Cosy and quirky Thackley pub stays true to Yorkshire roots

Since September 12, the Black Rat, on Leeds Road, Thackley, has been run by business partners Clare Riches and Edward Kellett, who was a former landlord at The Hermit in Burley Woodhead and The Junction in Baildon, where he worked for five years.

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"In two weeks of trading, I've been selling a healthy amount of cask beer," said landlord Edward. "It's a fabulous little community around here.

"The Black Rat is an incredibly cosy and quirky little place. You only need three or four people in the pub and it comes to life.

"It's a place that is what pubs used to be like. There are no distractions like music playing or TVs, and people seem to respond to that.

"They love to have a laugh and a joke over a pint. Everybody gets involved in the conversations."

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Clare said: "We're building on the success of this pub. It's at the heart of the community.

"Everybody knows it and it has a lovely atmosphere. The aim is to keep it thriving.

"It's a real ale pub and it will be staying true to its roots.

"It's very small but it packs a real punch."

The Black Rat location was a florist shop before it was originally opened in 2016 as a micro-pub specialising in real ales.

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Clare added that while the pub serves other drinks like wines and spirits, it will continue its real ale tradition but will "specialise in Yorkshire beers".

"I have a responsibility to support our local traders," said Edward. "We have a constant cycle of changing beers.

"Throughout the county, there are some fabulous beers available. We put different beers on draft, so you're not serving the same beer over and over again.

"I have about 30 to 40 'go to' beers in the region. The only outlier is Oaks Brewing Company in Cheshire. But I know the owner and his sons who all live in Bradford, so I count that!"

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Edward also spoke about his passion for beer and how tough it was to get through the pandemic.

"For me, this is more than a job and it turned an entire way of life on its head. It was very strange times - the like of which we'd never seen before and hopefully we'll never see again.

"I do what I do because I'm passionate about the beer. I love drinking it, talking about it, buying it serving it to people. It's a special thing. Hopefully the beer I'm serving speaks for itself."

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