Fish & Ships!
The sight of City Cruises boats giving tourists a view of York’s riverside is a familiar one, especially…
Yorkshire Handmade Pies at Spark
Pies can be a bit of a minefield and inspire strong emotions. Many is the time at a…
The Wright Place Wine Tasting
The more things change, the more they stay the same. York has built its reputation on large elements…
Hotel du Vin York
Whether or not a Sunday roast needs elevating can be a contentious point. The view that, if eating…
Just Burger pop-up
When ruminating on a recent visit to Yahala Mataam I was pondering the tailing off and subsequent resurgence…
Fish & Ships!
The sight of City Cruises boats giving tourists a view of York’s riverside is a familiar one, especially if you live near the Millennium Bridge (as I do). They’re a mainstay of the city’s tourism offering which makes great use of one of our natural resources, turning the River Ouse into a great alternative viewpoint…
Yorkshire Handmade Pies at Spark
Pies can be a bit of a minefield and inspire strong emotions. Many is the time at a function where a pie is promised and what is delivered is a stew with a cursory sheet of puff pastry plonked on top; generally satisfying enough, but certainly not a pie. Taking things rather more seriously are…
The Wright Place Wine Tasting
The more things change, the more they stay the same. York has built its reputation on large elements of its attraction having remained unchanged for a great many years, but there’s part of the city that holds a mirror up to that and looks forward. The nature of the hospitality industry, whose operators are always…
22 Yards
York does rather well for wine these days. Since Pairings started blazing a trail for quality wine in relaxed surroundings, there have been a few others recently enter the fray with places such as Howl, 2ManyWines, The Wright Place and Jorvine all throwing their corks into the ring. The latest to join this group is…
Hotel du Vin York
Whether or not a Sunday roast needs elevating can be a contentious point. The view that, if eating out, a roast is best enjoyed in a pub by a roaring fire with a couple of pints of good Yorkshire beer is broadly held and with good reason. If you want to make more of an…
Just Burger pop-up
When ruminating on a recent visit to Yahala Mataam I was pondering the tailing off and subsequent resurgence of pop-ups in our city so it rather makes sense to continue with another that I attended just the following night to neatly illustrate my point. Melk on Clifford St has firmly established itself now as a…
Yahala Mataam
Pop-ups and supper clubs seemed to have been steadily slowing down in popularity before the pandemic restrictions put everything back to a crawl by default a few years back. A decade or so ago there were a few popular supper clubs in York which all came to an end but over the last year or…
Azets in Yorkshire Food + Drink Business Awards
Entries are open for the Azets in Yorkshire Food & Drink Business Awards 2023. The Awards are well known in Yorkshire and have been running for five years now, previously under the Garbutt + Elliott brand and I’m very happy to be returning as a judge. It is very simple to enter; just click…
Izakaya
Spark has done a lot for the hospitality scene in York both directly and indirectly. As a venue to be able to reliably grab decent food in a relaxed, family friendly setting, it’s broadened the city’s offering greatly and as a launchpad for new businesses it’s made a strong contribution to the wider offering and…
2022 in review
That was a bit more normal wasn’t it? Well aside from the potential for nuclear conflict, the pandemic continuing to wind down, the energy crisis, the cost of living crisis and the death of the monarch…but in general 2022 did have the feeling of returning to a bit of normality as pandemic restrictions were lifted…
The Judge’s Lodgings
A couple of decades ago when I was familiarising myself with York in my early days here, I was taken by some friends to a “really cool bar” on Lendal that had been a hangout in their later youth. My memories of the visit are now at some distance but I was shocked that such…
War of the Worlds Immersive Experience
We’ve heard a lot about the decline of the high street over the last few years, with the advent of delivery services brought forward by the pandemic diminishing the need to go to venture out to bricks and mortar premises. Just how diminished it ends up being will come to light over the next couple…
Sloppy’s Bar and Kitchen
York is a relatively centralised city, with only a few notable areas within the outer ring road featuring their own concentrations of shopping or leisure facilities. Bishy Rue obviously has carved out its own little niche and Acomb is on the up but otherwise shops, pubs and places to eat are scattered somewhat randomly around…
Chef from The Grand wins Delifresh Young Chef competition
