The Knights Table — Restaurant in England

Friday Night End Of Month Quiz.

How can one articulate emotion? It's all a load of bollocks isn't it? But you can try. You can make a start.

I've pulled over by the River Wharfe, my favourite stream, on the way home from the quiz at The Knight's Table in Stainforth, and a night and morning by The Ribble, another 'my favourite stream', determined to catch the moment, but like the Piper at The Gates of Dawn it was a moment, that is now just a second hand memory. Evaporated, or perhaps diluted into Stainforth Force to mix with billions of other stories all with the inevitable conclusion of the Irish Sea and Atlantic. Give my regards to Fulke Hall (it's on the bay near Fleetwood).

The quiz? As good a SpeedQuiz set as I have heard, with bonuses of great music, a 1 v 100 round, ten multi taps, fair, good scorage, screens, more than competent landlord/host (Dave), all sliding scale with not overmuch score inflation between rounds, a relatively low value nearest wins (30, he did up it too 52!), ergo, practically no feckaboutery. OMG I realise now, on making that list why I am so excited. Look, a good quiz is a piece of cake, literally a 'cake mix'. How so many get it wrong baffles me! But you have the deal here, free to enter, decent prize with six months shelf life.

That's not the trick.

Not only is this pub/ excellent restaurant in the most idyllic of locations. The Yorkshire Dales truly are God's country, but the real USP is Family. Don't ask me how all the the people here are related, but many of them are, and are proud of it and no wonder. Pictures on the wall from way back in the day, events being conducted, familiarity, welcome and confidence. It's like an alternate universe Deliverance where though I am an unworthy intruder I am just blissfully a receptacle for half a gallon of £4 a pint excellent beer in a £4 a pint world who cannot enjoy an evening more.

It reinforces my conviction that my love for humans, especially those with their lives in front of them is absolutely 100% slam dunk positive.

Cue "The Greatest Love of All" (George Benson version)

:)

In case you didn't get all that, this pub and quiz are...

Stayed at Knight Stainforth for many years camping with my family when i was younger & I've brought my children a few times & they loved it especially the river situated off the campsite where a kind gentleman took my kids on his canoe to ride the rapids. Very experienced gentlemen & he made my kids day. The Knights table wasn't there at the times we went camping when my kids were younger so we had quite a few barbecues. More recently we've been camping when i brought my eldest son & his partner who have never been camping here & they both loved it especially the Knights table with a fantastic menu. We had grandma's cheese & onion pie & it was delicious. Also the fireworks a few years ago i bought vip tickets for me & my youngest son for a bit of quality father & son times. I'd highly recommend Knight Stainforth Hall to anybody. The view is outstanding & many walks all around the place. Excellent experience. Very helpful staff as well who go the extra mile. Can't wait to stay again....

The food was a curate's egg - good in parts. Nice soup with good fresh bread and crisp croutons. I liked the Sweet Potato Korma too. Neither of us were enthralled by Mary's choice. Her 'Plump Greenland Prawns' were nicely coated with a sweet chilli dip would have been good if they were as described, but in fact we're so small even as shrimps they must have been juniors. Definitely a new definition of the word plump. The Trio of Pork - pork chop, black pudding & a sausage with chips & veg - was underwhelming. Black pudding a bit salty, gravy and sausage nothing special, and the veg was, sadly, standard English plain steamed beetroot, broccoli and carrot, though not overcooked which was a redeeming feature. As for the chips, we abandoned them. Thinnish if not quite as thin as some others they were a bit brown. Overall the disappointing features, especially the miss-described prawns at £8.95, give my rating as not great...