George Inn, Hubberholme

Mandy and I were recently in Langstrothdale – call it Squidbeak’s away-weekend – and after a good walk, we stopped off at the lovely whitewashed George Inn at Hubberholme, the hamlet that was a favourite of J.B. Priestley and where his ashes are buried.

The George is the quintessential Dales pub, log fires, horse brasses, lots of wood paneling and Ed Yarrow behind the bar, a man with an off-beat sense of humour who makes a point of taking your name and using it. On Sunday the blackboard menu is simple: ‘local lamb roasted in hay’ or brisket. We go for the lamb. I’m not sure what the hay brings to it, but it sounds good and the generous slices of lamb are beautifully tender. It was served with excellent Yorkshire pudding, good roast spuds, mashed root veg, a dish of greens and a jug of gravy. The sparky young waitress then offered us lemon tart, sticky toffee, apple crumble and the winner, chocolate brownie with ice cream. Between four of us we sampled the lot. There was an odd niggle like a rather soggy bottom to the lemon tart, but for a Sunday lunch with no pretensions it fitted the bill.

At other times there are well-filled sandwiches, fish and chips, ham and eggs, and pies. Nothing sophisticated just good solid, hearty food and we loved it.