retiredmartin

My newly-washed complaints department team (pictured below)

has just received a demand that I conclude the “Half A Dozen Pubs” series, left tantalisingly in South Yorkshire on 29th March.

So let’s at least finish England, shall we ?

Usual format, I pick five, you pick one.

But not in Halifax, please. As with South Yorkshire and Sheffield, the ‘Fax gets its own post, and even six might not be enough there.

West Yorkshire has great pubs, high quality beer, and is the home of the autovac, the greatest invention since that little tray containing the pickles that accompany your poppadoms.

Top walking, too, and in radicalised Hebden the best of the random art.

And did I mention the curry ?

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Talking of curry,

Bradford – Corn Dolly

Bratfud is an essential stop on your itinerary. Unless your itinerary starts at Heathrow and ends in the West End.

Glorious (if sometimes faded) architecture, wonderful people, great museums, beer a quid a pint cheaper than L**ds.

North Parade has great beer, but the Corn Dolly has the most “pub”, if you know what I mean.

Expect singing, expect random conversations with strangers, expect sophisticated dress sense.

That jukebox was pumping out Dylan for US Dave; I’d had Meatloaf on my previous trip.

Oh, and Jinnah’s on the journey back to the station. You’ll thank me later.

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A short hop east (on t’train, the A647 is tortuous) brings you to West Yorkshire’s second city, where sadly the Roscoe exists only as a model in the wonderful City Museum.

Leeds – Dave’s Pies & Ale

So in Leeds you get a (deliberately) controversial choice (“wot no Whitelocks/Templar/Wapentake” etc), but the eponymous Dave is quite simply one of of our top Pub Men,

his pub serving up (checks notes) pies and ale of the highest quality in a cosy place with a great soundtrack and the breweriana of your dreams.

Just, er, mind your head when you tumble down those steps.

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One thing West Yorkshire does lack is Bass,

Huddersfield – Sportsman

but the Sportsman has the barrel outside, so perhaps there’s hope.

In truth, I haven’t been to Huddersfield since Covid; 20 miles as the crow flies, but I’m not a crow. Since then Slubbers has closed (sob) and Magic Rock have lost their lustre, so I’m picking the Sportsman for the bench seats,

and the quality of the Boltmaker on that great 2019 Proper Day Out.

I do wish those folk at the bar would sit down though.

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You might assume I’m just picking Fanny’s by Gaslight for the name,

Saltaire – Fanny’s Ale House

but although it seems to have avoided the GBG of late it was still great last time out,

and I’m a sucker for fires and gaslight and Bass Mirrors.

And XTC on the jukebox.

and of course Saltaire Mill itself is one of the UK’s great industrial buildings.

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There really are some cracking pub exteriors in this lot,

Wakefield – Black Rock

and the Rock might be the best of the lot.

“I’d have gone for the Tets, but it was bottom of the list” I explained to the Guvnor.

He was horrified at my stupidity. “That’s just the order of the handpumps left to right !“. “We’re a Tetley pub !“. “Best Tetley in Wakefield” chipped in a bloke at the bar, before an unresolved debate about Tets not being what it was (25 marks, show workings).

So I’ll have to go back to have the Tets before someone resurrects the brand and it’s fashionable and a fiver a pint in the craft bars. For now, the Ossett will do.

Frankly, it’s worth going for the porcelain in the Gents.

I said “NO Halifax yet”.

Over to you for a sixth. No micropubs please.