14 Jun Spotlight on Meandering Bear
There’s lots to love about the intriguingly named Meandering Bear. This locally owned little gem is everything we want from an independent bar; friendly, unpretentious, and serving a fabulous variety of drinks and food, much of it from the region.
You’ll find cask and keg beers from lesser-known breweries here, as well as a tantalising selection of cocktails. The wine list is a revelation too: interesting, eclectic and punching well above its weight for a small down-to-earth venue like this. The food menu has exactly the kind of simple but tasty things you want with a pint or a pinot, like top-notch toasted cheese sandwiches, legendary pork pies or locally sourced cheese and meat plates with a selection of relish. Even the coffee is a cut above, using beans grown in El Salvador then roasted ‘down the road’, with a donation made to the local women’s centre for every cup sold.
Events-wise, there’s live jazz once a month but not much else, thank goodness. That’s because this is the kind of quiet and intimate venue perfect for catching up, bringing a book or enjoying a little natter with the customer at the next table. If it’s entertainment you’re after, try the Bear’s legendary sister bar and the UK’s smallest music venue, Grayston Unity. For info on either bar, including their COVID safety, just check their websites.
Back to that name, then. Well, it refers to a fascinating true story of a bear that escaped from Halifax Zoo (yes, we had a zoo!) back in the early 1900’s…but then that’s another story. There’s a poem all about it on the wall of the bar – best enjoyed with a pint of something good, or a delicious coffee if you had one too many here the night before.
