The Rusty Bull Huddersfield Review

The Rusty Bull Huddersfield Review written & photographed by YFG

Huddersfield’s best-kept secret, celebrating the finest produce from field to fork

As you wind out of Huddersfield following the river, dry stonewalls lining your approach down into the Holme Valley, a pillar-box red sign appears over the brow of a hill. Fields of hay bales stretch out into the landscape, which has been tended to by one determined Yorkshire family since 1929. As you pull up beside a brood of pecking hens, another sign comes into view; The Rusty Bull at Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop. Named after the family’s herd of South Devon cattle, The Rusty Bull Restaurant is becoming one of the most renowned dining destinations in the region.

Britain’s Oldest Farm Shop

Celebrating the best of local produce from pasture to plate, Head Chef Ashley Hart has landed his dream role, handpicking ingredients from the very ground he cooks on. The majority of the adjacent Farm Shop’s delicacies are grown, brewed, baked or distilled within a five-mile radius. You’ll find coffee from Darkwoods roasters in Slaithwaite, craft beers from James Clay & Sons, homemade loaves, giant hot cross buns plump with currents, and the largest selection of cheeses around. It’s bright and spacious; smiling butchers in checked shirts are busy behind a spotless glass cabinet, proudly displaying trophies for their award-wining pies and sausages. Trays of Hinchliffe’s eggs, long-stemmed lilies and bedding plants tempt beside the tills.

The Local Area

Next door, The Rusty Bull at Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop boasts spectacular views; tables look out onto the countryside, where you can enjoy walks for miles. Their outdoor terrace is perfect for four-legged friends to rest their weary paws. To the South-East lies Honley Woods, one-hundred and fifty acres of ancient semi-natural parkland, and a little further, the disused Meltham Branch railway line and breathtaking Folly Dolly Waterfalls. Straight ahead, one of West Yorkshire’s most iconic monuments, the grade II listed Victoria Tower standing tall atop Castle Hill. The perfect location to sample a regional menu fit for a king.

The Rusty Bull’s Menu

Breakfast includes those award-winning sausages between thick, buttered tea cakes, eggs Benedict and Spanish omelettes. Break up your food shop with a gourmet deli board showcasing Yorkshire’s finest; the Ploughmans with homemade pickles, roast ham and Cheddar, prawn Marie-rose sandwiches, and crispy battered onion rings. There’s sumptuous tiers of Afternoon Tea filled with deep buttery scones, carrot cake and mini pink macaroons, washed down with a glass of English fizz. Sunday roasts are a family affair, featuring Hinchliffe’s hand-reared, melt in your mouth Pink Topside Beef, proper gravy, and all the trimmings.

Evenings

The Rusty Bull at Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop really comes into its own on a night. Candlelit tables are laid with embroidered napkins and elegant glassware underneath potted Bonsai with twisted roots, and giant canvases depicting the eponymous herd. There’s an impressive selection of wines from a renowned London supplier, Huddersfield’s Magic Rock beers, and Pure North dry cider from Shipley. They cater well for the drivers in your party, with offerings from the Manchester Drynks Company, and Leeds based Tame & Wild’s blend of sparking English fruits and botanicals.

Soft diced salmon cured with Mason’s gin, cubes of compressed cucumber, delicate dots of dill aioli and sharp tonic gel form the G&T Salmon starter. Served with two strips of homemade soda bread, malty with a delicious kick of pepper; it’s Summertime on a plate.

A tennis ball-sized croquette, falls apart to reveal unctuous pulled chicken, with salty anchovies and parmesan, charred baby gem, air-dried ham and crispy skin, in a reconstructed Caesar salad. Then, a generous fillet of glistening baked cod on a bed of warming orzo, with flecks of parma ham, peas and leeks. Hinchliffe’s crispy duck breast main feels earthy and foraged, with wild mushrooms, brown butter fondant potatoes and a sweep of celeriac puree. A jammy fig and mustard jus expertly finished off the dish.

Something Sweet

Desserts are delightful. There’s sticky toffee pudding and limoncello tart with passion fruit curd and black currant sorbet. The chocolate delice is a rosy sphere, surrounded by a flowerbed of dusty chocolate soil, white chocolate honeycomb, raspberry meringue and brilliant green shoots. The cherry “kanos” Bakewell is just as artistic; a beautifully dense bathtub shaped sponge coddles a row of soaked whole cherries and toasted almonds. Balanced above, fragments of dried vanilla yoghurt hold a scoop of thick Yorkshire clotted cream, with those consoling little cracks on the surface. Truly elegant, sophisticated food at modest gastropub prices.

A Real Destination

Grandsons of local legend Charlie Hinchliffe, Simon and Ben Hirst, have done a fantastic job at rebuilding the business after a tragic fire ripped through the site in 2010, and The Rusty Bull at Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop is an absolute credit to the family. With such talent in the kitchen, and the ability to draw on artisan producers within a stone’s throw of their land, the menu offers something for everyone. The team have big ambitions, including a varied programme of events. Their steak masterclasses will give the opportunity for you to learn how to cut, cook, and pair Hinchliffe’s grass-fed beef with Head Butcher Sean Tyndall and regular Wine Tastings with Walker & Wodehouse will see you sampling flights of their carefully selected bottles, all available to take home.

The Rusty Bull Huddersfield Review – Final Thoughts

It’s a dynamic, modern approach to a farm that’s seen traditions come and go over the years, and with food of this standard, it seems there really is no stopping the Hinchliffe’s. We’ve no doubt The Rusty Bull will be marking its territory on the culinary landscape in no time.

The Rusty Bull at Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop, Netherton Moor Rd, Huddersfield HD4 7LE – 01484 668949 – https://therustybull.co.uk/

The Rusty Bull Huddersfield Review written & photographed by YFG

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