Rob Owen Brown is the culinary maverick - famous for dishes like ‘crispy squirrel’ and ‘Vimto trifle’ - who turned a run-down building in Manchester into one of the city’s most sought after dinner reservations.

The Mark Addy restaurant flooded in 2014 and after hopping about for a bit, catering private functions and food festivals, Rob decided to take over a new restaurant in the Pennines.

The Hinchliffe Arms is a three mile hike from Hebden Bridge in the picturesque village of Cragg Vale.

Its ornate pillared entrance faces the village church and its stone structure sits in front of a wooded backdrop.

A gurgling stream across the road is occasionally interrupted by the church bells.

It was all too good to pass up on a warm Tuesday night so Hannah and I took our drinks and menus outside.

I had come with ‘crispy squirrel’ in my head. A renowned chef, known for unusual signatures.

The Hinchliffe Arms is slightly different though. The website describes Rob’s cooking as: “Honest. Regional. Seasonal. Fresh... He buys his ingredients from the kind of people who will recognise his voice on the end of the phone.”

You come here for the best Sunday dinner you’ve ever had, not squid ravioli with lemongrass broth and petit pois.

Rob, apparently, calls petit pois “little peas”.

Accordingly, I had to try the “soon to be famous Craggy egg” to start. It was the size of an orange. The freshness of the free range egg countered the piquant black pudding, hugging it beautifully. I have since done my best change its name by telling anyone I know who has eaten a scotch egg that they haven’t eaten a proper scotch egg yet.

Hannah’s rich slow cooked tripe with Madeira and sweet onions on toast was equally as interesting. The flavours balanced themselves beautifully and the slippy, soft tripe was heaped generously.

For our mains we followed most of the regulars inside and took a quiet table in the dining area.

I chose a pork chop that was the thickness of an early Harry Potter book. It would have easily covered my face, should I have picked it from the plate, gravy dripping, and slapped it on as a meat mask.

My first slice through its tender bulk barely contoured the bed of creamy mash concealed beneath.

The first triangular chunk tasted every bit “locally reared” and the chunky strip of fat lining its perimeter melted in my mouth even as I prepared to chew.

Locally reared pork chop at the Hinchcliffe Arms in Cragg Vale

The mash had flecks of green peeking to its surface which proved to be vegetable leaves with deep roots. In fact, its structure was about half leaves but this wasn’t disappointing - like when you think you’ve made a snowball and it breaks apart to reveal it’s mostly muddy earth - as the leaves added a lighter respite to the richness of the creamy potatoes.

Hannah went for the only bad dish we tried and it was partly my fault because - with squirrel on the brain - I encouraged her to go for the more unusual fish option.

Fillet of seabass with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and soft noodle, should have read: Fillet of seabass in SOY SAUCE.

Bizarrely, the whole dish was drenched in the stuff. It was all you could taste.

For pudding I chose one of the dishes that made Rob famous. The Vimto trifle was a traditional dessert with added fruity fizz from below. Light in its texture and weighty in its effect, following an already substantial dinner.

The bill came to £63.25 - including a couple of pints and a glass of red wine.

Seabass aside, the menu was an accurate and unboastful list of the flavours you would taste in each dish. Surely that is the hallmark of quality local ingredients cooked with exceptional skill and care.

The Hinchliffe Arms

Cragg Vale, Hebden Bridge, H X7 5TA

Phone: 01422 883256

Website: thehinchliffe.co.uk

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday

12noon-9pm; Friday and Saturday

12noon-10pm; Sunday 12noon-6pm

Children: Yes

The bill: £63.25

Would you go back? Yes