Dave Himelfield

Pennine Chain

Journalist and Writer at Freelance

Freelance journalist, writer Tourism writer for @yorkshirelive @leedslivenews Articles in @MENnewsdesk @DailyMirror Proud Jew. Opinions my own. Retweet ≠ agree

Articles

The charming market town cafe - reviewed in the style of the Shipping Forecast

2 weeks ago | leeds-live.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

In the centre of the independent-minded, moderately upscale market town of Otley is Mondo. Opened in Boroughgate in 2023, Mondo is a relative newcomer but there’s still a bit of a buzz about it. My mate and Otley resident John is enthusiastic about Mondo, so to Mondo we go. The interior of Mondo is light and airy with plenty of tables. There are window seats with high chairs which serve as perches to people-watch as you consume.
The edgy Yorkshire town that’s like Hebden Bridge but cheaper and ‘more real’

1 month ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

Sowerby Bridge shop owner Izzy doesn’t mince her words when she talks about Hebden Bridge a few miles up the Calder Valley . “It’s a hippy theme park,” says Izzy who runs Artichoke , a vegan food shop on the A58 that slices through the town. Izzy was born and raised in Hebden Bridge but Sowerby Bridge*, where the rivers Calder and Ryburn meet, has been her home for 20 years. She’s something of a pioneer. Sowerby Bridge – once a rough satellite town of Halifax – is gentrifying.
38 Yorkshire Covid heroes from ‘superhero’ bus driver to vaccine pioneer

1 month ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

It’s been five years since Britain and most of the world went into lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. We use the word ‘coronavirus’, to demonstrate how distant the pandemic now feels. Back in 2020 when Covid-19 was spreading across the world, ‘coronavirus’ was the preferred term. Now we simply call it ‘Covid’ and the term ‘coronavirus’ sounds archaic. Can you remember what PPE stands for?
Unbelievable places people say Yorkshire accent is from

1 month ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

Is our distinctive Yorkshire accent not distinct enough? It seems non-Tykes mistake our lovely tones for almost everything else. We asked a bunch of native Yorkshire speakers from across the God’s Own Country what their accents had been mistaken for. And we found a few patterns. Many of these misidentifications were made by New World anglophones. That is Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans.
Life in Yorkshire's 'poshest' village where everyone 'knows each other'

1 month ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

I’m not keen on the term ‘posh’. When people say ‘posh’ what they usually mean is expensive or moneyed . ‘Posh’ to my mind also implies conservative good taste: William Morris wallpaper, Gap jeans and a Mercedes E-Class. That sort of thing. Last year, Sutton upon Derwent received the title of East Yorkshire’s ‘poshest’ village in the Telegraph . The article deemed Kirkby Overblow, Cawthorne and Scarcroft the ‘poshest’ in North, South and West Yorkshire respectively.
The Huddersfield farm shop cafe with great food and stunning views but slow queues

1 month ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

Has the Graze Kitchen and Grill at Broster’s Farm Shop outgrown its premises? When we arrive for lunch the dining room is full. So is the waiting room of sorts. I nip into the farm shop – Graze is part of Broster’s Farm Shop – to kill some time. Two women in front of us in the queue give up and leave while Mrs Dave holds our place. Another two women in the queue say they’ve been waiting for 35 minutes. And this is a cold, wet Thursday in March.
Small town cafe with warm vibes and low prices but patchy food

1 month ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

Tripadvisor and I have an ambivalent relationship. Sometimes you have to use it because there are virtually no other reviews of the village cafe you’re standing outside, stomach groaning. And the reviews tend to correlate with personal experience. Sometimes, however, they don’t. The reviews of The Black Pig, in the little market town of Bentham, North Yorkshire, glow incandescently. It scores a full five from 66 reviews with zero two- or one-star posts.
Yorkshire's finest farm shops and country cafes God's own country has to offer

1 month ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

Once the humble farm shop was simply where farms sold their produce. Essentially, this comprised eggs, cheese, milk and meat. In the postwar advent of the supermarket, farm shops began to attract discerning shoppers who valued quality over convenience. By the turn of the millennium farm shops had become gastro hubs selling gourmet brands and foods from other local producers as well as their own. Farmers realised they could sell more food by serving it with bells and whistles in on-site cafes.
The old school Yorkshire war museum that still trumps its shiny new competitors

2 months ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

The National Football Museum in Manchester city centre was once a museum of urban life called Urbis . This cutting-edge museum, in a purpose-built structure that looks like a glass ocean liner funnel, opened in 2002. Urbis, which cost £30m, closed eight years later. Why? Well, it was a bit crap. Visitors – what few they were by 2003 – didn’t connect with the hi-tech, arty-farty exhibits. It came across as a strong case of style over substance.
The West Yorkshire cafe with cakes worthy of a two-hour drive

2 months ago | examinerlive.co.uk | Dave Himelfield

I’m with Sir Mix-a-Lot; bigger is usually better. Obviously not in the case of a fracture. A small fracture – while hardly enjoyable – is better than a great big one. But we’re talking about food here, not broken bones. “Hairline fracture to upper phalanx of left small finger: slight swelling. Barely noticed it, to be honest. Five stars.” “Compound left tibial fracture: can’t walk, constant, intense pain. One star.” Maybe I’ll write a full broken bone review another time.