by Gareth Dant

KEEPING it in the family, when it comes to business, can be a brave move.

According to a report from the Institute for Family Business last year, three million UK family firms employ 9.4 million people and generate a quarter of our GDP.

The inherent difficulties posed for a family business unit are well known – succession planning, for example, is a recurring theme for the classic family business of farming.

So it was an impressive upheaval for the Mottershead/Connolly family of four when they bought the pub from a brewer, moved down from Wensleydale and opened up last summer.

There’s cheery Megan Connolly, who has ten years’ experience out front and her stepfather Simon Mottershead is in the kitchen, which is headed up by her brother CJ Mottershead. Mum Michelle Mottershead has a full-time job outside the business, but nevertheless pitches in when needed.

The family all live over the pub.

The upgrade to the nearby A1M must have proved difficult for the string of villages south of Bedale and alongside the trunk road in recent years. Now, the vestigial former northbound lane left by the project provides a quick and easy route to Burneston from, in our case, Leeming Bar.

The pub has been smartly redecorated, and two newly-renovated letting bedrooms have recently opened.

On arrival, an excellent pint of Theakston’s Best Bitter was the best I’ve had in a long time, proving that old favourites are well worth returning to.

With winter declining to set us free from her clutches just yet, it was cold out and we both sought comfort food.

Menus are a simple, single page affair. Seven starters (all £4.99), a dozen mains – all at £9.99, plus sea bass and lamb shank for £11.95.

The list of main courses won’t set the heart aflutter; it reads like a retro tour of pub menus from times past. Chilli con carne, scampi in a basket, fish and chips, chicken balti and even giant Yorkshire puddings with various fillings – remember those?

This isn’t a criticism, mind. We’re all too used to appetite-whetting modern menu-writing tricks: sometimes it’s nice to be teased by a bit of ankle-flauntingly florid text, as long as it doesn’t cruelly mislead.

But this was the Cuprinol of à la carte – it did what it said on the page. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Anna’s classic prawn cocktail held no surprises, no flourishes, just a jumbo glass of Marie Rose sauce-smothered prawns. Plain and simple.

My smoked haddock and spring onion fishcake was more subtle. Finely flavoured and nicely breadcrumbed, it sat on a pleasant little puddle of Thai green curry sauce that added a keen extra dimension for the palate.

We both opted for pies – Anna the chicken; the beef and ale for me. True to the throwback theme, they were not strictly speaking pies, rather fillings on a plate, over which floated an oblong of puff pastry.

Again, I’m not complaining. Unlike the ridiculous versions of old, with infeasibly tall pastry towers that were impossible to eat without exploding a flaky mess all over the table, these were much more subtle.

The generous portions contained plenty of meat and were well flavoured – leeks in the sauce for the chicken, a rich beery gravy for mine. Chips were okay, vegetables on the side perfectly fine.

Pretty plain fare, but done without fault and served with very pleasant efficiency.

Puds were similarly satisfying – a neat little syrup sponge tart with custard, and a creamy lemon posset with raspberry coulis and good ice cream (both £4.99).

The bill (two pints, fizzy water, no wine) totted up to just under £48, which we thought fair. Were you to call on the Sabbath, Sunday lunch looks a particularly good deal at three courses for £12.50.

All in all, if you like your pub food to be straightforward and dependable, served with charming warmth in pleasant surroundings, you could do worse than check out the family values here.

The Woodman Inn,

Burneston, Bedale North Yorkshire DL8 3HX

01677 426123

www.thewoodmaninnburneston.co.uk

Food served: Wed-Fri, 6.30-8.30pm; Sat-Sun, noon-2.30pm, 6.30-8.30pm (hours will change at the end of April; best to check website)

Fine for disabled (access from rear)

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 7 Service 8 Surroundings 8 Value 7