The Penny Bun

About

The Penny Bun sits in Askwith, between Otley and Ilkley, looking at first like the sort of Yorkshire inn that has heard every village story twice and improved half of them. It has been part of local life for well over 150 years, once known as The Askwith Arms and The Black Horse, before reopening in 2024 with a name borrowed from the woods. A penny bun is the porcini-like mushroom found nearby, which sounds like clever branding until you see the sign, the stone wall, the vegetables arriving in crates and realise it is simply the right name. Inside, the renovation has resisted the usual pub makeover traps. No tartan theatrics, no forced heritage, no boutique clutter. The rooms and dining spaces are quiet and tactile: ochre plaster, dark timber, linen, handmade ceramics, candlelight and just enough shadow to make a glass of red look like a very good decision. Upstairs are only five bedrooms, all free of screens. This could feel like a concept. Here it feels like common sense. There is a bath by the window, heavy fabric, soft light and the Yorkshire air waiting outside. The food gives the place its backbone. The kitchen works with local produce and Denton Reserve, the surrounding 2,500 acre estate focused on biodiversity and sustainable food production. But dinner never turns into a sermon. It remains a pub meal, only sharper: serious vegetables, proper roasts, dark sauces, confident puddings and plates that make walking boots feel earned. The Penny Bun is not luxury by volume, but by taste, atmosphere and a clear sense of place. Come hungry, bring boots, stay the night.