Located just five miles outside of Huddersfield, you’ll find yourself in Kirkburton, a village and civil parish, a little Yorkshire gem that was completely unheard of to me.

A one-night getaway is what brought us here, just a half hour drive away, seeing another glorious spot on this side of the grass, all ready for another adventure of food and a good night’s sleep at The Foxglove*.Built way back when in 1864, The Foxglove is a pub that has a lot of character, charm and history. Originally, the country pub was known as the Railway Junction Inn, and the name stemmed from a railway extension proposal from Barnsley to a junction with the London and North West Railway. The pub changed names once after that until The Foxglove stuck 18 years ago.

Having recently refurbished the entire venue, from hotel rooms right through to the pub and restaurant area – and although not knowing how it looked prior – we were excited to see the completed project.

The pub has a country living style to it, cosy and rustic, with a roaring fire to keep away the winter chills. The refurb has brought in a modern touch, with country-chic décor, statement chairs with decadent golden lined bird designs, without infringing on the classic country pub atmosphere.

The Foxglove is a roof where our four-legged friends can find shelter in too, with doggy drinks and snacks to keep them well watered and fed, whilst their human companions do the same. And for later, when the slumber kicks in, paws up on a comfy mat near the blazing logs. Bliss.Eager to see the rooms, we were checked in with a smile and pointed in the direction of the out-house, where the lodges were.

The rooms

Room 11 was our home away from home for the night. It’s modern and chic with luxurious yet homely furnishings.

Centre of the room, a grand king bed, a pillow palace with two gorgeous statement peacock cushions. The colour scheme was natural and earthy, with similarly themed prints on the wall, and a scandi-style wooden clothes rail. In the corner, a dark dresser with a drink station, and back towards the main entrance, a light and clean bathroom.The bathroom was small with a door that at times got in the way, but most importantly, allowed us to clean and get ready in a well-lit room. The rooms overall have been completed to a lovely standard, that looks fresh, modern, homely, at a very affordable price.

The food

Our evening meal  

At seven, we made our way downstairs, thrilled for what was next to come. The bar and restaurant became extremely busy, clearly, a firm favourite to eat out at, a very good sign indeed.

Seated and shown the menu, there were plenty of options to pick from. Alongside their a la carte menu, The Foxglove had various others to choose from too including the fixed price, weekend treat and vegan-friendly.As we wanted to try some dishes that weren’t included in the other menus, we went solo and ate from the a la carte.

Ahead of the meal, we picked a rose wine, a drink that Nathan usually does not enjoy. We went with The Bulletin White Zinfandel, and it was a delight. It was sweet and fruity, very easy to drink and very refreshing.

I’d go to say, probably my favourite rose yet, with a strong nod from Nathan too. We started with chargrilled sticky ribs for Nathan, which came glazed with a maple and chipotle sauce, and a zingy mango and pineapple salsa.

An awesome combination between the smoky flavours and refreshing bursts of fruit. The ribs were soft, tender and meaty.I had my eye on the prize and chose the one and only pan-seared scallops. Three delicate, golden seared scallops that were seasoned to perfection.

The crispy bacon and the sage potato puree married together in the best way possible. I could have had 100 plates more. As for the black pudding, as I don’t eat it, it went straight over to Nathan’s plate, who was delighted with the extras.

We both opted for a meat feast main, whilst I chose the lamb, Nathan went for steak.My roasted rack of lamb was served pink upon request and recommendation, and it hit the spot. Effortless to cut through and mouth-watering flavours.

Served with the lamb were all the greens – asparagus, soya beans and broccoli– with a light rosemary white wine velouté and spiced fried baby potatoes.Surf and turfing it, Nathan’s 10oz ribeye had additional garlic prawns on top. The meat was juicy with a superb flavour and the prawns soft, a winning combination.

Placed alongside this dish were triple-cooked chips, homemade onion rings and a thyme-roasted tomato.

As you can imagine, both courses were demolished, and the plates returned empty.

After our feast and a half, we’d have been more than satisfied finishing there, but the dessert menu led us astray.As with the starters and mains, the dessert menu was abundant with choices. Each one sounding as scrumptious as the other. I made a beeline for the coconut panna cotta and Nathan the toffee and butterscotch duo.

Rich and indulgent, gooey and luxurious, Nathan’s duo of desserts were the absolute royalty of sweet treats. On the other side of the dessert spectrum, my panna cotta was light, fluffy with an intense tropical taste of coconut. The garnish of fruits added a fruity zest to it.

And in five, four, three, two, one…   all the desserts were gone.

Our breakfast

To kick-start our Saturday, a good breakfast was in order. Included in the overnight stay price is a continental breakfast buffet, and with a small upgrade, an additional full English.

The morning atmosphere in the restaurant was great, a handful of early-risers were already enjoying their breakfast, and the team were nattering away to other guests as they waited for the food to arrive.Before the fry-up arrived, we helped ourselves to some coffee and croissants, and chatted about last nights food, and what our plan of action was for the day.

Shortly after, our warm breakfast was served. All the key components where there – it was the full works.

As we tucked in, we gave each other the nod of approval, it was lovely. The hash browns were gold and crispy, chargrilled bacon, juicy tomatoes and seasoned mushrooms.The sausages weren’t quite to my liking, but again, Nathan was more than happy with two extra items.

Right at that moment in time, we felt like we were winning at life.

There are so many places in the UK I’d like to visit, and staycations are a great way to explore and retreat. All of ours so far have been within Yorkshire, because of course it’ God’s own country and there’s so much to see, next year we’ll probably venture out further afield.

Where has your favourite staycation been?

Charlotte xox

*I was invited to The Foxglove to review their newly refurbished venue. All thoughts and opinions are my own.