If you are in the south Huddersfield area and don't fancy ethnic food, then The Farmers Boy in Shepley is the best place to eat in the area and certainly one of the best pubs I have ever eaten at in the country.
With a seasonal menu of French inspired, English dishes there is always something that takes my fancy. Starters such as smoked haddock pasta with a poached egg, to chorizo and monkfish on parmesan risotto, to pork belly with king prawns and superb soups.
The main menu has featured traditional steak and ale pie, fish and chips and sunday roast through to parfait of foie gras and chicken liver, to confit of duck with lentils. Always a wide selection, but usually only one vegetarian dish (doesn't bother me though!). Main course dishes probably average out at a price of £12. They also have an amazing sandwich menu just this past Saturday I had an open club which had smoked chicken and a soft poached egg on it - heavenly. They also have some of the best onion rings you will ever eat and lovely chips.
Where The Farmers Boy excels is the quality of ingredients. Meat and seafood are of superb quality and all of the food is put together in an unpretentious manner, but with an attention to detail. A lot of the ingredients are sourced locally as well. The carrots from one mile up t'road!
Try the assiette of deserts, they are all lovely. The wine list is very good too along with well cared for handpulled bitters and so I have heard (all though I never touch it!) a wonderful and stinky cheese board.
They have only been open two years now, but the food (and service) gets better each time we go. You always have a deep sense of satisfaction when you have eaten a meal there and that is not just because of being full!
I have lived all over Europe and in the States and consider myself pretty well educated when to comes to food. The Farmers Boy is an example of a pub doing things the right way - serving high quality, good value food, whilst it still being a pub for drinkers as well. I have had some horrendous pub food in Britain as of late and generally do not eat at pubs because more often than not, they are terrible. It is no wonder that Toby Carvery etc. have become so popular. Something like 75 pubs are closing a week now in Britain and yes it is economics, but also it is that most pubs do not pay enough (if any) attention to the quality of their drinks and food. The Farmers Boy are proof that if you offer quality, then people will come back to the pub. read more