Fanny's Ale and Cider House, Shipley

A reasonable covid time revamp of a favourite old pub, basically the counter has been moved and is with nine pulls in operation. Otherwise much as was although some say “that” picture isn’t the original but a sanitised version, no comment from me. Otherwise still one of the best in the area.

This shop conversion has been extended into a house behind it and also upstairs. The back room now has a disabled toilet and I assume there is an entrance that avoids the steep front steps. The downstairs area here has wooden floors, is rather dark and is something of a labyrinth of small rooms and areas. Upstairs is brighter and looks more comfortable as well as having a jukebox. The bar is on the left and has hand pumps on three sides. I noticed six beers Taylor's Landlord & Golden Best, Naylors Mosaic, Kelham Island I Tried So Hard, RAT Ratastrophic and Bosun's Arctic Myst. I went for the Mosaic, The Kelham Island beer and the Ratastrophic. Prices were around the £3.50 mark but the 6.5% Ratastrophic was over £4.00. All beers were in good nick and I don't recall the barman looking like Harry Potter or his girlfriend resembling Hermione Granger! My only minor gripe was the cider in the pub name as the only ones I could see were mainstream keg although the barman says they normally have Old Rosie. However, West Yorkshire isn't a County normally associated with cider. I liked this rather quirky place.

This is a multi-roomed, atmospheric ale house. Well worn floorboards, a piano, chandeliers and loads of b & w pictures around the walls. 7 handpumps with 6 beers available. Now for the bad news. There was a Harry Potter lookalike, personality free, lazy git behind the bar. Glasses and bottles on many of the tables, but Harry was much too busy playing on his phone to do anything as mundane as work. He didn't even bother to reply when I said goodbye as I left. Get rid of him and it'll be worth an extra point.

Despite it appearances of age this has only been a pub since 1997 when it as converted from a pet shop, but they did such a good job it’s hard to tell. Plenty of period and brewery memorabilia clutter the various rooms including some impressive brewery mirrors, but for me as a tourist the more modern aerial photograph of Saltaire was equally interesting as it was only on seeing this I fully appreciated how bloody big Salt Mill actually is. We visited twice whilst staying nearby, the first time of an early Thursday afternoon when it was virtually empty and we could have a relaxing pint in one of the small rooms, and then the Friday evening the day after when initially, due to the large crowd assembled on the pavement outside, I initially thought there must have been a fight in the pub to clear it out. But no, it was due to the pub being packed inside and the pavement was more comfortable for vertical drinking. I thoroughly enjoyed this pub and the only quibble I had was that the beer availability was mainly all the same Blonde style. Alongside the regular TT Landlord and Golden Best there was Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, Saltaire Blonde, Stancil Brewery Blonde and Don Valley Brewery Atomic Blonde. But I guess as we’re in the middle of one of the best hot summers for many a year it’s the style that was selling and after traipsing around Saltaire I really appreciated the Stancil Brewery Blonde and Don Valley Brewery Atomic Blonde, both of which were in very good nick.

Brilliant rambling ale house, great choice of beer

Fanny's Ale and Cider House is situated on the main road from Shipley to Saltaire. There seems to be too much signage outside,i prefer a pub name and pub sign. Once inside there is a small room to the front with the bar facing,there is a small bench seat and one table and small stools,there is a separate room to the rear which i could not really be bothered to look into as i was wet through by now. I noted six real ales on the bar,i had a drink of a beer from Fernandes which i can not read the noted off,but it was a very nice drink,there was another beer from Fernandes called Run For something or other,not quite sure,notes were now getting soaked,other beers were Stancill Blonde,Copper dragon Golden Pippin,Taylor Landlord and Moorhouses White Witch. Background music was playing. A decent pub with a good choice of real ales,an added bonus was getting out of heavy rain. Pub visited 28/11/2015

A converted shop that comes with quite a fanfare so I was really looking forward to getting stuck in here after an over-hasty tour of Titus Salt’s village. Initial impressions were good - 10 pumps for ale though only 7 were on, with proper cider and bottled Euro beer also offered. However the ale quality was fairly duff, both my beers from Partners in Dewsbury and the Dickens Gold were both flat and lifeless. One such beer might be unlucky but two in a row seems to be stretching it somewhat. The ramblingly claustrophobic interior is divided into three distinct sections (due to ad hoc extension work) with basic furnishing and stripped-back décor with the walls painted a funny nicotine colour (why on earth...?). The bar was pretty small and I can imagine it being a job to get served at busy times. Features of note included an upright piano, breweriana, old tin signs and a bit of wooden seating with funny little holes in that I recognised as being the same design as those found in the Grove, Leeds. The music was enjoyably eclectic, which helped overcome the noise from a bit of renovation work going on at the rear of the building. All a bit underwhelming but maybe I expected too much? I suppose I might chance another half in here again if in the vicinity but it isn’t a must-visit pub based on my stop.