Empress

‘Yorkshire fettle, radicchio, grapefruit and fennel salad now on,’ chef Elliott Lidstone had tweeted. And what a treat: a salad that, as salads seldom do, seemed much more than the sum of its parts with grilled radicchio, pink grapefruit, wafer-thin fennel, plus tiny capers and parsley, and the more subtle British version of feta. Crisp slivers of pig’s ear with apple sauce was a world-beating bar snack to match the local beers on a terrific drinks list. Half a hollowed-out bone filled with snails, bone marrow, caramelised onions and pork was magnificent. Gorgeous guinea fowl on puy lentils with salsa verde, and trout with watercress, slivers of apple, celeriac and an English mustard sauce both packed in sensational combinations of tangy, salty, sharp, sweet, earthy, peppery flavours. Everything about this gloriously updated former corner pub is bang on, with proper linen napkins, only 50p per person for unlimited house bottled water and local bread, and meat supplied by the Ginger Pig across the road. Check out the Frugal Feasts and BYOB nights in collaboration with the neighbouring Bottle Apostle wine shop. No wonder the comfy red leather banquettes and squishy sofas are full of happy families, hipsters and anyone who appreciates what the eager and talented team have achieved. Very impressive.