Yorkshire pub scoops award: Hepworth hostelry in the Holme Valley is named one of Top 50 Gastropubs

The Butchers’ Arms, in Hepworth, is the only pub in the Huddersfield area to be awarded the Top 50 Gastropubs accolade, from Spanish brewers Estrella.

The award is a fantastic achievement for owner Georgina Royds, not least because it comes after just three years at the helm – and half of that time in lockdown.

To qualify for the award a pub not only has to have great food, but fantastic service too.

“The food is rated by chefs,” said Georgina. “But the judges also look at the service, the staff, all aspects of the customers’ experience.”

“We were up against Michelin-starred places, so it’s a huge achievement.”

The Butchers’ Arms has its feet firmly on the ground, offering traditional home-cooked Yorkshire food, with the emphasis on local, quality produce.

“We’re not the kind of place that’s about putting blobs on plates,” said Georgina, who devises the menus alongside head chef Richard Williams, a cook with two decades of experience in the kitchen. “All of our meat, for example, comes from within a few miles from here. The pork is from a farm you can see from the pub.”

She said supporting local businesses was an important part of the ethos of the Butchers’ Arms, as was providing a welcoming place for locals.

Step inside

This West Yorkshire stone building has everything you’d want from a traditional Yorkshire pub. With stone floors and open fires it is a haven for both walkers and dog owners, and has been an integral part of the village for about 200 years.

It remains a social hub and has a proper bar area for visitors and locals, with the dining area separate. There is attention to detail and quality everywhere; from the wine and drinks selections, to the fixtures and fittings and the customer service, it offers beer that is rated 5 stars by CAMRA.

Having grown up in the area the pub was a place close to Georgina’s heart.

“My parents used to push me up the hill in a pram to come to this pub,” she said. “So I’ve known it all my life.”

Georgina has worked in hospitality for 11 years, but when the chance to own her own place, in such a beautiful part of the country came up, she jumped at it.

“When the pub came up for sale I could not say no,” she said. “It’s personal to me.”

With clear ideas of what she wanted she began to put her stamp on the place. Unfortunately covid came along and the pub had to shut after just three months.

But undeterred she has pushed on with her dream, and the Top 50 Gastropub award has been achieved through hard work and team work.

“I really strive to give customers the best possible experience and make sure they are happy,” she said.

On the menu

From nearly a dozen starters you might opt for a whipped goats cheese, or crispy belly pork, warm smoked chicken and tarragon bake, or fresh langoustine.

There’s just as much choice on the main courses and grill – Timothy Taylor’s beer battered fish and chips for example, roast pigeon breast, Whitby crab or 30-day dry aged rib eye steak.

The sides are exciting and there are imaginative vegetarian and vegan options too – not to mention the mouth-watering desserts.

As well as a lunch/dinner menu, there is a bar snack menu, sandwiches, sparkling afternoon teas and a Sunday dinner menu. The menu is changed seasonally.

Booking is essential – especially on Sundays, which is one of the pub’s most popular days with its traditional Sunday dinners, vegetarian Sunday dinners and wide choice of other main courses, starters, sides and desserts.

To find out more or to make a booking please visit the website here.