The Nettle, Settle: 'I went to this 'sensational' Yorkshire restaurant and ordered everything on the menu'

I confess it’s been some time since I’ve been in the town, and whilst the stalwarts are still thriving (it’s good to see Ye Olde Naked Man café still has Wainwright lookalikes drinking cups of tea on the benches outside) there are a handful of stylish independent shops selling high-end gifts, prints and the like too.

Unmissable if you’re up that way is the fabulous Courtyard Dairy, in Austwick, where Andy and Kathy Swinscoe curate and sell the finest cheeses in the land.

New(ish) to the Settle scene is The Nettle. Yep, The Nettle at Settle. Rolls nicely off the tongue, doesn’t it? It couldn’t be easier to find, bang in the middle of town, next to the aforementioned Naked Man.

A handsome double-fronted building, it’s got big picture windows, ideal for watching the world go by.

Inside it’s a sort of scrubbed tables/ mis-matching chairs/ parquet floors vibe, with a comfy leather banquette along one wall – it’s small, calm and cosy.

There’s a sort of slightly raised, open-ish kitchen; is this where the magic happens?

It’s impossible to imagine that the standard of food coming out of it is all made and plated in a space the size of two phone boxes – perhaps there’s a dumb waiter delivering dishes from a kitchen upstairs?

Whatever, it’s the sort of varied, thoughtfully written menu that makes my heart go boom.

“Shall we order all of it?” I ask my hungry chum.

One look at the list and he’s up for it and so we make a start with butternut squash croquettes – ubiquitous on any decent small plates menu – but they’re rarely as good as this, with a fabulous crunch on the outside and the smoothest, creamiest inner – such a great texture, with dots of tangy goat’s curd and a maple and sesame dressing bringing it all together.

Next up, tiny, tender spring leeks with puy lentils, green beans and quinoa – a beautifully summery dish, a little bit sweet, a little bit crunchy, looks lovely.

Not remotely summery – and not a looker in any sense – is a plate of charred cauliflower, with yeast and apple chutney. Sounds resistible, I know, but the flavour? Absolutely massive – as brown food often is.

There are a couple of fish dishes, and the stone bass with butter beans, Jersey Royals and caper butter caught my attention, but I can’t resist cod cheeks, and these had a whisper-light tempura that shattered obligingly at the fork, then simply dissolved in my mouth – just great.

But by far the star of the show is the pasture-fed beef dish, super modern and a beautifully balanced and generous plate of food - it’s a lovely looking thing, the meat pink and with roscoff onion, a pickled walnut reduction and tarragon, it’s sensational.

The meat comes from Meg’s Farm, just up the road, and like pretty much all of the produce chef/ owner Iain Graham uses, it aligns with The Nettle ethos, which almost every ‘modern’ restaurant claims – but the team here doesn’t just mouth the litany of seasonal and local, they mean it: “Our supply chain ethics are just as important to us as our own practices, and we have chosen to collaborate with suppliers who share our commitment to sustainability.”

Graham is the busy man in that tiny space and despite the demands of the opening hours (9am – 8pm) is barely breaking a sweat.

Mind you, he’s got form, having worked with the likes of Mark Hix, Peter Gordon and Jamie Oliver – and most recently at the Michelin-starred Gilpin in the Lake District.

Prior to that he did time at the Caprice Group in London, and they’re no slouches.

The doors are open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner – it’s the kind of relaxed place where you can take your kids and dogs – but bring an appetite, the small plates are not that small.

Breakfast includes the obligatory granola/ berries/ avo on toast offer, plus a Nettle fry-up (the non-meat one with halloumi, mushrooms and spinach) and at brunch maybe head for the chorizo, pepper and tomato shakshuka or chicken jalepeno hash with fried eggs and crispy shallots. I suggest the latter will set you up nicely for that train ride to Carlisle.

Vegetarians, vegans and the gluten/ dairy intolerant are catered for, and not just as an afterthought.

While we’re scratching our heads over the dessert options (blood orange sorbet and poppy seed meringue is looking likely, until my chum spots the rhubarb pie) the charming FoH arrives with a still-warm tiny slice of something so tartly sweet it sucks my cheeks in.

“Lemon pie, just out of the oven,” he says. I don’t need asking twice. The texture is extraordinary, and the pastry case – well, like angel’s wings as my mum used to say.

The rhubarb pie? It’s a perfect round, the size of a side plate, lusciously fruity on the inside with a case of such buttery softness it has the chum – no mean baker himself – nodding his head with delight.

There is of course a plate of Courtyard Dairy cheeses with quince jam. The short but smart wine list is 100 per cent natural wines, there’s beer on tap and there are cocktails too.

Staff are lovely, clued up and welcoming, and there are many highlights to savour, so much so that time almost stops and it’s so good you almost stop talking.

I shudder slightly at the thought of them all working the onerous hours – I hope they don’t run out of puff, because The Nettle is a special place to treasure.

Welcome 5/5

Food 5/5

Atmosphere 5/5

Prices 5/5

The Nettle, 17 Market Pl, Settle BD24 9ED the-nettle.co.uk Food for two with soft drinks and coffee £100