It’s all change in the Yorkshire Dales village of Appletreewick at the distinctive hostelry which, well ahead of its time, rose to fame in 1971 as the first non-smoking pub in the world under the colourful ownership of Jack Showers.
Later, in the ‘90s, the New Inn in Appletreewick became a mecca for cyclists with a mountain bike livery under legendary landlord and endurance rider John Pitchers. Now, in 2025 it is starting to make a name for itself again with a new trinity of talent.
After a fallow period in recent years, the New Inn’s refreshing new ownership arrived from close to home. Welcomed by fellow locals, the owners live in the parish, knew the potential of the pub, and wanted to put it back on the map as a haven for real ale and spirit lovers, as well as a destination for foodies looking for something significantly different.
Alexa Ives is the driving force whose vision for “bringing the pub back to life” to Appletreewick is taking shape. A professional book-keeper, more significantly she’s no stranger to the hospitality business at a senior level, with eight years working front of house at The Box Tree in her arsenal. A hands-on grafter she is an accomplished landlady leading the small team by example; one minute helping to clean guest bedrooms and the next pulling pints while masterminding refurbishment plans and managing the entire operation in-between.
Her not-so-silent investment partner and husband, Chris Ives, brings beer and spirits expertise with impressive credentials. Chris founded Ilkley Brewery in 2009, which went on to win the Yorkshire Post Business Accelerator Award in 2011 as one of the fastest growing businesses in the UK. Chris sold the brewery in 2015 to restart his career in property consultancy – but his passion for the drinks industry continued to ferment. He and Alexa became founding partners in Otterbeck Distillery along with two other couples and Chris’s unique recipe for their Cotton Gin scooped gold and silver awards in international spirits competitions in 2021 and 2022.
Fast forwarding to the present, Alexa and Chris quietly settled in as landlords at the New Inn during the winter, ticking over while overhauling the interior of the pub and developing fresh branding – even the domain name appletreewick.pub makes a statement. Meanwhile they were starting the search for the final vital ingredient: a chef with vision. Serendipitously, that arrived in the form of Mikael Paylor, a dales lad who migrated to London at the age of 22, returning to Wharfedale edging 40 to take up free rein on the kitchen.
In London, Mikael learned his trade under celebrated chefs including Richard Corrigan and Brendan Fyldes in Mayfair, first at the famed Bentley’s Oyster Bar and then at the five-star Stafford Hotel where he became sous chef. From there he joined Mark Hix in Soho, where he became head chef under group head chef and TV personality Ronnie Murray. Mikael then turned his hand to troubleshooting for a Manchester based Italian restaurant chain, fixing failing kitchens across the country by training chefs and building teams.
You can take the man out of Yorkshire, but you can’t take the Yorkshire out of the man. Born and bred down the road from Appletreewick in Grassington, Mikael had a hankering to return to Wharfedale but needed a sufficiently interesting career opportunity to materialise. A regular New Inn customer, Mikael’s aunt, connected the dots and made an introduction. Alexa and Chris’s aims and the scope they offered for creative cooking ticked all the boxes for Mikael, while his forward-thinking ideas and passionate expertise sealed the deal for them. Mikael and his partner Sian Stansfield, who joins the team as a pastry chef in the kitchen and support for Alexa behind the bar, moved in to fuel the new chapter at the New Inn in the spring.
Mikael is already grabbing attention on TikTok, with more than 23k views for a recent video explaining the integrity of his cooking and what to expect from his kitchen at the New Inn. With home-grown produce the bedrock in his plans, his ideas, including a hydroponic wall in the kitchen for growing salad and herbs, feature strongly in his menu. Raised beds are under construction as part of an extensive kitchen garden along with solar panels, beehives and medieval species of fruit trees as well as apple, pear and plum. Seven varieties of mushrooms are growing in the shed and a smokehouse is in progress. The Rayburn in the lounge is soon to be pressed into service for breadmaking.
Mikael’s signature dish is ox heart, borne of his commitment to ‘nose to tail’ use of meat sourced from local farms and the butchers in nearby Pateley Bridge. Dales Dairies in Grassington and local cheesemakers supply dairy produce such as the delicious Blue Monday created by Blur’s Alex James, now made in Thirsk. Mikael’s brother, a local gamekeeper, will supply not only pheasant but also grouse, snipe, teal, widgeon, mallards and woodcock – in the same way that he did when Mikael was cooking for the Mayfair set and brushing shoulders with celebrities every day.
The level of skill he acquired in those years means Mikael is raising the bar back on home turf. It’s second nature for him to create everything from scratch, from brioche buns and bread through to ice cream. He is collaborating with interesting partners to host innovative foodie events such as an upcoming evening with Jane Peyton, the award-winning beer sommelier, writer, broadcaster and founder of the School of Booze, when a gourmet meal will be paired with a beer, cider or spirit to match each course, with lively introductions from Chris, Mikael and Jane. Customers can also look forward to outdoor feasts inspired by la ferme auberge to celebrate the seasons.
Yet Alexa, Chris and Mikael are all keen to ‘keep it real’ and champion the New Inn as a traditional local pub without the fine dining cliché. Sunday lunch is already going down a storm, served here with a big difference; presented on massive sharing platters for a relaxed family feast atmosphere which is proving hugely popular. Chris explains “People like the informality of being able to help themselves to as much or as little as they like from beautiful vintage serving plates; somehow it evokes the atmosphere of traditional Sunday roasts from childhood, I guess.”
The New Inn offers six en-suite guest bedrooms, most with a knock-out view of the stunning Wharfedale scenery and all getting spruced up under Alexa’s critical eye. The pub overlooks the Dales Way as it follows the River Wharfe between Burnsall and Bolton Abbey, which makes it a ‘365’ destination for walkers. Alexa explains “Whether people are hardened walkers wanting to stay and ‘do’ this section of the Dales Way or day visitors who just want an idyllic flat riverside walk before enjoying a memorable meal, we make sure the New Inn provides the hospitality to match.”
Images by Daniel Harrison
