PUB OF THE WEEK: The Market, Elsecar

With the Elsecar Heritage Centre and the Dearne and Dove canal just around the corner, The Market is a popular pub with both regulars and those just dropping by.

Inside, it’s rather like the Tardis – so many little rooms and snugs, all apparently leading off one another. I remarked to the affable lady behind the bar that it seemed a bit like a warren. “Luv,” she replied with a huge grin, “Tha’ could get thissen lost in ‘ere!” She wasn’t far off the mark.

Here’s a little gem of a place, almost totally as it was on the day it first opened. It’s spotlessly clean and if you want to settle down in the corner of one of the rooms, there’s a selection of books.

The barmaid even offered me the day’s newspaper when I’d ordered my drink – which was, since you ask, a pint of Acorn Gold. And there’s only one thing better than one pint of Acorn, and that’s two. So yes, I did.

There’s a large games room and a neat little walled beer garden with a sign, in painted letters, saying “Enterence”. But it is all part of The Market’s charm.

Food is not one of The Market’s strengths. It’s either bar nibbles or a choice of three or so sandwiches – big buns wrapped in clingfilm – but at a mere £1.50 a pop, who would complain? And, with the pint coming in at well under £3, you can have a snack and a sup and still have change from a fiver. It also serves up tea and coffee.

It’s a place with character, with a sense of humour and a sense of history. In short, a little gem.

-The Market Hotel, 2, Wentworth Road, Elsecar, S74 8EP. 01226742240

About The Author

Phil Penfold

A journalist for over half century, Phil writes over a broad range of subjects, including food and drink. He has been a long-term CAMRA member and is a keen supporter of Yorkshire's many and varied markets and independent retailers.

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