Last week The Grand, York hosted the final of the first-ever Delifresh ‘Young Chef of the Year’ competition in its state-of-the-art Cookery School, with a high-tier judging panel of globally famous culinary profiles. Harry Blades, one of The Grand’s own chefs, won first place in the competition following a showcase of incredible dishes against the nine other contestants in the kitchen.The Delifresh…
Bottomless “Afternoon Sea” with Guesthouse York
I probably labour the point a little too much that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and would generally direct my appetites toward savoury or cheese dishes than dessert. This makes the concept of an afternoon tea something of very little interest to me in general. I can (and have) accept invitations and…
Forest at Galtres Lodge Sunday Feast
A Sunday roast, done properly, should present more opportunities than for just eating. It should be an enabling factor in letting your Sunday afternoon expand toward early evening as you go through a few courses and graze on leftovers. I’ve always been of the view that having a Sunday roast in a restaurant can be…
Legacy at The Grand Hotel
I’ve written many times about the unfair tarnishing that restaurants based in hotels seem to suffer in York, with The Park at Marmadukes Townhouse and Hudson’s at The Grand unfairly failing to find the audiences they deserved leading to the chefs involved moving on to pastures new. One of those though is starting to turn…
A Light Spectacular railway journey
North Yorkshire Moors Railway is deservedly iconic in this region, winding its way from Pickering toward Grosmont and even heading as far as Whitby on some services. It can trace its history as far as the early 19th Century and has since then served a variety of roles throughout a varied life that has seen…
Pho Vietnamese York
Some buildings seem unduly troublesome for businesses to inhabit and seem to run through tenants at an alarming pace. This is a trend particularly notable on Petergate with Fat Hippo about to take over from Jimmy’s Bar which wasn’t a particularly long-standing tenant after taking over from Cafe Rouge, and The Tea Palace shutting up…
York Restaurant Week returns!
With the York Food & Drink Festival just behind us you might think it’s time for a bit of a break in the cities foodie action, but thanks to York BID that’s not the case as we have York Restaurant Week kicking off on Monday 10th October for its second running in 2022. The event…
Swaledale Butchers
For anyone who appreciates eating well and understanding the sourcing behind their meals, a good butcher is an invaluable resource. Speaking as a meat-eater who wants to make sure they do so in as sustainable manner as possible, I think it’s essential that we understand how our meat is sourced and that it’s being farmed…
The Whippet with OpenTable
Third party booking apps or websites are not something I’m in the habit of using. I’ll lean into the easy utility of Just Eat or Deliveroo when I’m feeling lazy and can’t be bothered to breach my own threshold for food but generally if I want a table at a place in York a few…
The Grand to host Burnt Chef Project Charity Dinner
Next month (September 2022) will see The Grand welcome The Burnt Chef Project to York when they host a charity dinner in support of this fantastic cause. The Burnt Chef Project was launched in 2019 with the intention of eradicating any stigma around mental health issues in hospitality, a hugely important issue within the industry.…
Cafe 21 York Fixed Price Menu
It’s not a great time to be managing one’s finances is it? Everything is getting more expensive for all manner of reasons, which is putting a shock through the supply chains on which hospitality relies and shrinking margins to the point at which businesses will have to shut or pass on costs to the customer.…
Tours in a Dish
A food tour can be a great way to get to know a city. I’ve taken advantage of them a few times to get my bearings, including particularly memorable experiences in New York and Amsterdam while I recently had a great look around Leeds with Leeds Food Tours that introduced me to a few places…
York Food Festival offers 1200 free cookery sessions to schools
This year’s York Food Festival 23rd September to 2nd October, is offering 1200 places in free hands-on cookery sessions to Primary schools at the festival. The sessions are aimed at older Primary school pupils (Key stage 2). Places are available to York schools and applications are now open. The Festival is run as a…
Rosa’s Thai York
While York has certainly taken a hit from the economic problems that Covid has inflicted on the country, it is not in the parlous state that some internet commentators would have you believe. Of course we’re not unscathed and there’re a few notably empty units, but a recent trip to Peterborough really reinforced in my…
Lunch at The Feversham Arms Helmsley
