Old Bore

An etched inscription on the glass entrance door says "It's anything but boring ", and, with the maverick owner about, life seldom is. Chef proprietor Scott Hessel - once described as 'the wild boy of Yorkshire chefs' - is spreading his wings at this 200 year old former coaching inn, set in the small village of Rishworth, lying on the border of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Their 'mission statement'?

From our bread to our ice cream, we make it here and the only thing on the house is the roof...!

Scott was the youngest chef ever to win the Roux Brothers Scholarship back in 1998; from there the scholarship enabled him to train in several three star Michelin restaurants in Europe. Such grounding has made the Old Bore a consistent award winner since opening, a countryside retreat and epicurious adventure all rolled into one with an interior that has your eyes constantly catching some quirky feature, a cross between the dining room of a Highland hunting lodge and a louche gentleman's club.

Their current Blackboard Specials offer is attracting plenty of attention and with starters of roast tomato and basil pesto soup or straight-from-the-sea mussels marinière there are plenty of eager takers for what follows, be it pan fried wild halibut with spring greens, new potatoes and Hollandaise, or grilled salmon fillet with pea risotto and parmesan cream. But August in Yorkshire means grouse, and it's a short season so grab the opportunity now of whole roast grouse with creamy cabbage and smoked bacon, game chips and bread sauce.

The range of both modern and classic dishes is evolved with the aid of local suppliers to the Old Bore described by Scott as, "our food heroes", and choices might include starters of Kirkham's Lancashire rarebit with cream leeks and dry cured bacon, or the famous Bore Benedict where a toasted muffin is topped with French black pudding, poached egg and Hollandaise sauce.

Main dishes offer roast rack of pork, crackling, sage and onion mash, mustard greens and cider juices, or locally sourced aged 10oz sirloin steak with skinny fries and salad, with béarnaise or pepper sauce, or garlic prawns to give a surf and turf kick to the palate.

Pub grub favourites never fail to hit the spot and the Bore fish pie with a succulent creamy potato crust and crumbled Wensleydale cheese tastes fabulous at any time of the year. The Wars of the Roses are over now so you can eat Lancashire Hotpot in Yorkshire with a clear conscience as well as pickled red cabbage.

Nor is Yorkshire short on a choice of sausages, those rib-tickling juicy beauties that have multiplied in such profusion, served with creamy mash and gravy

Sunday lunch at the Old Bore is really an excuse for a weekly celebration of special food in the sort of surroundings that invite relaxation combined with total rejection of what next week might or might not hold. Start with French style black pudding with casserole of chorizo and butter beans, followed by the predictable roast rump of beef (pink or cooked through), dripping roast potatoes, mash, honey parsnips, chantenay carrots, Yorkshire puddings and horseradish sauce, before tackling the treacle tart served with delightful gooseberry jam ice cream, possibly eased along with a little help from a generous glass of Elysium black Muscat.

For those not blessed with good appetites there's a range of easily accessible sandwich and light bites from the bar at lunch time

The wine list is compiled with enthusiasm, knowledge and the drinker in mind offering excellent wine by the glass, ranging from house to new Cloudy Bay and Champagne and not forgetting their own Bore Bitter and Scott's homemade flavoured vodka and gins. Couple all this with efficient service, the ability to lay on the best of everything for private parties ranging from weddings and functions to meeting rooms where the full service is available from bacon butties on arrival through lunch to afternoon tea and cake and you have The Old Bore. A full event planning service is on hand to provide help where needed.

Check out on their Website seasonal menu variations, special offers and other events at this lively gourmet gastro pub.