CragRats turn on the style..

Post budget depression seemed not to be seriously afflicting the resilient inhabitants of the Holme Valley, I detected.

Perhaps it was the prospect of an easing of the credit crunch and the imminent blossoming of the promised fiscal Darling Buds of May that had buoyed the spirits, but the sizable gathering of Thursday night spring diners at CragRats Brasserie were in fine form.

And so they should have been – on the menu was high class cuisine in a sumptuous setting. Yorkshire folk are sticklers when it comes to parting with their hard earned brass, and the CragRats team could have been perceived to have taken somewhat of a gamble when they converted the former Chase, above Hepworth, in the back of beyond, into an elegant, tastefully artistic restaurant in a picturesque setting with fabulous views of the rolling hills.  But the award-winning theatre and training company, based at Dunford Road, Holmfirth, where they also run a popular cafe bar, have again proved they know what their customers want – and how best to give it to them.

Around six years ago, CragRats set out to create something different in food and drink in the Holme Valley- and they certainly did that.

The reception area sets the stylish scene, featuring leather furniture, subdued lighting, and even a grand piano.  Our party of four ordered aperitif drinks and soon we were ushered to a corner table.

The main restaurant area is cool and stylish and the staff were as well dressed as the crab cakes that two of us ordered for starters.

Not just crab cakes but Thai-style crab cakes, with Malaysian curried mussel risotto, stem ginger and coriander chutney.  Truly delicious.  Out friends chose one devilled kidneys on toast with oven dried cherry vine tomatoes and rosemary oil, and one herb rolled individual goats cheese log, with beetroot mousse, mixed leaves, roast chilli and olive pesto.  They, too, were suitably impressed.

For main course I opted for a ballontine of chicken stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, brie and basil, garlic and black pepper pomme puree, Chablis and oyster mushroom cream.  Not being a regular meat eater, I had forgotten what prime free range chicken tasted like.  In company with such piquant adornments, firm, flaky but delicately moist, it was truly irresistible.

Our friends agreed to agree on their choice and went for the oven roasted pork tenderloin with celeriac and apple dauphinoise, braised leeks and mushroom and scrumpy sauce, which they duly pronounced tasted even better than it sounded and looked.

But then Carol, the maverick gourmet of the party, threw in an additional tester for the CragRats chef’s culinary skills and repertoire.  She had been undecided with her starter course order: a lover of all things seafood, she was torn between the Thai crab cakes and the sauté king prawns, broccoli puree, ricotta gnocchi served with caviar and champagne cream.  Would it be possible to have the king prawns as a main dish?

The head waiter handled the offbeat request with calm assurance and when it appeared, the hastily composed additional ‘mains’ was served up a treat, an augmented helping of king prawns complemented by a large cardamom salad.

The sweets were wickedly composed and beautifully, artistically presented.  Try blueberry and white chocolate pannacotta, cinnamon muffin ice cream or tiramisu meringue cheesecake, expresso sorbet with cocoa foam.  Or why not a cylinder of chocolate and hazelnut mousse, nougatine aux praline, with raspberry and puree?  Or how about Yorkshire rhubarb and apple crumble, with pistachio ice cream and vanilla pod crème anglaise, or the slow-baked strawberry crème brulee, fruits of the forest sorbet and basil biscotti.  Or perhaps the palette of home-made ice creams?  Then, alternatively, you could always opt for cheese and biscuits, homemade chutney with grapes and celery...Shall I stop now?...!

FREE CHAUFFEUR SERVICE
And CragRats have come up with another deft touch to add to the appeal of a night out at their hugely impressive restaurant set up.

Dine at CragRats Brasserie and you can enjoy a complimentary return chauffeur service from in their smart six seater Diners’ Club Chrysler.

The chauffeur service is available to Diners’ Club members who live in a five mile radius of the Hepworth Brasserie or Holmfirth Cafe Bar – and is free of charge.

To book, inquire when you make your reservation at the Brasserie or Cafe bar.  To become a member of CragRats Diners’’ Club, and get 20% off your food bill, fill in an application form.  It’s free to join.

On this occasion we did not take up the CragRats largesse.

Our friends live 27 miles away on the other side of Sheffield – but they considered the dive well worth the effort.

Review By Steve Catchpool