Being about 40 minutes or so from York, Helmsley is a deservedly popular local town that is the focal point for many day trips from our city. Its combination of scenery, attractions such as its castle and walled garden and nice places to eat and drink make it an obvious choice. Amongst those places to…
Fish and Forest
One of the privileges of running this site is to meet people at the beginning of their journey in the hospitality industry and see them grow to realise their potential. Over the years I’ve lost count of the number of well intentioned people opening concepts that are too ambitious, subtly flawed to remove viability or…
Leeds Food Tour with Uniquely Local
For the last half decade or so I’ve felt like I’ve known Leeds pretty well. Occasional invites have rolled in to tempt me over for a meal, or gigs crop up that I fancy a look at that also justify a pre-event feed. One way or another, I’ve been a semi-regular visitor for a couple…
The White Horse Poppleton
An adventure doesn’t have to be big, expensive or distant to be impactful. As we settle further back into normality it feels like each activity we’ve not had to enact in a couple of years can almost be an adventure in itself, let alone anything unfamiliar. With that low bar, the prospect of taking Little…
Two pop up bars for York this summer!
This summer York will welcome back the ever-popular Thor’s bar this June, at not one, but two fabulous locations right in the heart of the city.The city will be welcoming back Sol Ast (by Thor’s), to the grounds of the Principal Hotel on Wednesday 1st June (in time for the Jubilee weekend celebrations) and their…
Rosa’s Thai to open in York
The 1st of June will see Rosa’s Thai open the doors to its much-anticipated York restaurant on Coney Street and to celebrate the opening, Rosa’s Thai York is offering diners 50% off their food bill during its soft launch on the 30th and 31st May. Rosa’s Thai started as a market stall on London’s Brick…
Castle Howard Royal Afternoon Tea
It may or may not have escaped your attention, but this summer the UK will be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as she becomes the first British Monarch to reach this remarkable milestone after a scarcely believable 70 years on the Throne. I can’t claim to be much of a royalist but one supposes the…
Forage York
Sometimes, though admittedly rarely, I really don’t know what to expect when I get invited to a new place to eat. My finger is generally firmly on York’s pulse when it comes to new openings but every so often something will sidestep into view that I’m not entirely sure what to make of. In this…
The Stone Trough Kirkham Abbey
A good country pub is a joyful thing. Getting out of the city, though York is hardly a sprawling metropolis, to stretch one’s legs before enjoying a pint and a hearty meal is a basic pleasure for which there is little substitute. York boasts plenty in the way of quaint pubs, many of which have…
The Bow Room at Grays Court
York might look like it’s been frozen in time when viewed from many angles, but it doesn’t take much scratching of the surface to start uncovering the ways in which the city has changed as buildings are repurposed and residents impose their personalities upon them. Buildings find themselves subjected to the whims of those changing…
York Chocolate Festival Returns after 2 years
Back for the first time since 2019 York Chocolate Festival returns as a larger event with broadened focus encompassing York’s entire chocolate and confectionary heritage. Founder Sophie Jewett, of York Cocoa Works, said “Following 2 years of sending Easter eggs far and wide for our customers its exciting to be able to look forward this year…
Another Beer to expand
York-based brewery Another Beer is on the move to a larger brewery space in Elvington, as the start of exciting expansion plans after only brewing for three years. Another Beer is the brainchild of owner and chief brewer, James Fawcett, who launched the business in 2019 as an outlet for his creativity and passion for…
The Winning Post
There’s a lot to be said for slightly unambitious but tasty pub grub that can be knocked out relatively easily for sensible amounts of money. Sometimes the opportunity to fill up on ham egg & chips or scampi & chips with a pint on the way home from work is just the right level of…
Fint Leeds Brunch
The way that the last two years have compressed into themselves gives us a slightly odd sensation when returning to once familiar places. Strolling round Leeds at a more leisurely pace than I’ve done in a couple of years leaves a vague sense of unfamiliarity as I try to recall which of the establishments I…
Rockfish Fresh Seafood
A friend was recently telling me how intimidating they found cooking seafood at home, the irregularity with which they prepared it paired with a fear of ruining expensive products playing on their mind. Entirely understandable if one doesn’t have access to a reputable fishmonger. Similarly sourcing top quality seafood can be an daunting experience if…
