Shoulder of Mutton Traditional Country Pub with Rooms — Restaurant in England

I was really really impressed with this place. I rode up on my bicycle, to find a really quaint country pub, with locals as regulars, it was peaceful and friendly. Very traditional and original, the plug sockets for the lamps were those pre ww2 kind. Really nice to see genuinely old things in a traditional pub, as opposed to the modern pub with fake old things. I ate here 3 times. The food was astoundingly good. Really first rate. I had breakfast twice. Both times it was the best full English I've ever had. Bar none. Every item was like its own event, cooked to perfection. I saw the chef and I told him. They hadn't just slapped everything together in a fryer and called it a breakfast like most places. Everything was individual. Butter fried mushrooms. Scrambled egg was shaped and decorated. Bacon was thick and tasted like dry cure. Sausages were very very hot, (most places have them lukewarm.) Tomatoes were on the vine and grilled, not the tinned kind. Beans were in a mini tub so they wouldn't run. Hash brown was served vertical so it drained and avoided any liquid run-off absorption. It was easily worth the price tag. Everything in this place was top notch. Highest price breakfast I've ever had. But absolutely worth every penny, if not more. The staff were super friendly. They recognized me after I'd been just once before. The first time I went in I asked if they could refill my water bottle from the road, and the second time I went in, I knew they recognized me because they said 'hi... want your water bottle filling?' I chat a lot, sometimes too much, because I can go days on the road without speaking to anyone. But they were very friendly about it, and I felt at home in their pub.

Off the cuff, I also wanted to stay in one of the rooms. However, I have a disability, that is a severe perfume allergy, so almost all hotels are off limits to me. Its the cleaning fluids they have to use. They let me see the rooms first, so I could make a decision. They were amazing. I saw 3 of them. Really high quality. Due to the allergy thing, I couldn't say yes to them, unfortunately. They couldn't exactly swap all their cleaning fluids for scent free right there and then, so it wasn't their fault. However, unlike in most places where they'd treat me like some weirdo or think I was awkward for wasting their time, instead they went a step above and beyond to help me. I was travelling with a tent, and it was dark now, so instead of having to sleep by the roadside or trespass on some farmer's land, they set me up in their little back paddock. So I got to have another breakfast when I got up in the morning. Very nice. When you have a disability, especially a hidden disability, its the little things that make all the difference. I fully intend to pass by their pub again in the future, and take the opportunity to have one of their...

Whew,  after a very long trip that started 32 days ago,  12 hotels and probably 1600 miles; I must say that this hotel is a very nice surprise.

It literally has anything and everything you could need.

Spacious bed,  comfortable mattress

Pillows that don't go flat...I hate that

Rain drop and hand-held shower fixtures

Towel warmer

Nice spa-level shampoo and lotions

Walk-in automatic light

Soft large towels and face towels

Spa robes

The tea station has water,  crisps, and biscuits.  The really special touch the host provided us with a thermos of milk; very much appreciated after such a long time traveling.

The telly is probably the largest that we have seen in Scotland and the UK.

The side tables have outlets behind them for easy phone charging and glasses also here for water.   The extra touch that I have share is that they provided an aromatherapy therapy spray for calming and deep sleep.

The restaurant has 3 star level food and drinks.   Everything here far exceeds even the 4 star hotel that we stayed elsewhere.

Breakfast was amazing with lots of choices.   I chose the yogurt with berries and granola.   It was perfect,  as well as my husband's full English breakfast.  Highly recommend staying and eating here.

Only suggestion... maybe put a table fan in the room for those hot days.

I highly would recommend staying here, and if we are ever back in the area,  we will...

We visit Harrogate at least once a year and usually face the choice between a Plastic Cozilodge resembling an open prison and a genteel but overpriced Agatha Christie experience in the town centre. This year, I was as usual scrolling glumly through lists of unsuitable options when I stumbled across something interesting. Kirkby Overblow is a perfect, quiet Yorkshire village on a ridge overlooking Wharfedale, but only 10-15 minutes' drive from Harrogate. At its centre is the Shoulder of Mutton, a lively and deservedly popular inn which offers high quality accommodation and excellent food. ||The room we stayed in for two nights (Wharfedale) was spacious, spotlessly clean, comfortable and well appointed, with its own entrance at ground floor level (which matters to us). The day of our arrival happened to be Mother's Day. The restaurant had been fully booked for weeks, but somehow a table was found for us and we enjoyed a late Sunday lunch. The second evening was quieter, and we were able to sample a more relaxed dinner. The standard of cooking was consistently high.||0900 is late - very late - to start serving breakfast; but as guests have the option of requesting an earlier breakfast anyway, it doesn't seem to matter much.||So now we know what to...