There’s a New Steakhouse Causing a Stampede in Ilkey

Food & Drink

Posted on July 31, 2024

We are unashamedly carnivores, and the minute we heard that one of our favourite Yorkshire chefs was involved in opening a steakhouse in Ilkley, we had steam coming off our heels to get there!

The concept behind Herd Steakhouse is simple, to showcase the finest beef Yorkshire has to offer. Forging relationships with local farmers, visiting their farms to see how the animals are cared for, what they are fed and to hand select the finest cattle ready for the dry aging process.

“We visit every one of our suppliers to ensure that all the ingredients used are to the high standards we expect, to ensure that you enjoy the true taste of Yorkshire and what it has to offer!”

Having known Chef Joe Crowe for many years, we have followed his career with personal interest. Joe pushes the culinary boundaries, and we love it! His Dippy Egg dessert (yes you did read that correctly!), is a masterpiece that messes with the senses, and once tasted you will remember it forever as one of, if not the best dessert experience you have ever had.

But I digress. We wanted to check the credentials of the meat, and there’s only one way to do that – eat it!

We knew the food would be good with Joe’s involvement, but we didn’t expect to be so unbelievably ‘wowed’, I mean it was the first day that Herd was open to the public, you would never have known, all bar a couple of teething problems, it ran like clockwork.

We loved the rustic feel and the true Yorkshire welcome, but it was when we saw the many cuts of meat in the two large glass fridges on display inside the entrance that we stopped in our tracks. This wasn’t just our reaction, it happened to everyone who came in. It’s a showstopper of a welcome, especially when the owner and local butcher, Phil Bennett comes over for a chat and talks you through the various cuts, along with his recommendations.

Phil, a butcher, is Yorkshire through and through and is passionate about introducing his customers to the very best quality meat that’s available throughout the county. He is very proud of how Joe expertly showcases the produce throughout the Herd Steakhouse menu.

The menu:

Let me tell you more about the food, because this is what we came to experience.

The menu is expertly curated with seven starters, a ‘From the Grill’ section, five main course for anyone not wanting beef, (including vegetarians and vegans), side orders and sauces. It’s simple yet perfect.

There is also a chalkboard with Herd Yorkshire Steakhouse Cuts – these are really interesting as any of them can be shared between two people.

What we ate:

We started with two of Joe’s signature dishes; Wild Boar Scotch Egg – blackberry, shallot, apple, and Pan Seared King Scallops – celeriac, chorizo, Bramley Apple, popcorn.

Both good sized starters. The scotch egg was bursting with strong flavour, expertly balanced by the fruits of summer. It also had a perfect soft yolk. The scallops dish, was a flavour combination that was pure magic. The scallops were buttery and sweet, the celeriac creamy and mild and the chorizo added a burst of smoky paprika while the popcorn added a lovely crunch.

The cuts on that chalkboard were a bit of us and we plumped for the Tomahawk Steak (26 day aged and 32oz). It was taken from the fridge and expertly butchered by Phil, who brought it to our table for our approval before being cooked to perfection by Chef Joe Crowe.

We chose two sauces, giant Vodka Battered Onion Rings and a Lettuce Wedge with parmesan shavings, smoked bacon and House Ranch dressing. Oh and let’s not forget those Twice Cooked Beef Dripping Chips that had us drooling!

That steak was like butter!

I feel safe saying it was probably the best steak we have ever eaten. We didn’t think we would finish it but there was no way anything was going to be left on our plates!

The Vodka Onion Rings and the Lettuce Wedge, inspired and delicious sides. There was nothing left and our bellies were well and truly full.