2021 in review
It feels like quite a long time since these yearly reviews felt like enjoyable reminiscence rather than raking over the embers of another smoking tragedy of a year. Still, we are where we are and 2021 has the sense of being marginally less awful in the memory than its predecessor, which is a trend that…
Bosun’s Restaurant
I seldom seem to end up dining in restaurants just outside of York. I’ve done plenty in nearby cities but oddly few just a couple of miles from the centre of our wonderful city. That’s not to say though that there’s nothing on offer. So, when I was invited along to the opening of Bosun’s…
Ralph’s Tasting menu at The General Tarleton
The back end of 2021 seems to have featured a disproportionate number of trips to Harrogate for me, with Hospitality Action, Golden Fork Awards and the Deliciously Yorkshire Judging and subsequent ceremony all pulling me in that direction. Another reason to make that recently familiar trip dropped into my lap recently with an invitation to…
Slap & Pickles team up with Zarach Leeds
Did you know that there are kids who don’t have their own beds to sleep in, in Leeds, in 2021?! Neither did Slap and Pickle until the owners saw a news item about the work of Zarach Leeds; a charity which provides beds to kids who would otherwise be sleeping on floors, sofas, or sharing a bed with a sibling negatively impacting their esteem, mental…
Sticky Mango London
After a bit of a pandemicy pause, I’ve finally got round to visiting London again. Most York residents are keenly aware that the capital city is just a couple of short hours down the East Coast Main Line, making it an easy regular day trip where cost allows. As life inches back toward a greater…
Rockfish Canned Fish
We Brits aren’t in the habit of getting excited about tinned fish. The only time I’ve seen any overt display is in the kind of Lisbon gift shop that has the walls lined with them, each with a vibrantly illustrated tin. In fact I’m proof of this myself, as illustrated by the fact I still…
Hospitality Action Chefs Dinner
It really doesn’t need saying again that the last 20 months have been challenging for hospitality. While the picture is looking a bit more positive as pent up demand works its way through the reservations book, we mustn’t get distracted from the need to make sure those individuals and organisations impacted by the crisis receive…
C&S Sourdough York to open on Fishergate
This Saturday (6th November) will see the opening of Cosgriff & Sons baker’s new home! Work has been underway at 36 Fishergate in a former barbers’ shop to transform it into a bakery to service the local area, which will also offer coffee and snacks alongside their beautifully crafted sourdough loaves. C&S Sourdough York started…
Grays Court awarded third AA Rosette
Grays Court, a beautiful country house hotel in the centre of York, has today (Weds 27th Oct) announced that they have been awarded 3 Rosettes from the AA in recognition of the continued excellence of their restaurant, The Bow Room, led by Head Chef Adam Jackson. Voted the Best Small Hotel in England 2020 by…
Blues & Blue cheese with Love Cheese
For all the pain and difficulty it undoubtedly caused, the lockdowns of the last 18 months pushed businesses into new ways of operating, some of which have been sub-optimal for the businesses concerned but some of which have proved an enduring way to broaden appeal. With an impressively enterprising spirit, Love Cheese sprang into action…
York-based Vegan Fried Chick*n startup to launch In Tesco
York based Vegan fried chick*n startup VFC has announced that its first major retailer listing will be with Tesco, which will stock three of its products across 370 stores nationwide from November 1st – World Vegan Day. This long-awaited retailer announcement follows hot on the heels of the company’s recent expansion into North America, with VFC now available…
Michelin dinner with Andrew Pern
Dare I say it, but doesn’t it feel a touch like things are coming back to “normal” a little? The centre of York has a buzz about it again, in contrast to other cities I’ve recently visited, events have returned and we’re looking forward to Halloween, Bonfire night and Christmas. Whether or not this all…
Thor’s Tipi to return for Christmas 2021
What could be more festive than Christmas in an Alpine Hall, surrounded by good friends, fine food and the crackling of a real log fire? Visitors to York’s latest Christmas experience are soon to find out as they are welcomed into the Grand Alpine Hall of THOR’S tipi. “To say we are pretty excited about…
Il Paradiso del Cibo Tasting Menu
