The Chevin Inn, Ilkley

The Chevin Inn is now in its fourth month since re-opening after the tragic fire in 2006 and is now under the new ownership of Nick and Chris Green of Greencliffe Taverns who have in their stable the successful Stansfield Arms at Apperley Bridge. They have obviously hit on a formula that works, and I was interested to see how their latest venture faired.

We decided to be shown straight to the table rather than have at drinks at the bar which appears to be in the middle of the restaurant and confused me as to whether or not I was in a pub or a restaurant.

Menus arrived and the prices soon assured me that I was in a restaurant with the prices for starters between £4.75 to £6.75 and mains £8.95 to £15.95.

The wine list was well balanced for price and choice. In fact when two of my party decided on a bottle of Rose and asked for a recommendation, we were presented with a small taster to help us decide.

The service so far had been both friendly and efficient and when the starters of Soup of the day (Mushroom), Duo of smoked fish with a dill sauce, Chicken liver parfait and seared beef arrived we were not disappointed. These starters were 1st class.

Mains arrived just in time to maintain the level of service, however a visit to the rest rooms in between the courses had left me freezing and I struggled to get warm for the rest of the evening.

Homemade sausage and garlic mash, Pan fried chicken breast with colcannon, Steak with wonderful homemade chips and a Lamb shank that was so tasty it could have just walked in off the Chevin, followed with good use of fresh herbs adorning as well as for taste.

We are often told that we eat first with our eyes, and in most cases we do not enjoy food which does not match our colour perceptions. The food here was well presented and the taste was excellent, however the mash and colcannon were slightly cold. Not enough to send back, but enough for us all of us to comment on, neither were any of the plates warm which would have helped.

The vegetable selection of mangetout and baby sweetcorn were crisp cooked to perfection and complemented our choice of food perfectly, although I always feel that gastro style pubs should always try and offer local seasonal produce. We could only manage two desserts albeit with four spoons, and they tasted even better than they looked.

There was also extensive sandwich menu and I could visualise a nice lunchtime session with quality sandwich, real chips, and a pint of real ale, it just needs to cosy up a little bit..

In conclusion, The Chevin Inn is well worth a visit and its fayre is of a far higher quality than your traditional pub grub, which is reflected in its prices, however it somehow lacks internal character and warmth.

The food and service come well recommended, however If you are thinking of visiting over the winter may I suggest a thicker pair of socks!

Category: Under £20

Review Summary

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

Contact Details

The Chevin Inn
Chevin End Road
Menston
Ilkley
LS29 6BE

Tel: 01943 876109