My Yorkshire: Chef and owner of Grassington House, John Rudden, on his favourite people and places

What’s your first Yorkshire memory? Going to Harry Ramsden’s at Guiseley. We used to be taken over by my late grandfather as an occasional treat, and I was as much impressed by the pile of fish and chips as I was by the nearby funfair. It was always a great day out. I didn’t notice the “posh” chandeliers that they used to have, what mattered to me was what was on that plate.

What’s your favourite part of the county – and why? Wharfedale, which is where I was born and brought up. It is an idyllic place in which to live, and we feel very lucky to be here. Quiet, and peaceful, and with just enough visitors. I know that Skipton can be busy, but as youngsters we learned to skate down the high street and to weave in and out of the tourists.

What’s your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire? Getting up and enjoying a full English breakfast, and then walking that off in Wharfedale. It could be anywhere. We’re spoiled for choice.

Do you have a favourite walk – or view? Anywhere within sight of the Ribblehead Viaduct. The fact that it was all done by hand, with hardly any machinery, and with wooden scaffolding makes it truly remarkable. The sad part is that the churchyards around the area are full of the poignant graves of the navvies and their families who died while it was being built. The other place that makes my jaw drop, every time, is the natural beauty of Malham Cove and Malham Tarn.

Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch? Geoffrey Boycott. Now here’s the admission – I know absolutely nothing about cricket. Zilch. But I really like the man, what he stands for and how he tells it straight from the shoulder.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner? I am going to pick Sheffield’s Sean Bean, and for one reason only – and that is because all the women I know will be deeply envious of the meeting, and for a little while at least it should make me the centre of attention.

If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be? My interest in fresh, good food came from working in Skipton Market. As dusk fell, we would climb over the wall into Skipton Woods and it was only much later that I found out that the pungent smell was wild garlic. Today, we organise various foraging events to teach people what’s available to us, totally free, in the fields and hedgerows. Unlike my younger self, we now always ask permission!

If you could choose somewhere, or some object, from or in Yorkshire to own for a day, what would it be? Broughton Hall, near Skipton. It is the secret palace of the North, beautifully looked after by the Tempest family who have lived there for 900 years. It is Grade I listed, a Georgian Palladian mansion that just takes the breath away. I promise you that I would be very, very careful with it.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? There’s a unique sense of humour, a “banter” that is truly funny, but which sometimes has an acutely observant edge to it, and then there’s the willingness to pitch in, and to help someone or to get things done.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what? It’s football, but I don’t follow any particular team. I’m always pleased if I learn that Leeds are doing well, or that the one of our county sides is on a winning streak, but a season ticket for any ground in particular would be totally useless for me, because I’m always working on a Saturday afternoon.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub? It would be a bit naughty to recommend our own place, so it’s going to be the very nice little Italian restaurant Stuzzi in Harrogate. It’s where I discovered clouded Prosecco.

Do you have a favourite food shop? Weatherhead’s, which started in Pateley Bridge and which now have a branch in Grassington. What they don’t know about their meat, where it comes from and the farmers who breed it all could be written on the head of a pin.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it? It’s certainly become a lot more diverse, in every single way. Perhaps we have, sadly, lost a bit of the neighbourliness, with towns and communities getting bigger, but there is still a core of friendliness that will never go away.

If you had to change one thing in, or about Yorkshire, what would that be? There would be an integrated, sensible service of buses and trains, and far more of them, with routes restored and lines reopened.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire? My late dad, Phillip. He was the one who gave me an insight into a work ethic. Dad also gave me one little piece of advice that I’ll never forget. He said, “Never talk about yourself, let someone else talk about you”.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work? Absolutely. I went to college in Skipton and got my first job in Harrogate. And that work ethic I mentioned came from a training that started with me taking two and a half hours to get to work by bus, and two and a half hours back, with a fourteen-hour shift in between. The wages were a bottle of red, and a bottle of white wine. Never has a glass of wine tasted so good.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer? It should be no surprise that the only books I read are cookery ones. But I’ve always admired the Sheffield band Def Leppard, who have had their problems over the years, but who have battled on. You have to admire their tenacity.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be? Harrogate. Small town that you can explore in a day, but with a big heart. And with the bonus of a rather famous café that does rather good afternoon teas.