Individual Inns is a small chain of pubs with rooms, and owner Martin Clarkson has a very keen sense of what people like. He certainly seems to know what pleases me: friendly service, a relaxed vibe and a rustic, value for money menu.

PUB OF THE WEEK: The Wheatley Arms, Ben Rhydding
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The Wheatley Arms stands handsomely on a corner in genteel Ben Rhydding and when Clarkson took the reins some years ago to say it needed a bit of attention is something of an understatement.

It was a scruffy, vast mausoleum of a place and spaces this big often don’t refurbish easily. He pulled the stops out though and today it’s charming.

The style throughout is country chic – furniture upholstered in striped wool and loud checks, linen cushions, scrubbed wooden tables and monumental stone fireplaces where logs burn on chilly days.

They’re serious about beer; choose from Rudgate SIFA Goddess of the Grain, Mary Jane from the Ilkley Brewing Company, Wharfedale Blonde and Pocta, a hopped Czech lager, all of which go down a treat with crispy pigs ears and Bondgate of Otley’s farmhouse bread with olive oil and balsamic, ‘bits and bobs’ on the menu.

On the crowd-pleasing menu find the likes of Whitby crab salad, Yorkshire lamb rump, spiced North Sea Coley fillet and an exemplary steak and mushroom pie.

They’re keen to be pub as hub too, with regular quiz and music nights and a movie club. Come and watch a flick for a fiver or make a proper night of it with a two-course meal and ticket for £14.

About The Author

Mandy Wragg is a freelance food journalist, writing and inspecting for the Yorkshire Post, Alastair Sawday, the Morning Advertiser, the AA, Cool Places and David Hancock's Inn Places. She co-writes www.squidbeak.co.uk, an independent guide to eating, drinking and staying in Yorkshire.

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