Fleece Inn, Haworth

Either Haworth’s high street’s got steeper or I’m less fit than I was. I’m pretty sure it’s the former. Either way, the Fleece is half way up the cobbles and the perfect place to draw breath, take in the view and enjoy a pint before the final ascent. If Timothy Taylor’s ale is your bag you’ve hit the mother lode – they’re all here; Golden Best, Wainwright, Boltmaker and Dark Mild, and they’re all on song. In a previous life, many a lock-in was enjoyed at my local, the Cat ‘ith Well at Saltonstall in the Luddenden Valley, where landlord Steve Emsley kept the best Tim Taylors I’ve ever had the pleasure of. The cards would come out and in the blink of an eye the sun had come up. Ah, happy days.

The Fleece is a cosy old boozer – there are a couple of wood stoves belting out cheer on a nithering January lunchtime. There isn’t any décor to speak of and I mean this in a good way – not a whiff of a Farrow & Ball makeover, just some swirly carpets and non-matching, comfy pub furniture that’s been this way for decades, not bothering anyone. The clientele is as varied; families with small kids in one room, walkers and cyclists in another and on a long table by the bar a bunch of bearded blokes who I’ll wager haven’t moved in 20 years, still debating the relative merits of bitter over mild. Alongside the Tim Taylors there’s an impressive array of bottled World beers and five varieties of gin.

The food offering is very much pub grub with one or two attempts at the contemporary (the likes of warm chorizo in red wine with ciabatta) but why would you when there’s perfectly good pie and sausage & mash to be had? I’m not so keen on the gaming machine and the tellys, but see past them and you’ve got a warm, traditional pub pulling good pints and serving decent food in proper Yorkshire portions. Oh, and a very welcome pit-stop for the short of breath!

About The Author

Amanda Wragg

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.

Let us know what you think

comments