PUB OF THE WEEK

The Blacksmith’s Arms, Biggin

THE hamlet of Biggin, six miles from Tadcaster and seven from Selby, has a population of 150 or so which, interestingly, is smaller than it was in 1820. The countryside surrounding Biggin is flat, but that’s not how you’d describe the atmosphere in the local pub, The Blacksmith’s Arms, which pulled its first pint in 1896.

Managed by Rebecca Jane Skelton, a lively, enterprising and enthusiastic 27-yearold, the pub on Oxmoor Lane, the main road through Biggin, has built up a strong reputation for its food – good quality, biggish portions and at a fair price, £16 or so for a main course. Open for meals on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and at weekends, The Blacksmith’s can sit 50 customers in the main dining room, and on Fridays and Sundays, the busiest days, it will serve up to 120 lunches.

Attracting visitors from Selby, Tadcaster, Castleford and Pontefract, and Biggin’s surrounding villages like Church Fenton and Barkston Ash, this pub takes off in the summer when its large beer garden – 30 tables – is popular with cyclists, walkers and families choosing a day out in the countryside.

RJ, as she’s known, employs a full-time chef, Mark Addy, and if you want a beer to go with your Sunday roast, you can’t complain at £4 for a pint of Leeds Pale Ale or Rudgate Battle Axe. RJ likes to change regularly the beer supplied by smaller firms in Yorkshire, so next time you’re in, there may be products brewed in Leyburn at the Wensleydale Brewery.

A well-known feature of The Blacksmith’s is RJ’s dog, Dexter, a black lurcher. Aged eight-and-a-half, and rescued by the Leeds Dogs’ Trust, Dexter is often asleep by the log burners, and when he’s awake has been known to gobble up any stray food, but feeding him is not encouraged. RJ is keen to expand what her pub has to offer, and that means not just increasing the drinks trade. For example, a recent quiz attracted more than 60 and she has plans too to put on a farmers’ market in the car park.

RATINGS

Welcome ............... 5/5 Food ........................ 5/5 Drinks choice ...... 5/5 Prices ...................... 5/5

The Blacksmiths’ Arms, Oxmoor Lane, Biggin, Leeds LS25 6HJ.