New award for Harrogate bar

The Oxford Street bar has won the Summer Pub 2018 award from the West Riding Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW). The group supports the drinking of traditional draught beer drawn direct from the cask by gravity.

Starling is already flying high after winning Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA Pub of the Year and being named Newcomer of the Year in the 2018 Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Awards.

Owner Simon Midgley said: “I am very pleased and flattered to receive the SPBW’s award. At Starling we take great care to ensure the beers are well-kept and that the team provide a friendly and knowledgeable service to our customers.”

Simon opened Starling in March last year with 20 years in the food and drinks industry already behind him including 12 years with Knaresborough-based Market Town Taverns. He says the hat-trick of awards is very welcome recognition for the dedication and hard work he and his team put into Starling, which offers food as well as drinks and also hosts entertainment events, gigs, private functions and business meetings.

With the third award consolidating Starling’s place in Harrogate’s thriving cool bar scene, Simon has taken the opportunity to tweak the name to Starling Independent Bar Café Kitchen.He explains: “We’ve been open for 18 months and with the success we’ve had, I felt it was a good time to really focus on who we are and what we do, hence Starling Independent Bar Café Kitchen.”

Starling offers 10 craft keg taps and six cask hand pulls along with 30 gins and more than 20 whiskies as well as ciders and wine. And for the tea and coffee offering, Starling has teamed up with the Brew Tea Company in Manchester and the Dark Woods Roastery in Marsden near Huddersfield.The signature food offering is Neapolitan-style pizza made from scratch using Italian flour and an Italian tomato variety for the sauce. An extensive brunch menu featuring a Full English or the healthy option is available, too.