My birthday this year was quite a relaxed one; I've learnt from previous years that if I make plans to do something special, I end up getting let down and feeling really disappointed. So, I went out on Saturday night for a few hours, and on Sunday decided to go for Sunday lunch somewhere with Martin and a couple of friends. Seeing as one of us out of the group had never been to Otley, a small town that is near me that I visit quite often, we decided to head there for the afternoon.

Otley is one of those places that is full of interesting shops, buildings and pubs and not much else. It is quintessentially Yorkshire, and it is even more so at the moment as it is full of advertisements and quirky artwork for Le Grand Départ for the Tour de France. Yorkshire is very proud and excited to be playing host to such a momentous occasion and I know my family in particular are saying that it can't come soon enough! Stage 1 of the Grand Départ will be going right through Otley, so everywhere you looked there were yellow bikes adorned with flowers, artwork drawn onto windows, and banners, posters and leaflets pasted onto every available surface. Even though Otley is a lovely little town, it's not really that well known so to have it placed "on the map" for the weekend is something that the locals are very excited for!

For our Sunday lunch, we ended up wandering around Otley for a bit and eventually came across the Horse & Farrier, which unknown to me at the time is part of Market Town Taverns, and we've visited the one in Horsforth, Town Street Tavern, before. As it was reasonably warm (Although not particularly sunny), we decided to sit in the beer garden to eat. After much deliberation over the menu - everything sounded delicious so we had a tough time deciding - I went for their traditional Sunday lunch, which that day was topside of beef, with all the trimmings. As you can see from the image above, the plate was piled high and finished off with a huge Yorkshire pudding plonked on top; you can't ask for a better Sunday dinner than that! The meat was cooked beautifully, still blushing pink in the middle and the roast potatoes in particular were to die for. I think it's safe to say that it was one of the best Sunday lunches I've ever had. Martin and one of our friends went for the shortcrust pie of the day, which was venison and blue cheese, served with roasted root vegetables and mash. I have to admit, I did have a bit of jealousy when they arrived! The pastry was thick and crusty, and the pie was stuffed to the brim with filling. It smelt incredible and I think Martin was happy to declare that it was one of the best pies he'd ever eaten. I tried a little bit myself and would have been happy to eat the entire thing along with my Sunday lunch - that's how good it was! Our other friend decided to try their steak, asking for it to be as rarely done as possible and she was pleased to get what she asked for, also declaring it to be delicious. All in all, very happy bellies all around!

After we'd eaten, it was time for dessert and we wanted ice cream! After traipsing around the town for a short while we came across Heebies, which was quite frankly the oddest shop I have ever come across. It was not only a cafe selling a range of coffees and cakes, but a shop selling film memorabilia, candles, American sweets and even more besides! It really was a jack-of-all-trades and I loved it for what it was. We ended up getting our ice cream - a half pint of soft whip in butterscotch flavour, complete with sauce, sprinkles and a flake for £3. Yes, apparently we're overgrown children! It was extremely sweet and tasty, and almost too much for me to finish. After that, we headed to a beer shop to stock up on some local (and not so local) ales and finished off with a pint in the North Bar Social, which I've never been to before. Sister to the North Bar in Leeds City centre, this bar has exactly the same friendly atmosphere and equally impressive selection of beer available. I had a pint of High Wire from Magic Rock Brewing in Huddersfield; I've never had a bad beer from them and this one was no exception. Now that I know that this bar exists, I will be coming back as often as I can in the future!