A few bits and pieces this time around. Lunch at an award-winning pub, some thoughts on the passing of Humphrey Smith, the owner of Samuel Smiths Brewery in Tadcaster, and a return to one of Halifax's most popular pubs a few months into new ownership to see how things are going.... I had visited the Highland Laddie earlier in the year and had decided that when I next visited I would l try some of the highly-acclaimed food at this award-winning pub tucked away to the west of Leeds city centre between the Kirkstall and Burley Roads. I had originally booked for the beginning of June with lunch here followed by 20/20 cricket at Headingly where Yorkshire and Lancashire. Howevèr waiting for a blocked drain to be cleared scuppered that plan, so I had re-scheduled another attempt for a few weeks later when Yorkshire were playing host to Durham. And so I duly made it to the flat-iron shaped Highland Laddie for lunch. A brief recap : This former Peter Walker pub ( who became part of Allied...
The opening day of a new pub in Manchester provided an excellent excuse to have a wander around what is now another fashionable part of the city, but also one with a rich and fascinating history. And so come and join me and see what I found.... My plans to come to Manchester for a day out were being thwarted at every turn, or so it seemed. The train from Halifax would be half an hour or so longer, due to a replacement bus service from Rochdale. Same from Brighouse. No worries, I thought, I'll go from Huddersfield, and I'll get the 549 bus there from the end of the road. Plan formulated. But no!. I arrived at the main road, to see the bus sailing past. I was contemplating my next move when my luck changed when a neighbour kindly offered me a lift to Brighouse, from where I could get a different bus in to Huddersfield. And within half an hour or so, all was good, I was on a train to Piccadilly and passing through some lovely countryside. After arriving at Piccadilly, I wandered u...