Inside story: New owners 'bring fresh life' to one of Harrogate walkers’ favourite country pubs
The new owners of one of Harrogate walkers’ favourite country pubs have opened up their vision for a characterful establishment which became the first non-smoking pub in the world more than 50 years ago.
Since couple Alexa and Chris Ives took over The New Inn in Appletreewick spectacularly overlooking the Dales Way they have injected new life into a traditional inn which has a rich history.
Having first opened its doors in the 1850s, the New Inn had briefly risen to fame in 1971 as the first non-smoking pub in the world under the colourful ownership of landlord Jack Showers.
Later, in the 1990s, it became a mecca for cyclists with a mountain bike livery under legendary landlord and endurance rider John Pitchers.
Now, after a fallow period in recent years, the New Inn’s is under refreshing new ownership that hails from the village itself which is located 20 miles from Harrogate.
Welcomed by fellow villagers, the owners live in the parish, knew the potential of the pub, and wanted to put it back on the map as a haven for real ale and spirit lovers, as well as a destination for foodies looking for something significantly different.
“Whether people are hardened walkers wanting to stay and ‘do’ this section of the Dales Way or day visitors who just want an idyllic flat riverside walk before enjoying a memorable meal, we make sure the New Inn provides the hospitality to match,” said Alexa Ives.
Although a professional book-keeper, Alexa is more significantly she’s no stranger to the hospitality business at a senior level, with eight years working front of house at award-winning Ilkely restaurant, The Box Tree.
Described as a “hands-on grafter”, she is an accomplished landlady leading the small team by example; one minute helping to clean guest bedrooms and the next pulling pints while masterminding refurbishment plans and managing the entire operation in-between.
Her not-so-silent investment partner and husband, Chris Ives, brings beer and spirits expertise with impressive credentials.
Chris founded Ilkley Brewery in 2009, which went on to win the Yorkshire Post Business Accelerator Award in 2011 as one of the fastest growing businesses in the UK
Since taking over the New Inn, which boasts six en-suite guest bedrooms, the Ives have been busily engaged on “bringing the pub back to life”, including appointing a new chef, Mikael Paylor, who learned his trade under celebrated chefs including Richard Corrigan and Brendan Fyldes in Mayfair.
Born and bred down the road from Appletreewick in Grassington, a recent video by Mikael explaining the integrity of his cooking and what to expect from his kitchen at the New Inn garnered more more than 23k views on TikTok.
Customers have already noticed this experienced chef’s impact in the kitchen’s impact of the New Inn which remains resolutely true to its roots as a traditional local pub without the fine dining clichés of other country pubs in Yorkshire.
That is especially so when it comes to the pub’s Sunday lunches with their massive sharing platters.
Chris Ives said: "People like the informality of being able to help themselves to as much or as little as they like from beautiful vintage serving plates; somehow it evokes the atmosphere of traditional Sunday roasts from childhood.”
But Mikael, whose partner Sian Stansfield has joined the New Inn team as a pastry chef in the kitchen and support for Alexa behind the bar, remains a chef with ambition.
A forthcoming event at the pub will see him collaborating with interesting partners to host innovative foodie events such as an upcoming evening with Jane Peyton, the award-winning beer sommelier, writer, broadcaster and founder of the School of Booze, when a gourmet meal will be paired with a beer, cider or spirit to match each course, with lively introductions from Chris, Mikael and Jane.
Overlooking the Dales Way as it follows the River Wharfe between Burnsall and Bolton Abbey, the New Inn lies a stone's throw from fellow pub Craven Arms and Masons Campsite in Appletreewick.
To this day the village in the shadow of the towering 1,591 feet of Simon’s Seat remains a magnet for cyclists runners and walkers from the Harrogate area and beyond.
And that is the way the new owners of the New Inn will try their hardest to keep.
More information at: https://appletreewick.pub/