If you are looking for a country pub for Sunday dinner, afternoon tea or even just a regular lunch then I think The Drover’s Arms at Skipwith would be perfect for you. They have recently spent a fortune (£150k!) refurbishing. I hadn’t visited previously so can’t compare, but I can confirm the interior is gorgeous now. We were lucky enough to be invited along to review – and visited for lunch this past week.
It has an impressive reputation after winning the ‘Pub of The Year’ in 2021, 2022 and 2023 in the Visit York Tourism Awards, placed Gold in the White Rose Awards in 2020 and won in the Selby District Business Awards 2020 as ‘Tourism & Leisure Business of the Year.’
It’s a perfect ‘nice day out’ type of destination pub being just a 20 minute drive from the centre of York. They have lots of outdoor space too – a large beer garden, which I can imagine is idyllic in the summer:
They also have an outdoor tipi with a heater, cosy cabins and festoon lights. Blankets and rugs are provided too so you can eat and drink under the stars! Oh and (less romantic, but practical) a big car park too which is always handy.
Inside is gorgeous with a snug and bar area.
Then there is the restaurant. We were lucky as we arrived at 12 just as the pub opened so I could whizz round taking photos without getting in anyone’s way.
They have a set lunch menu (two courses for £22) or the regular a la carte menu that’s available all the time. They also have an early evening menu, an al fresco menu, kids’ menu, and as I mentioned earlier, Sunday dinner and afternoon tea!
We tried a main course and some small plates. While we were waiting for our food, we were brought some complimentary bread (warm and fresh!) and some Yorkshire butter.
My husband went for the chicken, ham & tarragon pie with
melted flat capper Yorkshire brie, triple cooked chips, garden peas and gravy. He said it was an excellent pie, and has mentioned it since we visited so it was clearly good!
I tried out the glazed pigs in blankets Thorganby honey & chilli:
These were great sausages, in preference I would have liked more honey – but I do have a sweet tooth! I also tried Frank’s Red Hot sauce chicken wings with black sesame seeds, spring onions, charred lime. I really enjoyed these, and loved squeeze of lime.
Finally I ordered a side of the “Royal fries” with sea salt and truffle melted cheese. These were full of flavour but defeated me (our server offered to box them up for me, which was great). If I was to return I would go for the triple cooked chips as hubby had these and as nice as the Royal Fries were, I did have some food envy.
The staff were lovely and friendly too. They all wore very smart uniforms and the service was definitely a cut above what you would expect. It’s a perfect spot for a special occasion, but don’t just save it for that!
