One thing we love about the festive season is that very first Christmas meal, and we think we have found a brilliant place for you.
If you are looking for somewhere to enjoy a Christmas lunch, dinner, take a group of friends, family or work colleagues, The Turkey Inn in the hamlet of Goose Eye, near Keighley in Yorkshire is perfect, and possibly the best Christmas menu in the area. And we don’t say that lightly.
A festive menu has to not only have all the traditional dishes, it needs to do them well and in these challenging times, at a fair and affordable price.
When we were invited to review the menu at The Turkey Inn, we expected good as we had been before, what we didn’t expect was excellent! But excellent is exactly what we got.
First impressions count for so much, and the decorations are beautiful, tasteful and classy with just the right amount of red, green and gold. The open fires were roaring, the Christmas music was at the perfect volume, and the welcome was genuine and warm.
Once settled at our table, we were quick to order – no dithering over this menu, it ticks all the traditional boxes of what we wanted to see.
Starters:
Prawn & Crayfish Cocktail with buttered brown bread. Fat, juicy prawns and crayfish, a creamy Marie Rose sauce, served on a bed of crisp lettuce. What more could you want from this classic retro starter – absolutely nothing! Perfect.
Chicken Liver Pate with crostini and red onion chutney. This was quite a hefty portion for one and I have to admit I shared some with my dining partner. Big mistake! This was so delicious he kept coming back for more! Creamy, rich and savoury, perfectly paired with the onion marmalade and crostini. Another tick from us.
Mains:
Traditional Roast Turkey with duck fat roast potatoes, pigs in blankets and all the trimmings. We were both going to choose this, being the purists that we are, however, we wanted to try one of the other options for balance. Everything looked superb, just as it should, especially those big, fat slides of juicy turkey! My dining partner made appreciative noises throughout which told me everything I needed to know.
Pan Fried Salmon Fillet with crushed new potato, dill cream and sauteed tender stem broccoli was my choice. Wow! The salmon fillet was huge, and it was cooked to perfection. I was so hung up on the turkey, I completely forgot how much I love salmon – especially when it’s such good quality fish and cooked so well. It was juicy, tender and full of flavour. The crushed new potatoes and tender stem broccoli were simple yet ingenious accompaniments. I had chosen well.
Desserts:
Christmas Pudding with Brandy sauce. Keeping with the traditional them on this one, the dessert was the perfect size, moist, sweet, full of plump juicy fruit, and finished with a smooth silky brandy sauce. It looked perfect and tasted superb! Another clean plate!
Winter Berry Eton Mess. Oh my goodness, it had been a long time since I had eaten this dish and I had forgotten how good it is. Such a simple concept of broken meringue, whipped cream and fresh strawberries, with a bonus of a scorched chewy meringue disc on top. I took a moment to appreciate it before tucking in. I kept stopping saying, “I can’t possibly eat anymore!”, but tucking in again after a couple of minutes and before I knew it, the dish was empty.
What a fantastic meal, with superb options for those who want to steer away from the turkey and Christmas pud, and the price point is perfect at £28.95 for two courses and £35.95 for three courses. This has to be the best Christmas menu in the area.
We haven’t yet mentioned the many real and craft ales, great wine selection and there’s even a doggy menu!
We must congratulate Jordan the chef as the standard of food we ate was exceptional. It’s no surprise that awards are flying in the door! With general manager Ali Allawa at the helm, this place is flying. Watch this space.
We highly recommend booking now for your Christmas meal at The Turkey Inn. We think this is the best Christmas menu of 2025!
Make your booking HERE.
Review and images by Angela Riches and Dave Riches
