GROWING up in Keighley, The Turkey Inn was part of Steve Mortimer’s youth.

The pub had been a family destination for meals, drinks and a pint by the fire after a woodland walk. “Most of my family live within a mile of the pub,” he said. “So we visited it often.

The 19th century inn - our T&A Pub of the Week - made an impression on Steve’s partner Fay Howell, when she first stepped inside it four

years ago.

“ I liked it so much, I said it was the kind of pub I would like to own,” she recalls. “I grew up in Essex surrounded by village pubs that were full of charm and character, and it reminded me of them,” she said.

In March 2020, as the first lockdown struck, The Turkey - in the hamlet of Goose Eye - closed its doors, but, unlike many other pubs, the closure was not temporary. It had shut for good.

A campaign was launched to resurrect the hostelry, but its future looked bleak. It was then that Steve and Fay stepped in.

“When The Turkey went up for sale and subsequently closed, a number of family and friends suggested that we buy the pub as we all missed it,” said Steve. “We then discovered it had been owned on by my mum’s side of the family when she was a child.”

Fay too has a family background in the trade. “My great grandparents were publicans from the war years to the 1980s, in picturesque Essex villages including Stock and Willingale, so pubs are in my blood.”

The couple took the plunge, bought the inn and set about refurbishing it.

“Due to the pub being closed for eight months we had to address a number of structural issues such as replacing roofs, walls and guttering, supporting historic beams internally and refurbishing every area of the pub and the flat above,” said Fay. “We love the pub for its charm and uniqueness so we didn’t want to strip away features but enhance what was there, while putting our stamp on it.

“We also wanted to use local suppliers for the refurbishment and with a wealth of industries in Keighley we easy achieved this during the November lockdown.”

The pub - believed to have been named after the 18th century Turkey Mill, which stands opposite - reopened for take-away last December, for outdoor dining in April this year, and finally in May for eating indoors.

“The chimney that powered the mill is part of the pub and on our list of projects to restore as a feature,” says Steve, a former Keighley Cougars rugby league player. Goose Eye Brewery, now in Crossflatts, originated in what the couple now use as their kitchen.

Cosy and welcoming, the inn offers local ales alongside a menu that combines modern pub food with traditional classics. “Fish and chips and suet puddings are firm favourites along with more modern dishes of Asian pork belly and halloumi burgers,” said Fay. “We have a great team - head chefs Matty Britton and Ben Howley, along with their support staff of sous chefs and kitchen assistants, and we have Sally-Ann Fowlds managing our brillant front-of-house staff.”

Since reopening, the inn has been well-supported by locals and visitors from across the district and beyond. “They have been amazing from when we first took the keys, started with take-away and then opened - the final wait was being allowed to stand at the bar to order and drink,” said Fay. “We have already hosted a wedding and a number of large birthday parties, a baby shower and other family events, as people start to catch up what they missed during lockdown.”

She adds: “Everyone is welcome in our pub and that includes family members with four legs.”

A new outside seating area, popular with walkers, provides much needed space on warm days.

The couple, who both retain ‘day jobs’ as accountants, live locally, in a former dairy farm once owned by Steve’s grandparents and where his mum and aunt were born. The family kept belted Galloways, which Steve has reintroduced on to the land and whose meat appears on the menu.

“The pub gives us such a variation from our hectic professional roles,” said Fay. “Pouring love and energy into your own business as an owner as opposed to an employee is so rewarding and our team are key to its success. We are a family and we love our pub.

“Steve and I are able to bring our professional business minds to the table when it comes to running the back operations while our front of house and kitchen teams allow us to align and design how we trade and evolve to continue to serve our customers’ wants and needs.”

*The Turkey Inn, 20 Goose Eye, Oakworth, Laycock, Keighley BD22 OPD; theturkeyinn.co.uk