YouTuber Awards Perfect Score to British Village with Takeaway Ban
In a remarkable culinary review, YouTuber Gary Hanna journeyed to a British village that has outlawed takeaways and fast food outlets, delivering a glowing three-word verdict: "keep it traditional." The village of Wentworth in South Yorkshire, home to approximately 1,500 residents, has gained notoriety as Britain's strictest village by prohibiting takeaways and supermarkets, a move that has captured widespread attention on social media platforms.
A Culinary Exploration of Traditional Fare
Gary Hanna, the creator behind the popular YouTube channel Gary Eats, which boasts over 454,000 subscribers, embarked on a unique food adventure in Wentworth. Here, familiar takeaways like pizza, Indian cuisine, Chinese meals, and kebabs are conspicuously absent. Instead, he discovered a treasure trove of traditional British food that left him thoroughly impressed.
His visit began at the Village Shop, where he purchased a breakfast panini, a steak slab, a chocolate Maltesers cake, and a coffee for a reasonable £13. The breakfast panini, featuring cheese, beans, eggs, bacon, and sausages, received high praise. Gary described it as a "big mouthful" with an "immense" sausage and "lovely and crispy" bacon, noting its beautiful saltiness and flavour. He enthusiastically recommended it to visitors, highlighting that it is cut in half for sharing.
The steak slab also won his approval, with Gary commending its "perfect thickness" and exclaiming, "Shut the front door. That is absolutely gorgeous." He was surprised by its moist texture despite being cold. Summarising his experience at the Village Shop, he lauded the "huge and immense value" and awarded it a perfect 10 out of 10.
Lunch at a Family-Run Bistro
For lunch, Gary headed to the Old Smythie, an independent, family-run bistro located in the heart of Wentworth. He opted for a ploughman's lunch, a dish he had never sampled on his channel before. The meal included crusty bread, Wentworth honey-glazed gammon, locally-sourced pork pie, Yorkshire blue cheese, the Old Smythie pickled onion, and house chutney.
Priced at £18 and described as "big enough to share," the ploughman's lunch left Gary feeling "very calm, very relaxed." He marvelled at the thick-cut ham, noting its sweetness and how the acidity of the chutney balanced the gammon's flavour. The pork pie earned accolades for its intense pork flavour and beautiful pastry, with Gary remarking, "Up here in Yorkshire, they know how to do their pork pies."
The Yorkshire blue cheese also impressed him, developing a creamy Stilton-like taste in the mouth. He described the Old Smythie as "absolutely fantastic" and awarded it a nine out of 10, confessing his deep affection for Wentworth and stating he would relocate there if given the chance.
A Resounding Endorsement for Tradition
Reflecting on his visit, Gary emphasised the village's unique charm, attributing it to the ban on fast food restaurants. He urged Wentworth to maintain its principles, saying, "Keep it like that, because the produce you're selling here is amazing." He expressed a desire to return and try the two pubs, reinforcing his belief that fast food establishments would not succeed in the village.
In his final assessment, Gary awarded the entire village of Wentworth a perfect 10 out of 10, celebrating its commitment to traditional food and community values. His review highlights how this small South Yorkshire village has turned a restrictive policy into a culinary triumph, earning praise from a prominent food influencer and setting an example for preserving local heritage.
