil Atkinson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AUTHOR Benjamin Franklin came up with an apt, telling, phrase in 1789.

“In this world, nothing can be certain except death and taxes”.

To that can be added a third; people expect good quality food at The Butchers Arms in Hepworth.

They will not be disappointed.

The historic village pub has had a proud reputation for its food over many, many years.

But when it closed suddenly earlier this year there were mutterings that if and when it reopened, things may not be the same.

People need not have worried.

The new owners Siobhan Hunter and Mark Dolman, who also own the highly successful Hey Green Hotel at Marsden, have got off to a quiet, unassuming start.

No great fanfare to announce their arrival; simply a case of getting on with the business of running a cosy village pub with an enviable reputation for its food.

And new manager Kerry Burton and his head chef, Mark, are determined to build on the good start with the emphasis on the food side of the business.

They are already looking at having speciality nights, with a tapas evening and a curry menu among the options.

But at the moment, they are concentrating on a short but varied menu featuring seasonal, fresh ingredients.

Dining partner Linda and I arrived on a Friday evening to find a warm welcome in the bar from a roaring coal fire, as the autumn chill outside was starting to bite.

The only problem was car parking. Hepworth is a centuries-old village - with the pub itself dating back to the 16th century - and is not geared up for today’s insistence on the car.

Hence the walk of 200 yards from a convenient parking spot on the roadside at the other end of the village.

No matter. A pint of Black Sheep bitter and glass of red wine got us into relaxed mood and we were shown to a table in the small dining area at the side of the bar.

It’s a cosy, functional area which Linda felt need a more homely touch with curtains etc. I was more intent on choosing from the blackboard menu of five starters and seven main courses.

The starter I opted for was Mark’s version of ham and eggs; a terrine of Yorkshire gammon, served with pineapple pickle and a fried quail’s egg.

The friendly waitress brought us warmed, flavoured bread rolls before my starter arrived and they went down very well.

As did the terrine, which was nicely presented and certainly looked different.

My main course was not a difficult choice. Lamb has always been a favourite and the option of roast rump served with Dauphinoise potatoes and Savoy cabbage seemed ideal.

The waitress said: “It’s served pink”, which was fine by me but it was good to be offered the option.

Linda chose pan-fried sea bass served with braised fennel and Charlotte potatoes - and both of us were delighted.

The two dishes arrived after a 10-minute wait and were accompanied by a small dish of superbly cooked vegetables including broccoli, courgettes,carrots and onions, subtly flavoured with herbs.

In the true interests of research, Linda agreed to try a dessert and was delighted with her pear and apple crumble, accompanied by hazelnut ice-cream.

And I suppose her phrase “Faultless” summed up the evening’s offerings.