Pub of the week

THE BLACK BULL BOROUGHBRIDGE

Staggeringly, the Black Bull in Boroughbridge has been taking care of travellers on the Great North Road between England and Scotland since the 13th century, and I am sure it must have changed considerably over those years. However, I can attest that it has never changed in all the time I have known it, and I find that so reassuring in a time when so much seems to come and go.

Looking at the pub from the front, it seems small but is not so. Coming in from the street, to the left, there’s a charming taproom, main room to the right, with both served by the tiniest of bars. The building then stretches way back down a wonky corridor to where I assume they serve food.

With the Bull drawing travellers, tourists and truck drivers from the nearby A1, I know from experience that getting seat at certain times can be a bit of a gamble but it’s always worth a go.

We are there on a cool autumn day, and it is quiet. There is a roaring fire in the handsome, old Inglenook fireplace, with a few regulars having bagged the best seats nearby. They sit quietly chatting, nursing their pints, with one munching on a pasty from the nearby bakery (the kitchen is closed today).

There’s an excellent selection at the bar to choose from with Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker, Daleside Blond and Pennine Brewery’s Heartland Dark Amber. John Smith’s Smooth, Fosters et al are also in the taproom side of the bar. Wines are agreeable and looking at the menu, the food seems very down to earth.

The Black Bull is such a captivating pub and long may it never change.

■ The Black Bull Inn, Market

Square, Boroughbridge, YO51 9AR. Tel: 01423 322413. Bar open: Tuesday to Saturday, 12-11pm.