The Curious Cow, Killinghall: A pub bigger than it looks on the site of an old cowshed
Journalists should naturally be inquisitive, so when I spotted a pub with a most unusual name, I thought it was, to say the least, out of the ordinary, and, therefore worthy of exploration.
The Curious Cow’s on the A59 as you drive out of Harrogate towards Skipton; for many decades the pub on this site was known as The Traveller’s Rest, briefly The Old Spring Well and then following a costly modernisation, the pub was renamed in 2022 after the new owners, Marston’s, one of the UK’s biggest pub companies, took it over. So, why the strange name? Evidently, according to maps going back donkey’s years, a cowshed, where the pub stands, was marked on old maps of this area. This gave Marston’s the idea to christen their acquisition, The Curious Cow.
Step inside, you notice a spacious bar, and if you are lucky enough to fancy a pint on Thursdays – Thirsty Thursdays is the offer – you can buy three pints for £10.
Managed by Matthew Clapison, previously at the King’s Head in Beverley, his pub is handily placed because it’s near large, residential housing estates, so plenty of folk pop in for a pint, not least Tetley’s, brought back by popular demand. Cruzcampo is the best-selling drink – 400 pints a week – and Moretti’s not far behind. The pub’s certainly enterprising: on Fridays and Saturdays between 8pm and 10pm, you can buy Cruzcampo for £4.05 – 40 per cent off.
The food seems to be good value too. Head Chef Morgan Hendry and his staff have established a solid reputation. Catering seven days a week from noon until 8pm, a three-course lunch on Sundays can be ordered for £27.50, and if you fancy a bottle of their popular Chilean Sauvignon Blanc to go with it, at £26.95, that’s reasonable these days. The Curious Cow’s bigger than it looks from the A59. Inside, the restaurant seats almost 80 customers, another 80 can eat in the bar,12 in a private dining room, and when the weather’s decent,120 can be accommodated outside. No wonder then that on Sundays up to 250 people are often fed and watered.
The Curious Cow, Killinghall, Harrogate HG3 2AP.
Welcome5/5
Atmosphere5/5
Drinks choice5/5
Prices5/5