The Fleece, Keighley

Our favourite pub in the town stayed few time,s here very good pint of Taylors landlord will always call in

Solid, traditional-looking pub at the lower end of the Main Street hill, partially opened-out at some stage to leave a variety of refurbished seating areas, including a side room at one end and a lower-level space at the other. As a Timothy Taylor house, Golden Best, Boltmaker, Landlord and Ram Tam (£3.70) - plus Saltaire Celebration as a guest - were available from two banks of four handpumps.

A very thorough a&h reviews needs little addition from me.I liked the side snug,a discrete area to sup,and both my Ram Tam and Golden Best were on good form.There is now a decent selection of Belgian bottled beers,to compliment the four TT ales.The doubled sided fireplace serving both the tap room and a section with a sofa was a feature ,while the lower compact restaurant area had a flat screen with the volume wisely off. I stayed the night in the B&B accomodation on the 1st floor,reasonably priced with a solid breakfast.It was noticeable that as the day trippers depart the village later in the afternoon,so the locals start to populate the interior of this pub,it does seem to be the most popular with local folk.The barmaids were friendly and chatty.A GBG regular ,and the best bet for a decent pint in this famous village with lots of impressive views.

On walking down Haworth’s cobbled high street, leaving the main cluster of teashops and tourist trinket boutiques behind, you’ll find this well-known Timothy Taylor tied house nestled down in a vernacular stone terrace. Internally, it’s largely been opened up into one continuous split-level space, with various cosy corners, although there is still a separate small room to the right on entering. The pub had a major refurb in the mid noughties and in the process removed some of the pub’s more traditional features including the acid etched windows. What’s been left is a comfortable if slightly bland interior. The main space houses the dark wooden bar, surrounded by stone flagging. There’s wainscoting on the walls, with various innocuous art prints and photos of local life, many playing on the Bronte family’s association with the village. Seating largely features upholstered settles with traditional tables, plus, almost inevitably these days, a couple of leather sofas. Outside, there’s a terraced beer garden, at rooftop level, to the rear of the pub. During my quick ‘look-see’ it was obviously a real suntrap. However, as it’s approached via several flights of narrow stairs and a connecting door, I suspect it’s hard going when carrying more than one drink. At the bar, four Taylor beers were featured: Landlord, Golden Best, Best Bitter and Ram Tam. Whilst it’s always a delight to see anything beyond the omnipresent Landlord, part of me wished there’d been Dark Mild on offer to complete the set. However, the quality of the Landlord and Ram Tam was very good, as you’d expect from a pub awarded Winter Pub of the Season 2010-11 by the local CAMRA branch. Service from the young Irish barman was brisk and efficient, if a tad on the cool side. Although fairly quiet when we called, it was good to see custom based on a mixture of locals and tourists. Calling midday, for a pub lunch, I have to say I found the quality of the food disappointing. Admittedly, it was only for a hot beef baguette, but industrial sliced beef with virtually raw onion in cheap soft bread suggested minimum effort for nigh on six pounds. Overall, I came away feeling slightly underwhelmed. If I were to visit the village again, I’d probably nip in for a quick pint, but wouldn’t consider anything beyond that.