The Ship Inn

Category: £20 - £30

When I’m asked to do a review, I like to find out a little about the place before I visit.  This got off to a bad start as my ‘Sat Nav’ couldn’t find Aldborough, let alone Low Road…. where was The Ship Inn?  My hunt began.

My partner Ian and I were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful Roman Town dating back to AD71.  Aldborough means ‘old burgh’ – the old fortified place was the original settlement site of the great northern Celtic tribe called the Brigantes, who in AD71 were defeated by the Romans and the Roman town of Isurium Brigantum was built.  All the houses have their own character from being built at different periods in time.  Originally a 13th Century churchwardens cottage, the Ship Inn is a beautiful building found on the far side of the village.  The village itself is worth a visit.

Entering the pub you get the feeling of the ‘Old’ meeting the ‘New’, there is a large 30-seater restaurant behind the main lounge bar.  The bar is warm and inviting with traditional décor, exposed beams decorated with Horse Brasses, wood fronted bar and a large open fireplace, instantly we got the feeling of a really friendly place.  We checked in around 4 O’clock, time to have a drink before freshening up for dinner.  Chatting to Dave, the landlord, I asked about the name ‘The Ship’ which puzzled me, the pub being so far inland.  Dave explained that all the beams and wood used to build the pub was all reclaimed from ships wrecked on the Coast in years gone by.

We were shown upstairs to freshen up, our room was traditionally decorated and with furniture you would expect in a property of this sort.  An added bonus was the en-suite bathroom.
 
Back down in the bar we had a drink and perused the menu, before being shown through to the restaurant.  The menu was either A la Carte or Traditional Fayre and with a ‘Specials Board’ you could see that this was more than the usual pub food.  For starters, Ian ordered a traditional Prawn Cocktail, which was a generous sized started, whilst I chose Battered Tiger Prawns served on mixed salad with the chef’s own recipe Thai chilli sauce.  The prawns were succulent, the batter light and the sauce ‘to die for’.  A really good choice I thought. 

The main courses ranged from Homemade Beef Lasagne or Wholetail Scampi to Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni to Hot Sizzle Platters.  We both opted for dishes off the specials board.  Ian’s original choice was Cote de Beuf, which had unfortunately sold out, his second choice was the pork dish, Medallions of Pork Fillet on creamed leeks, dauphinois potatoes topped with grilled mature cheddar and red wine jus.  Joanne, the landlady and also head chef (yes we women can do two jobs at once) had earlier recommended the Sea Bass, which having never had thought I should try.  This was a pan fried Fillet of Sea Bass served on sauté potatoes, sugar snap peas with lemon & lime butter, there was also a dish of seasonal vegetables to share.  When the mains arrived, we both looked at each other, “Do we frame them or eat them?” it seemed a shame to spoil the delightful picture on the table in front of us.  The pork was tender and with the combination of leeks, potato and cheese made for an interesting dish.  The Bass just melted in my mouth and with the tang of the lemon & lime butter on the peas the taste experience was unbelievable, I enjoyed every mouthful.  We chose a bottle of Pinot Grigio to complement the meal.  We were then offered the sweet board, I declined settling for a speciality Calypso coffee Ian, true to form, opted for a sweet and chose Apple & Almond Crème Brulee, a delightfully light desert.

With Kirsty and Hannah serving on and Emma doubling up as wine waitress & barmaid, Dave & Joanne have a good crew at The Ship.

After eating, we went back through into the main bar for a drink.  Before long we were chatting with the regulars as if we were regulars too.  Every pub has a character and after a while we realised The Ship has two, one is Mog the cat, who as Joanne described him is an ‘ABCC’ when it comes to cats, which means ‘a better class of cat’, the other character is Guy, he’s an ‘ABCD’ character and if you can’t work that one out, give Joanne a call, she’ll explain! 

“The Ship isn’t a pub full of strangers, it one full of friends you just haven’t met yet”.

Reviewed by Adrienne Roberts

Review Summary

Atmosphere ♦♦♦♦
Food ♦♦♦♦
Service ♦♦♦
Value ♦♦♦♦

Contact Details

The Ship Inn
Low Road
Aldborough
York
YO51 9ER

Tel: 01423 322749
Fax: 01423 323082
E-Mail: david.thirkell@btinternet.com
www.the-ship-inn.co.uk