The Tickled Trout is a favourite of mine and it’s always a pleasure to return. Formally the Chequers Inn, The Tickled Trout is situated in the picturesque village of Bilton-in-Ainsty, just five minutes from Wetherby town centre.
This 17th century inn is owned by Karl and Amanda Mainey who have tastefully brought it back to life with open fires, log burners, large cosy rugs, exquisite oak panelling and a wonderful outdoor heated seating area with two Moroccan Bedouin tents. As the name would suggest, fish is a speciality with fresh daily deliveries, skilfully paired with local ingredients and foraged produce from the local hedgerows by the talented head chef Terry Davies. They even have their own herb garden. We went on a Friday night and were taken through to the contemporary, yet traditional, restaurant packed full of character and oozing with charm.
It’s a great start when you’re presented with a chunky slab of homemade black olive Focaccia, a black treacle bun and their own salted butter immediately upon being seated. The perfect way to keep hunger at bay whilst looking through the menus, of which there are three to choose from: the main menu; the specials menu and the pizza menu. Their speciality is fish and this is ultimately what we chose, however, their large wood-fired pizza oven, imported from Italy, is lit every morning allowing them to serve glorious pizza at lunchtime and early evening.
For starters I chose the Queenie Scallops baked in the shell with garlic and Gruyere cheese. Trish opted for Crisp Tempura Prawns, with Asian salad and sweet chilli, both £10.95. For the main course, I opted for the Fresh Seafood Linguine made with fresh pasta and Langoustine Bisque, whilst Trish chose the Fresh Sea Trout Fillet with smoked butter, vine tomatoes, Kalamata olives, basil and confit potato, both £19.95.
Finally for dessert, which was very hard to pick as they all sounded amazing, I settled for ‘Secret Garden’ Lemon Posset which I recommend, whilst Trish went for the Affogato, vanilla ice cream, Espresso, shot of Amaretto, with chocolates, both £6.95.
The food and service was faultless, and I highly commend the staff for been so welcoming and helpful. All were wearing masks and were attentive without getting too close.
You can choose to stay over in one of their five boutique rooms, all named after Yorkshire rivers and each with their own character and style. Perfect for a peaceful getaway with countryside views, there is even a complimentary decanter of bedtime port and a Yorkshire breakfast is included.
A great night and highly recommended!
Contact us
The Tickled Trout Inn
Bilton-in-Ainsty,
Wetherby YO26 7NN.
Tel. 01423 359006
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