GAVIN AITCHISON revisits a favourite haunt and finds things twice as nice

WE’VE been here before, it’s true.

Two summers ago, to be vaguely precise. I waxed lyrical and thought then that this pub could scarcely be bettered.

Well they’ve proven me well and truly wrong.

As if to defy all trends within the industry, the pub has expanded, trade has grown, and the beer has fallen in price. Today, I’m not convinced there’s a single pub in Yorkshire better than this one.

Welcome back to The Goodmanham Arms, a wonderful pub in truly idyllic surroundings. It was raining as I arrived but it did not matter one jot. This is an enchanting village and a magical pub, and today’s rain is simply tomorrow’s beer.

We don’t ordinarily return to village pubs on these jollies of ours, such is the vast choice across the county. It seems unjust to retrace our steps when other gems lie untried, but things have changed here since we last stopped by and it demands a fresh look.

The Goodmanham Arms, a mile north of Market Weighton, still displays all the positives we found before. There are vast plates of food, a warm welcome, a well-stocked bar and three glorious fireplaces for the winter months.

But now there is more. Off to the left, off the bar, a new side room has been constructed, a simple expansion to accommodate landlord Vito Logozzi’s beloved motorbikes.

Vito, originally from southern Italy, had previously displayed one of his bikes beside the piano and another beside the bar. But as the pub grew in popularity they became too much of an obstacle. So he is now showing off his collection properly, his beloved 1954 Moto Guzzi 'Arione' taking pride of place alongside three other bikes, assorted pieces of motoring memorabilia, miniature models and, one day he hopes, a vintage petrol pump.

Even more spectacular than the bikes is the output from the pub brewery, based in an outbuilding in the car-park. Vito’s wife Abbie began brewing around a year ago and her All Hallows Ales now account for three of the eight hand-pulls on the bar.

Wayward Angel (a crisp pale ale), Peg Fyfe (a dark mild) and Ragged Robyn (a ruby beer) are the regulars, but there are some exciting one-offs and new creations. Wobbly Wheel, brewed to celebrate the birth of the museum, is a smoky pale ale, and partly uses the same smoked malt that goes into some Scotch whisky.

The Wayward Angel reached the Rook and Gaskill in Lawrence Street a few weeks ago, the brewery’s first appearance in a York pub, and it was delicious – smooth, fruity and full of flavour.

“It is going very well,” says Abbie, between brews. “We have four or five pubs taking the beer as well and we have had some on the bar at beer festivals.”

The brewery had operated before but had been dormant for seven years until Abbie got things going again, and the response since she revived it has been positive. The Wobbly Wheel has gone down well and some more of the smoked malt has now gone into a bottled beer called Hickory’s Ghost, also using chipotle and chilli, which will be available through Yorkshire Ales in Snaith and Malton.

If you missed out at The Rook, then more regular sources include the New Inn in Cliffe, Chequers in Beverley and The Star at Driffield, although anyone yet to try the beers would be a fool not to just head for The Goodmanham Arms itself. The beers here now start at £2.25 a pint, which is 25p a pint lower than when we visited two years ago. Along with the house ales there is also a strong selection from across Yorkshire, including breweries such as Theakston’s, Wold Top, Hambleton and Black Dog over in Whitby. A solitary pale ale from Tintagel Brewery in Cornwall was the only non-Yorkshire interloper on my latest visit.

Twitter: @pintsofview