OUT AND ABOUT | THE FLYING DUCK

When visiting Ilkley last week to review La Casita (see my post here), fellow blogger Diane and I (yes we come as a pair!) were an hour early so we thought we'd have a little wander and find a nice watering hole for a pre-dinner drink.

Not having to walk far (although to note we did walk further than the nearest pub which was the local Wetherspoons) we stumbled across this charming little pub on the side of the main road called The Flying Duck.

A Wharfedale Brewery pub, this is the real deal, a proper Yorkshire Dales retreat in an idyllic small town setting. With a stone flagged floor, wooden beamed ceilings and a grand fireplace this is somewhere you can see cosying up to in the Winter months.

 It was quite quiet when we walked in and the bar staff were very polite and patient whilst I worked my way up and down the blackboard looking at the ales on offer. Their range was impressive and varied and everything seemed extremely reasonable in price and was a welcome change from some of the drinks prices in Leeds right now!

I had a few tasters to see what I fancied but I settled for a pint of the Wharfedale Blonde (3.9% ABV) at £2.85. A blonde zesty ale that had a bit of zing but also a pleasing bitter finish to it. It was nice and light but also refreshing so I knew it wasn't going to spoil m'tea!

What's even better is that my beer had been brewed just in the barn situated at the back of the pub. With Wharfedale Brewery having their own brewing facilities on sight. There is a raised decking area outside which joins the pub to the brewery and you can peer in through the huge windows to have a look inside (they also do tours which you can book on to for £10).

Upstairs are also two joined rooms and also another bar. There's plenty of seating and well-worn chesterfields. The whole place just has such a lovely charm and character to it.

I didn't get a chance to have a look at the food on offer but I would very much like to return to give it a try on another occasion. If you are in Ilkley I would recommend popping into this lovely unpretentious pub to see its charm for yourself!

REVIEW | FRIENDS OF HAM

Upon entering you are greeted by a busy bustling upstairs bar and will notice upon peering at the counter that you are instantly spoilt for choice.

 A fabulous selection of craft beers and ales from all round with several local breweries featuring on tap.

Not only does this place serve ham… (although the ham is pretty darn good!), they serve a fantastic selection of charcuterie, cheeses, breads, scotch eggs, nibbles etc.

 I happily munched my way through what I can say was a rather impeccably handmade scotch egg (complete with salad and spicy wholegrain mustard) and a half pint of cornichons whilst gazing upon a Wensleydale Blue cheeseboard (complete with olive oil drizzled bread and fresh olives) at a friend opposite.

As well as the upstairs bar there is a downstairs area (complete with board games and even a shuffleboard!) where you are greeted with long-end tables, the kind you can fit a good sized party around or at least feel unawkwardly obliged to talk to the group who perches next to you.

The staff (and their impressive confidence/passion/knowledge) were great. On both occasions I went to purchase beer I was helped  to choose the beer to suit me. I found myself provided with several tastings before even purchasing. I started off with the record store day special by the local West Yorkshire Revolutions Brewing Company, followed by the Amaro IPA.

I really enjoyed the passion and service of the staff, it really does make a difference in my book. Being a student and in my final year it is not ideal to go partying every night, but ideally it’s nice to know after a hard week of uni work and library study that I can spend what’s left of my student loan in the company of good friends with good beer and good food on offer. I’d much rather push my pennies towards this than a full on night out... but maybe that's the fact that being in my twenty-somethings is kicking in.

A friend of ham is a friend of mine. I will definitely be back. 

RECIPE | GIN-GIN MULE

This drink will requench your thirsts for days like these when the British sun decides to show its face!

And there's also just the simple fact that drinking/eating pretty much anything (other than jam, obvs) from a jam jar is just INSTANT ADDED COOL.

To make a GIN-GIN MULE you will need:

3oz Gin (AKA double measure)

A drench of lime juice

Lots of crushed ice

As much ginger beer as you like...

* Also lovely with some fresh mint leaves but alas our mint plant has died. R.I.P.

REVIEW | JEREMIAH WEED ROOT BREW

Jeremiah Weed are newcomers to the UK brew scene. Currently available are two different brews: Root Brew (brewed with a hint of ginger) and the Sour Mash Brew (brewed with a hint of bourbon).

I saw a review of their brews online and was desperate to get my hands on a bottle. Luckily enough, the local Waitrose was stocking the stuff and we snapped up a bottle of the Root Brew.

Served chilled over ice (how sophisticated) this was a DELICIOUS drink.

I am a BIG fan of the various ginger and root beers available at the moment but this one really tops them all.

It is much less acidic/sweet/artificial tasting than Crabbies Ginger Beer (my previous favourite), with a nice refreshing and natural tang.

 WARNING: This stuff is a little TOO drinkable.