We visited the North Yorkshire town known for its award-winning food and drink and it’s a good job I had been paid…
The UK is filled with brilliant, beautiful towns packed with history and things to do and discover. Pateley Bridge is one such example and Samantha Teasdale of Yorkshire Live was tasked with exploring it for herself…
I’m usually careful with my cash, but as soon as I hit the streets of a North Yorkshire town, brimming with food, my bank balance was in trouble.
Nestled between Harrogate and Ripon, we navigated the winding roads to the quaint market town of Pateley Bridge. The town is famed for its award-winning food and drink, so it’s just as well we had a light breakfast and my payday had just come around.
I had a feeling it was going to be a costly – albeit delicious day. The first unavoidable expense was parking at the Southlands short stay car park, which cost £1.40 for a maximum of 4 hours. This seemed like a steal for such a lengthy period.
We then followed the path out and immediately spotted The Oldest Sweet Shop in England across from us. The charming shop has made it into the Guinness World Records as the oldest of its kind globally.
Stepping inside was a treat. I’ve never seen so many sweets gathered in one place.
They were displayed on tables throughout the room and stacked from floor to ceiling behind the counter. Even my dad was taken aback as he read the labels of many sweets he remembered from his youth – Pontefract cakes being one of his favourites.
Being the sensible adult that he is, my dad opted for a handful of Pontefract cakes and Lemon Drops for my mum, knowing she would love them, coming to £3.60.
I, however, was like a kid in a candy store, ordering everything from fudge to wine gums, which resulted in a staggering bill of £34 but a very pleased partner at home, along with his family.
After indulging in the sweets, we found ourselves feeling a bit parched. Fortunately, our next stop was Cocoa Joes for a hot chocolate.
The business, which also has a location in York, has been hailed as having the best hot chocolate in the country and has won numerous awards – so we had to give it a go.
After selecting our preferred types of hot chocolate, my dad choosing Lait Supreme and myself a Golden Amber, we were ready to see if this title was deserved. At just under £9 for both, it was a pricey hot chocolate, but I must admit, it was one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
With our stomachs in mind, we made our way back across the street to the award-winning Kendall’s Butchers. After peering through the window, we realised we didn’t have anything at home for dinner, so the only solution was to try the Pateley Pasty.
Boasting a striking resemblance to a Cornwall Pasty, it was priced at a reasonable £4.90 and looked so tempting that we had to stash it in the car to resist devouring it on the spot.
After a leisurely stroll around town, our hunger pangs led us to The Crown Inn where my dad was delighted to find Theaksons bitter ale, a favourite from his youth.
We both opted for the Classic Crown Burger which was served with chips, coleslaw, salad and onion rings, setting us back £16 each. Including drinks, the entire meal came to £38.40.
Thankfully, it was scrumptious and not even a brief 10-minute power outage could ruin it – although we did flirt with the idea of washing dishes as payment since we only had card.
In conclusion, we thoroughly enjoyed our day exploring the charming town of Pateley Bridge. While my bank account might disagree, it was money well spent for a delightful day out.