It was a dark and stormy night.

Black clouds scudded across the horizon as the rain hammered down onto the moor.

The pub appeared in the distance, stood alone by the side of the road, not a soul in sight.

We got out of the car and dashed inside.

I half expected to be greeted by a host of Slaughtered Lamb-style regulars, gazing at us in stony silence.

But this wasn’t a horror film – and there were no werewolves in sight!

It was genuinely a terrible night when we drove up across the moor to get to the Jack O’Mitre at Scammonden, which in bad weather isn’t helped by its fairly remote location. We were drenched just running from the car.

We were the only diners and there were a couple of other people enjoying a quiet pint.

Jack O'Mitre, New Hey Road, Scammonden, Huddersfield.

It’s a traditional Yorkshire country pub and as such I was expecting hearty but basic grub.

So I was more than surprised when my starter, a baked Camembert, arrived garnished with crisp rosemary, a delicately prepared side salad and warm crusty rolls, served on a wooden board. It was definitely more upmarket than I was expecting.

We polished off the whole Camembert between two – there wasn’t a scrap left!

My second guest had Thai fish cakes which arrived in beautifully golden breadcrumbs, again not what you’d expect from a little pub in the middle of nowhere but he declared them delicious and cooked perfectly with sweet chilli sauce which had a mild kick.

For the main course I had a Jack burger – a huge slab of beef with bacon and cheese on top, and home cooked chips on the side. If you like burgers you’ll love this. It was huge and I struggled to finish it.

My first guest had haddock which was a more reasonable main to tackle after the baked Camembert – describing it light and fresh in a delicious creamy sauce.

My second guest had a giant Yorkshire pudding (homemade, don’t worry) stuffed to the brim with steak and ale, which he said was full of flavour, the meat falling apart in the mouth. The others said it looked like it could have done with a drop more gravy but my guest was happy with the portion.

In the interests of providing a full review we decided to tackle a pudding. There’s a range on offer and some of the traditional stodgy ones, although delicious sounding, would have been too much after such a huge meal, so we opted for ice cream. This wasn’t anything fancy but did the job of leaving a sweet taste at the end of the meal.

Jack O'Mitre, New Hey Road, Scammonden, Huddersfield.

I believe the pub is under new management and I got the impression they were very keen for us to be comfortable and enjoy our food as the staff were very kind and attentive.

We were lucky to be the only diners on that evening but I can’t imagine things will stay that way for long.

I came away feeling as though I’d uncovered a hidden gem.

I love a traditional pub that serves good home cooked food – and this was just that, but with an extra flourish.

New Hey Road, Scammonden,

Huddersfield, HD3 3FW

Phone: 07495 671683

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday noon to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm (last food orders); Saturday noon to 9pm; Sunday noon to 7pm. Closed Monday.

Children: Welcome

Disabled access: Yes, there is access but no disabled toilet

The bill: £59 for three people including drinks.

Would you go back? Definitely