Grantley Arms, Ripon: 'I ate at a five-star hotel's new village pub in Yorkshire - but something was amiss'
Things got off to a slow start for Elaine Lemm and her friend at the Grantley Arms, near Ripon, but when the menus arrived things started to pick up… for a while.
In a time when pubs are closing at an ever-increasing rate, it takes some guts to open a new one. There are many factors involved, but this is not the place for that debate.
So, when a new one comes along, it is exciting; when that pub is the latest venture from Grantley Hall, the 5-star world-renowned hotel nestled in the beautiful National Landscape near Ripon, it creates something of a stir.
The pub has been at the heart of the village for centuries, and it was clearly ready for a fresh start. With its illustrious new owners, it may have struck the proverbial jackpot.
I decided to wait a little, letting the hype and excitement settle before finally paying a visit. I did, however, have the wherewithal to book early, and I suggest that if you do decide to go, you should think ahead, too.
The newly refurbished Grantley Arms, both inside and out, is a delight.
On a dark October night, it shines into the gloom with a mass of tiny lights — it looked so inviting. Inside, it was bustling, noisy, warm, and cosy.
Every inch of the place is decorated and styled with exquisite ephemera everywhere — from dried hops to brasses, paintings, and lamps, plus there’s a humongous fireplace. There's not a corner untouched by the stylist's hand.
The bar is small but stacked with drinks and good beers. There's not much room if a drink is all you want, but I'm not sure if that is the intention anyway.
On arrival, a man who appeared to be the maître d’ directed us to sit at the bar as our table was not ready.
Fair enough, we thought, as the husband was not with me on this occasion; instead, one of my best friends, we felt that at least we could enjoy a pre-dinner drink and catch up.
We got the latter, but it took some time and effort even to get a wine list, and when we did ask, the person who answered was clearly not happy to be interrupted.
To my disappointment and surprise as well, they only have one organic wine by the glass —a Spanish rosé—or a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé at £110.
When our table was finally pointed out to us, we made our way there, sat down, sorted ourselves out, and then waited a further 20 minutes without any offer of menus.
Thankfully, one young member of staff came to our rescue, profusely apologising for the wait, and from that moment on kept an eye on us all evening to make sure everything was okay. I was very impressed with him.
Despite the mediocre start to the evening, we cheered up no end with the menu.
Head Chef Gavin Swift has been at Grantley Hall for some years and helped in the reopening of the Grantley Arms.
He has taken the ubiquitous route of sourcing locally to showcase all that's good around, and has stated on many occasions his pride in what Grantley stands for – exceptional quality, local ingredients, and genuine Yorkshire hospitality.
The blackboard over the fireplace offers little in the way of specials, except for one chicken dish.
The rest of the menu shows a strong lead with pub classics —fish and chips, prawn cocktail, etc — you get the picture.
Mains have plenty of classics also, and there's a grill menu for steaks, chops, lobster, and chicken.
The remaining menu is fresh and inviting, with a significant amount of fish and seafood, but strangely very little vegetarian.
Jayne and I are both borderline pescatarian, so we are happy with fish, and both our starters are delightful.
My plate has three perfectly round arancini, cooked to a crisp golden colour and filled with smoked haddock and leek, sitting on a creamy curry hollandaise.
Jayne's is a classic of fat, beautifully roasted scallops with fatty bacon bits and a cauliflower purée.
They were served quite quickly after ordering, unlike the mains, which we had yet another long wait for – it was a good job we had a lot to talk about.
Jayne had spied a fish pie served at a table nearby and was not swayed by anything else for her main course.
I do admit, it did look good and was exceptionally tasty, with more fish than mash, which is always a good sign.
Personally, I thought the actual stainless-steel dish was messy and needed a quick wipe-down before serving — the devil is always in the details.
Halibut was my choice and always will be when on a menu. Here it promised to be alongside tenderstem, gremolata and capers.
But not listed, and on the plate was something green — maybe spinach or kale or both — but it was hard to tell.
The plate was exceptionally messy, with little thought given to presentation. The capers were just enough not to be overbearing, but too much gremolata overpowered the fish.
The mysterious greens swamped everything, and frankly, I found the whole thing tedious. The only good thing, though, was the gorgeous piece of fish.
We shared and enjoyed a dessert of chocolate fondant, raspberries and clotted cream, which was a super ending after some of the disappointments.
I was disappointed about the ups and downs of the evening, as I had sung nothing but praise to my friend, who is new to the area, about Grantley Hall.
Of course, the Arms is a pub, but it's not your average boozer — that's for sure — but it is synonymous with the hall, so expectations run high.
There was something amiss for us, and it is not because they are new; they have had months to work things through.
I feel sure the Grantley Arms will be a success, and I am sure I will give it another try at some point.
Welcome 3/5
Food 4/5
Atmosphere 5/5
Prices 4/5
Dinner and a couple of glasses of wine £130.
Grantley Arms, Grantley, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3PJ