Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

There are pub meals, there are fine dining experiences, and then there’s the Grantley Arms – a newly refurbished pub just outside Ripon, and now part of Grantley Hall family. Walking in immediately evoked a warm, lived-in country pub décor and vibe whilst feeling light and fresh, making it a setting for dishes crafted with elegance and precision.

From the first bite, it was clear that someone in the kitchen understands both flavour and restraint. This is not a surprise because chef Gavin Swift, former senior sous chef at Grantley Hall, is the chef patron running the kitchen. Gavin has worked in the industry for almost two decades, with many stints across Yorkshire, including head chef at The Coach House in Middleton Lodge.

The crunchy-on-the-outside and soft-in-the-middle-like-a-sigh sourdough arrived with two butters: a cultured Ampersand Dairy butter with a gentle tang, and a Bovril butter that managed to be subtle – a far cry from the punchy Marmite-flavoured butters I’ve had in other places.

Both deserved a place on the table. It was the quality of butter that makes you want to lash on more just because it was so good, and was there.

Starters

Our starters were a study in balancing of flavours. The grilled tender-stem broccoli came with smoked cod’s roe emulsion and roasted hazelnuts. The sauce carried a smoky umami depth, almost like the essence of bacon without the heaviness, while the broccoli had just the right char. The nuts added a welcome crunch, proving once again that texture is flavour’s best friend.

Then came the roast king scallops – three plump jewels, resting on a bed of cauliflower purée so silky-smooth it disguised itself as a sauce. Sweetness from the purée, salt from the crispy bacon garnish, and the scallop itself cooked to a soft, delicate perfection that almost melted on the tongue. It wouldn’t have been out of place in Grantley Hall’s own fine dining restaurant, yet here it was in a relaxed pub setting.

Mains

For mains, the halibut was a standout. Perfectly cooked and crowned with a topping that was fresh, light and almost ethereal, and a far cry from the soggy, weighty toppings that can smother fish. Paired with gremolata and capers, it was like catching snowflakes of flavour on the tongue. I’d happily eat that topping on chips, toast, or frankly anything.

The Nidderdale lamb was a celebration of Yorkshire produce. Three chops, tender and pink, well seasoned and rested, came with chips, salad and a rich lamb jus. The jus carried herby notes that played against deep, savoury richness making it the kind of sauce that would turn buttered mash into something worthy of poetry.

The smokiness of the lamb’s char took me straight back to Nigeria, to meals cooked over open fire where the flames themselves seasoned the food. 

Desserts

Dessert was a test of willpower. The sticky toffee pudding, with its custard, toffee sauce and ice cream, will have to wait for my next visit. Instead, we chose the chocolate fondant with raspberry and clotted cream – a simple, perfectly cooked finale. The moment the spoon cracked its shell and the molten chocolate began to flow, it was clear this was a dessert that knew exactly what it was doing.

It looked understated when it arrived, but delivered the flavours. They intentionally crafted and elevated the country’s favourite desserts to match the pub vibes.

The menu also offers pub favourites like fish and chips, braised beef and ale pie, cheeseburgers, fish pie, risotto and a fried chicken burger. From the grill there’s fillet, ribeye, lobster, harissa chicken and of course the glorious Nidderdale lamb chops. Portions are generous, Yorkshire generous, so come hungry.

The bar is well stocked and the setting is a charm of its own. The décor has a nostalgic weight to it, like a place your grandmother might send you to fetch your grandfather from, his hat still hanging on the wall from his last visit. Heavy antique furnishings, soft cushions and an easy warmth make it the sort of place you could linger over a pint, a Sunday roast, a pre-check-in lunch or a multi-course dinner.

The Grantley Arms is a pub that refuses to choose between comfort and refinement. The trifle that was delivered to the next table drew a gasp from the diners in the same way their starter of prawn cocktail held a surprise quenelle of caviar on top.

These little touches are what make it hard to shoe-horn the Grantley Arms into the regular ‘British Pub’ space. Here, you can have fine dining execution without the fine dining expectations, and you’ll leave not just satisfied but replete.

Bring your appetite, and maybe someone you’d like to impress. With an excellent front of house and bar team, you will be well looked after. 

The Grantley Arms opened on August 14 and is now taking bookings.