A Huddersfield gastropub renowned as one of the best in Yorkshire has revealed its re-opening date after it was badly damaged by fire last Boxing Day.

Exactly a year on from the disaster, The 3 Acres at Shelley has today announced it will reopen to diners again from Sunday, May 18, 2025.

Owner Tom Truelove and wife Lauren have overseen a 17-month renovation programme and work has just started on a redesigned kitchen to replace the almost new £400,000 one lost in the blaze.

Tom said: “Today feels like a poignant day to announce our opening date, one year on from the fire.

“The opening date has been the question on everyone’s lips for the last 12 months and the whole team is thrilled to finally confirm when the doors will open.

“The fire was a devastating blow for us and the road to recovery has been tough but we are extremely proud of what the whole team has achieved and excited to see how this new chapter shapes the future of The 3 Acres when we reopen our doors in May.”

 

Damage inside the kitchen at The 3 Acres

 

Tom revealed the cause of the fire was an electrical fault which caused millions of pounds damage.

“The forensic team deduced that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the seat of the fire was found to be in the laundry room and likely a washing machine or tumble dryer, despite both being switched off at the time,” he said.
”However, the extent of the fire damage was so vast that it’s very difficult to say which one was to blame and it was likely to be an electrical fault with one of the machines.
“The insurance company are covering all aspects of the claim relating to the fire which is now into the millions.
”However, as a family we have also taken the opportunity to invest in some other aspects of the building which are not being covered by insurance, including a full renovation of 8 of our 16 bedrooms.”

The 3 Acres, which marked its 56th anniversary this year, has been closed since December 2023 while undergoing an extensive programme of refurbishment to the entire building, including a full rebuild of the state-of-the-art kitchen which had only been installed in March 2023 yet was totally destroyed in the blaze.

This will be done by Huddersfield bespoke kitchen design and installation company Greens Commercial Kitchens which has provided kitchens for the 2025 MasterChef series and for huge culinary names such as Gordon Ramsay. Work has just begun on the new kitchen and should be completed by March.

Over the years, chefs at The 3 Acres have cooked for high-profile guests including celebrity chefs such as Rick Stein, Marco Pierre White and Delia Smith and other familiar names including Stephen Fry, David Cameron and Sharon Osbourne.

Tom added: “I’m extremely proud The 3 Acres has remained in our family since 1968. We’ve developed a rich heritage in delivering the very best dining experience featuring ingredients of exceptional provenance that are locally sourced wherever possible.”

Guests will be able to make restaurant reservations and book rooms via The 3 Acres website from Monday, January 6, 2025. Go to https://www.3acres.com

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost-writing autobiographies.

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