The history of Il Paradiso del Cibo in York neatly reflects the growth of the city’s food scene, from modest beginnings through bursts of ambition to become something of an institution before settling comfortably into a rhythm as one of the mainstays of the burgeoning Walmgate food scene. Now affectionately referred to as Paolo’s in…
Octagon Hotpot
It should go without saying that I’ve tried pretty much every kind of takeaway in York. I have regular go-to’s for most of my regular cravings and have taken a punt on an awful lot that haven’t quite measured up. At this point I suspect most regular delivery drivers in York have my address well…
York Food Festival 2021
York’s 10 Day Food Festival is back and jam-packed full of tasty fun! The best of Yorkshire’s produce will be displayed on over 80 different stands in the city centre at York Food Festival 2021. The 10 day spectacle will feature events, demonstrations, live music, street food, produce stands, real ale, a York Gin bar…
The Owl Kirkgate Market Leeds
Kirkgate Market is a bit of a Leeds legend, easily found bang in the centre of the city, that local chefs regularly wander round for inspiration while picking up quality produce. Its history in the city stretches over 150 years and it can call itself the largest covered market in Europe. As well providing local…
T’ART at The Fossgate Social
Over the last decade, Fossgate has been one of the hubs of food activity that’s driven the city’s burgeoning reputation as a food destination. Its namesake business The Fossgate Social has hosted a number of different kitchens and pop ups over the years, such as Street Cleaver, now sorely missed in York but reborn Hull…
The Principal Hotel
York has many hotels and seems to sprout more and more on an almost daily basis. From funky new entrants such as Moxy to luxury with history thrown in at Grays Court there really is something to appeal to everyone. One of the oldest players is The Principal Hotel, attached to York train station and…
The Crown and Cushion Welburn
A decent pub adds a huge amount of value to a village and its residents, providing a centre for socialising and occasions as well as, hopefully, making it a destination for non-residents in which to spend money. I can’t ever imagine living further than walking distance from a decent pint over which to discuss similarly…
Drake’s Fisheries York
I knew that becoming a parent would bring untold change to my life and impact every single area of it, including our diets. What I didn’t anticipate though was that this would lead to an increasing consumption of fish and chips, previously one of my less preferred take outs, if I’m totally honest. The whims…
Sora Sky Bar
We don’t lack history in York, it’s what our thriving tourism industry is based around and what makes the city so attractive to so many people. Yes it makes the city busy as people inevitably want to experience it for themselves, but if you’d rather avoid those tourist crowds, there’re plenty of other places to…
The Lazy Bird Wetherby
Fried chicken can be tarred with a bit of a bad reputation, with its presence most ubiquitous at what could most generously be termed the more widely accessible end of the food market. That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for more refined versions of this dish, with Skosh memorably accompanying it with…
The Punch Bowl at Marton-Cum-Grafton
The nature of running this site means that I’m constantly on the go trying out new places to eat, which is certainly nothing I complain about. But, the race to keep up with trying out new openings while occasionally revisiting some personal favourites means that I am guilty of maintaining a mental list titled “bugger…
BBQ with 44 Food and James Strawbridge
The British fixation with the weather is quite a marvellous thing, helping us come up with small talk for every awkward pause while also lending itself to a touch of national stereotyping. Part of this is the desperate desire to take advantage of hot weather at the drop of a hat. This also gives us…
Cafe 21 York
Being a restaurant inside another business such as a hotel or department store can be a bit of a tough gig. There’s an underlying assumption that if you’re a ‘business in a business’ then you’re something of an afterthought, leading to restaurants in hotels and so on being unfairly overlooked in some cases. The latest…
Cooks larder
It’s not exactly a secret that the North of England is packed with some fantastic food producers. From pasta to seaweed via cheese and veg’ there’s a huge variety of world class produce to get stuck into both literally and metaphorically. If you take as much pleasure from food as I do then it’s no…
Impossible York
Assumptions about what’s impossible have been blown away in the last 12 months. Roll out a newly developed vaccine in double quick time? Sure. Find the cash to pay huge swathes of the country to stay at home for a year? No worries. Get the general public to buy into avoiding personal contact with their…
THOR’S tipi is back for the Summer!
