DRIVE past the Clough House at Rastrick and it looks like any other dusty old pub at the side of a busy road.
The difference between this and numerous others around Huddersfield is that there is no For Sale sign outside this one.
Quite the reverse, business is booming.
Since husband and wife team Martin and Lauren Cockram took over in March of last year, the Clough House has developed a reputation for good, no-nonsense, locally sourced food.
In fact their reputation is such that they are now rated number one out of 13 restaurants in the Brighouse area on the review website Tripadvisor.
Martin was previously head chef at the Clough House. When he and Lauren bought the business from his former employers, the first thing he did was to ditch the frozen food and the microwaves.
The second thing was to switch to using locally reared produce wherever possible. The meat comes from Bolster Moor Farm Shop and the vegetables from Brighouse’s Delilink.
He even has locals bringing in home-grown fruit and veg, such as in-season rhubarb, which is made into puddings and chutneys.
Almost everything is made from scratch, with the exception of the ice creams, which come from Jenny’s in Halifax.
According to the pundits on Tripadvisor, their dedication to fresh preparation can mean that you may have to wait a long time when the restaurant is busy. However, on our visit last Friday, the restaurant was pretty busy and our food was all served in good time.
We arrived early and were reassured to find a man sat at a table in the car park with a pint of beer. He was feeding crisps to two hungry Labradors and a retriever. What a relief that the Clough House hasn’t gone all trendy, but still enjoys the patronage of local residents.
We entered the rather scruffy entrance and were confronted with what can only be described as dreary coloured artex walls.
Although the surroundings improved slightly once inside, the current Clough House interior design is uninviting to say the least.
The decor comprises a green and red patterned carpet with shiny artex walls in a variety of dull shades and traditional wooden pub tables.
To be fair to the Cockrams, the interior is in the midst of renovation.
Undeterred, we were shown to a small table. After all, it was the food we were interested in.
We settled ourselves in and ordered a bottle of robust McGuigan’s Black Label at £13.95. The wines were reasonably priced, with the house wines offered at just £11.95.
Friday was fish night and all of the items on the menu were either fishy or meaty.
When I enquired what vegetarians ate, the waiter said that as food was freshly prepared almost anything could be made to order for non meat and fish eaters.
Trish kicked off with some very good large Shetland mussels and I had scallops with merguez sausage, lentils, red onion and parsley, both £6.95.
My scallops and sausage were an unusual but tasty combination. Everything was very fresh.
The scallops were succulent and the merguez was moist, full of flavour and tasted as though it had just arrived from Spain.
Other starters included devilled kidneys and the more traditional prawn cocktail and garlic mushrooms. However, unlike in many other pubs, the latter were not the product of the freezer/microwave school of cooking.
For the mains, I ordered the small five-ounce 28-day aged rump steak. It was accompanied by chunky home-made chips, tomatoes and mushrooms – and all for the bargain price of £7.95.
My medium rare steak was excellent, charred on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside. Full of flavour.
Trish had the beef stroganoff from the specials board.
The tender beef did not have a strong taste, but the whole dish was appetising, with a fine balance of mellow flavours.
I’ve heard that the home-made Clough burgers (£8.95) and fish and chips are also very good.
Portions are generous and many are offered in two sizes and prices to cater for all appetites and pockets.
Unfortunately, we cannot report on the puddings, as we were completely full after two courses. When I go back, I’ll definitely save room as they looked delicious.
Verdict: Ignore the decor and go for the food, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The Clough House
129 Clough Lane, Rastrick, HD6 3QL
Telephone:01484 512120
Website: www.cloughhouserastrick.co.uk
Pub opening hours: noon to midnight. Food served: Monday to Saturday: noon to 2.30pm, Monday to Thursday: 5.30pm to 9pm, Friday and Saturday: 5.30pm to 9.30pm, Sunday: noon to 8pm.
Children: Welcome, there is even a children’s menu.
Disabled access: Full access.
The bill: £50.15 for two, including a bottle of wine and coffees.
Would you go back: Yes, the food was good.Ignore the decor, go for the food and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
