We all know Yorkshire is hardly short of brilliant pubs, but we'd still never say no to visiting a new one - especially one with the title of the best pub in Yorkshire.
We're talking about the charming 17th-century pub The Shibden Mill, which is much-loved by regulars and critics alike - and has garnered quite the impressive collection of accolades.
With a 2AA Rosette award-winning restaurant, a mention in this year's Good Food Guide and a ranking in the Estrella Damn Top 50 Gastropubs, there's no doubt this is a pub worth making a trip for.
What's more, its owners have just scooped another gong - this time at the 2021 National Pub and Bar Awards.
Having previously been named as the best pub in West Yorkshire at an earlier stage in the competition, the pub took home the regional award for the best in all of Yorkshire but missed out on the national award to The Galvin Green Man in Essex.
Popular for its food offering and nearby walks, you'll find it nestled in the Shibden Valley near Halifax.
Just a thirty-minute drive from Leeds and surrounded by beautiful countryside, it makes the perfect day out - and there are even bedrooms upstairs if you want to stay the night.
Converted into a country pub from its original purpose as a corn and spinning mill in 1890, the building still retains many of its original character features including low-beamed ceilings and cosy, roaring fireplaces.
Found opposite Red Beck, the millstream that provided the vital nourishment to the inn’s corn and spinning mill beginnings, it's rooted in the area's long industrial history.
In the restaurant, you're treated to a range of menus spanning breakfast, lunch and Sunday roasts as well as their famed a la carte and tasting menus.
The bar, meanwhile, is separate and boasts an extensive wine list as well as a wide-reaching range of drinks that include some lovely local ales, spirit mixers and classic cocktails.
With a gorgeous beer garden and it's own allotment, this pub really does have it all. The only question left to answer is, when are you going?
Open Monday to Friday 12-11 pm, Saturday12 - 11.30 pm and Sunday 12 - 1030 pm, we'd say the Shibden Mill is an absolute must. That many awards don't lie.
News
Architects secure planning permission for jaw-dropping ‘boulder house’ on Ilkley Moor
A house that looks good enough for James Bond is set to be built on Ilkley Moor.
Is that a formation of angular grey rocks sitting atop of the Yorkshire dales? No, it's a house.
The wildly contemporary structure, which has huge irregular-shaped windows and a natural outdoor pool, is based off the famous Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
It will be built just down the road from them too, on green belt land which is the garden of a home off Heber's Ghyll Drive.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
It is the work of Harrogate-based architects Shaw & Jagger, who said the project was passed through the country house clause which allows things to be built on green belt for buildings of "exceptional quality".
The house itself has been named 'Fomorian', after a supernatural race of giants in Irish mythology. The name takes inspiration from the mythical giant Rombald who is said to have roamed on Ilkley Moor.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
Shaw & Jagger wrote: "The design approach was to propose a scheme that is intrinsically linked to the spirit of its place. Fomorian is of its place, part of the Moors, its geology and its spirit.
"We took cues from local folklore, the surrounding rocks; ancient carvings, standing stones and escarpments that are synonymous with the landscape.
"The building depicts a series of monolithic elements embedded in the earth as the wild, dramatic environment looms around, attempting to overcome them. The building is new, yet part of this ancient landscape.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
"Fomorian is to be built over the next couple of years and will provide family accommodation consisting of 4 bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and study.
"It was important to offer the client viable outside space therefore a paved courtyard garden allows external living to be within the heart of the plan. The abstract rock forms allow the design to have exciting internal spaces with large irregular windows designed to maximise views out across the valley."
Leeds railway station reopening delayed AGAIN due to problems with lift
Clementine Hall
The highly anticipated opening of Leeds City Station's new entrance has been further delayed.
The £46.1m Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway has been in the works since 2022, with the original target for completion set for autumn 2025.
That date subsequently slipped to summer 2026, then September, then October, and now...well who knows?
This time, Leeds City Council have confirmed that the problem is to do with the lifts that connect New Station Street and Bishopgate.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
These lifts will allow the ever so turbulent taxi rank to move from the temporary arrangement at the rear of the station to its new home on Bishopgate Street.
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said on the recent setback: "Having opened the pavement along Bishopgate Street and sections of New Station Street, unfortunately we have encountered an issue with one of the lifts, which is delaying essential safety testing from being completed.
"We are working to resolve this as soon as possible so we can open the final parts of the scheme imminently."
When it does finally open, there should be plenty to like. The scheme is designed to make the area around the station more pedestrian-friendly, with improved public space, wider walking routes, better cycling facilities, a new cycle hub and step-free access between Bishopgate Street and New Station Street.
The taxi rank will also move to Bishopgate Street, with a new shelter and kerbside boarding.
So, after years of barriers, diversions, temporary arrangements, engineering works and at least one deeply controversial letter (lest we forget 'Welcome to Leeps') the end is apparently in sight.
We'll keep you updated with any updates and opening date of the new station, but we wouldn't hold your breath if the last couple of months are anything to go by.
Georgina Pellant -
13th September 2021 
