The Moorcock Inn

Sadly, the Moorcock has closed its doors, but you can read all about it below.

Jumping up the list 10 places on last year and a further 8 this year, the Moorcock Inn on the Norland Moor, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire. Unfortunately the pub has had to close its doors just days before the list announcement, but read all about it below.

The pub offers an ever-evolving seasonal menu alongside views over West Yorkshire’s Ryburn Valley and is an all-round charmer of a gastropub.

The modestly self-proclaimed “cosy” pub champions traditional homesteading techniques, cooking over fire and the sourcing of high-quality local, seasonal and wild ingredients and purchases whole animals from a select few local small holdings that mostly work with the Rare Breed Survival Trust for its menu.

What’s more, the Moorcock’s green credentials see it sustainably fish in native waters – never snapping up fish from trawlers – and use organic, sometimes home-grown, sometimes foraged, vegetables.

The Moorcock also flies in the face of traditional fine dining by often not constructing dishes as individual starters or main courses, according to its website, advising four or five plates per couple.

Meat is sourced from a select few smallholdings which mostly work with the Rare Breed Survival Trust, while the venue also purchases whole animals, some of which are reared specially for the pub.

Chefs in the kitchen also prefer mature animals, such as mutton over lamb, and dry-age and butcher all meat in house to ensure it meets their standards.

Wetting one’s beak is far from an afterthought, with the Moorcock offering an ever-changing array of craft beers, and four cask pours - of which two regularly rotate, while wines are all hand-made by small producers, farmed organically or biodynamically, and are chosen for their “purity, freshness, balance and occasional quirkiness”.

It is well worth your time, as the Moorcock will provide you with an almost otherworldly food and drink experience.

Not to mention, the stunning countryside that surround the pub will take your breath away.