The Old Hall Inn - Threshfield
http://freespace.virgin.net/gregory.collins/wharfedale/oldhall.html
This is a good place.
The first impressions weren't great.
My dad is a bit of a fussy eater these days. He couldn't find any starter which took his fancy, so he asked the waitress very politely if he could have spinach and ricotta canelloni as a starter, rather than a main course.
"no sorry that's only served as a main course"
You what? What sort of a stupid, backward narrow minded attitude is that? It's like Little Britains "computer says no!" It's Fawlty Towers.
Why can't you serve a main course as a starter - I mean - how difficult is that???
On further interrogation the waitress said this strange restriction was in place because they were already portioned them out. Oh my god! How could you possibly go to all the trouble of reportioning it into a starter. You might actually have to lose out on a bit of spinach ricotta plain flour and eggs and that would really break the bank.
Why can't these places get it? The financial loss of reportioning a main into an hors d'ouevres is minimal - can't be more than a couple of quid of wasted ingredrients. There were six of us and we ran up a bill of £170. The difference between us leaving thinking "what a great place", and "what a bunch of awkward b*stards" is £2.
Fortunately the owner was an enlightened woman. She understood the logic and gave my father the canelloni as a starter - FOR FREE - thus fully rescuing the situation.
It had occurred to me to suggest that dad ordered the whole main course, paid the £12 or whatever it was, and made it back down to £6 (starter price) by taking the difference off the tip, but fortunately it didn't come to that.
What proceeded from that point on was a lovely meal in a really cosy, characterful and well kept Dales pub. So we left thinking "what a great place" and will definitely be back again and recommending it.
I had a nice celery and stilton soup (perfect consistency and balanced flavours), followed by roasted pheasant wrapped in pancetta. It's the first time I've really enjoyed a pheasant. It wasn't at all dry and was served in a deep, full flavoured sweet and fruity sauce and in generous abundance. Being Yorkshire this isn't effete food with subtle flavours in quaint servings, this is good hearty stuff. In fact it was the first time in a while I haven't managed to finish my main course, so there must have been plenty.
Sticky toffee dessert was "restaurant style" (a square slab like a cake, dusted in icing sugar) and served with ice cream. It was pretty nice if slightly on the dry side (must have been left out a bit too long).
Apparently this is a place owned and run by five women and probably adds to the feminist theory that women are inherently more capable than men. Apparently the food here was very poor as it changed hands through a number of (male) owners. Well these "sisters" sure seem to have the place on track and good luck to them.
This is a good place.
The first impressions weren't great.
My dad is a bit of a fussy eater these days. He couldn't find any starter which took his fancy, so he asked the waitress very politely if he could have spinach and ricotta canelloni as a starter, rather than a main course.
"no sorry that's only served as a main course"
You what? What sort of a stupid, backward narrow minded attitude is that? It's like Little Britains "computer says no!" It's Fawlty Towers.
Why can't you serve a main course as a starter - I mean - how difficult is that???
On further interrogation the waitress said this strange restriction was in place because they were already portioned them out. Oh my god! How could you possibly go to all the trouble of reportioning it into a starter. You might actually have to lose out on a bit of spinach ricotta plain flour and eggs and that would really break the bank.
Why can't these places get it? The financial loss of reportioning a main into an hors d'ouevres is minimal - can't be more than a couple of quid of wasted ingredrients. There were six of us and we ran up a bill of £170. The difference between us leaving thinking "what a great place", and "what a bunch of awkward b*stards" is £2.
Fortunately the owner was an enlightened woman. She understood the logic and gave my father the canelloni as a starter - FOR FREE - thus fully rescuing the situation.
It had occurred to me to suggest that dad ordered the whole main course, paid the £12 or whatever it was, and made it back down to £6 (starter price) by taking the difference off the tip, but fortunately it didn't come to that.
What proceeded from that point on was a lovely meal in a really cosy, characterful and well kept Dales pub. So we left thinking "what a great place" and will definitely be back again and recommending it.
I had a nice celery and stilton soup (perfect consistency and balanced flavours), followed by roasted pheasant wrapped in pancetta. It's the first time I've really enjoyed a pheasant. It wasn't at all dry and was served in a deep, full flavoured sweet and fruity sauce and in generous abundance. Being Yorkshire this isn't effete food with subtle flavours in quaint servings, this is good hearty stuff. In fact it was the first time in a while I haven't managed to finish my main course, so there must have been plenty.
Sticky toffee dessert was "restaurant style" (a square slab like a cake, dusted in icing sugar) and served with ice cream. It was pretty nice if slightly on the dry side (must have been left out a bit too long).
Apparently this is a place owned and run by five women and probably adds to the feminist theory that women are inherently more capable than men. Apparently the food here was very poor as it changed hands through a number of (male) owners. Well these "sisters" sure seem to have the place on track and good luck to them.
posted by foodpete at 11:04 AM
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