The Jug & Bottle, Bubwith

After you've packed a toothbrush and a couple of pairs of spare pants, there's nothing you really need for a holiday than a few decent bottles of beer. Choosing to leave my stash at home, I searched t'internets for a decent offie en route to our destination and really hit the jackpot with The Jug & Bottle in Bubwith.

Not just a beer shop, this is a superb and essential visit for any body interested in the finer aspects of food and drink. As mentioned on their beer page, they stock a good range of beers which are not usually found on your average high street. They also stock a few beers on draught for that essential take out. It would have been easy to but boxes full of beer, but in all seriousness I only had room in the car for a few beers so purchased a bottle conditioned mild from Brown Cow, a couple of bottles I'd not seen before from Timothy Taylor, an unseasonal Christmas beer from Otley, and old favourite Traquair Jacobite.

We also bought some very good cheeses, olives and sun dried tomatoes for our evening grub. The proprietor was all too happy to let us sample the cheeses before purchasing, which is always a nice touch.

As well as these, there's a great selection of wines as well, all of which would make it very easy for me to spend a ton of money on a regular basis if I lived nearer.

Bubwith village is less than 15 miles from York. It's well worth a detour for anyone travelling to that beautiful city.