Quivering plates of tripe, minced heart and black pudding greeted customers at one of the town’s best-known pubs on Thursday.

Held only three times a year, the official 'Offal lunch' took place at the Lower Royal George, Scammonden.

Hosted by former Penistone butcher turned landlord Stephen Lowe the event attracted more than 50 connoisseurs.

Bob Baume, 66, from Elland has been helping Stephen and his wife Margaret organise it since its inception around five years ago.

Bob said: “I’d been out to lunch and told Steve I had been served a delicacy, pig’s cheek.

“He said: ‘That’s nowt, we can do that.’ And so that’s how it started though Steve being Steve he served it up with the jawbone and teeth still in it!”

The tripe is fetched from Bury Market while with so many ex-butchers attending finding supplies of liver, kidneys, tongue, heart, lamb’s testicles etc is never a problem.

One of them is Neil Moorhouse who runs The Dusty Miller pub at Longwood and Milltown Brewing company in Milnsbridge.

He said: “I’m an ex-slaughterman and ex-butcher so I enjoy turning out for these events. I love offal.”

Another regular attender is a member of Lindley Liberal Club, Tony Bailey, who arrived with a posse of club members.

The offal lunch at the Lower Royal George, Scammonden, near Huddersfield.
Tony Bailey eating offal soup
The offal lunch at the Lower Royal George, Scammonden, near Huddersfield. Tony Bailey eating offal soup

Tony said: “It’s a wonderful event. It’s a very sociable occasion.”

Afterwards he and a few others pop down to the nearby Dog and Partridge and landlord Frank Collins, 85, belts out a few tunes on the piano.

The event begins with a starter of soup and the offal lunch proper is heralded by Steve ringing the pub bell and staff bringing out plates of delicacies.

Bob added said: “We always have tripe and black pudding, liver and kidney and there’s normally pig’s brains.

“Lamb’s testicles are good too, they are so succulent.”

Paul Jennings, 51, from Outlane said: “I have been coming right from the beginning. I love it. It’s a lovely way to get together”.