The Norse gods are smiling down on York as the city is about to welcome back the ever-popular THOR’S tipi this June, at not just one, but two fabulous locations right in the heart of the city centre!The Vikings have given a lot to York, not least its name! And now to celebrate the coming…
Le Cochon Aveugle post lockdown
With fingers crossed and a healthy slug of vaccine for all, we seem now to be creeping slowly out of the strictures placed on our liberties over the last year or so and able to re-embrace what were once simple pleasures such as nipping to the neighbours for a cup of tea inside. Undoubtedly some…
York Dungeon Walking Tour
Throughout 20 years of living in York I’ve tried to be proactive in looking for new ways to explore and interact with the city that I’ve come to love, with treats such as the Snickleway Tour of York and more recently the Treasure Hunt York Tour proving their worth. Without getting too much into talk…
A new Magnet Kitchen
It’s tough to know where to start with projects for which you have no point of reference, particularly when there’s a significant amount of cost attached as well as the scope for budgetary creep. We’ve been thinking about replacing the kitchen in the house we moved to in 2013 for a good few years, and…
Devonshire Arms Champagne and Seafood Terrace
It’s starting to feel a little bit like some venues have become a touch more interchangeable while we’re stuck with outdoor dining. Open sided white marquees are ubiquitous across pub gardens throughout the land now, while tipi style constructions have been springing up at more up-market destinations offering us respite from the worst impact of…
Middletons York
It looks very much like dining out in 2021 will, for a good portion of it at least, mean exactly that. Even after we’re permitted to return to the warm embrace of a restaurant’s interior, I can see many people retaining a preference for outdoor dining as long as the British weather can be tricked…
Aktar Islam at home
Some of the at home experiences I’ve tried over the last year have provoked wildly varying perceptions of value amongst my peers, some relishing the opportunity to indulge at home and some assuming that savings hadn’t been passed on and that prices were too high. One box that’s available nationwide comes from Opheem in Birmingham…
Little Weighton Kitchen
Recipe boxes are one of the services that has seen consumer appetite increase while we’ve been spending more time at home. The major presences such as Hello Fresh and Gousto have entrenched themselves at the fore of the market while other more niche players leverage restaurant brands to replicate dining experiences in the home. Sitting…
Treasure Hunt York
After twenty years in this wonderful city I think I know York very well. I’ve never lived more than 20 minutes’ walk from the centre of the city and have spent a great many days happily mooching my way around the city, taking in its history, sights and businesses. On occasion I’ve joined more formal…
The Bay Tree Stillington
Generally when I’m invited to check out a new spot I have a fair idea of what I’m in for, either through prior association, general reputation or obvious pointers toward quality (or the opposite on occasion). It’s a bit harder to form a judgement at the moment though without access to quite the same level…
You do Yuzu!
While it’s hardly been an easy time, it’s not all been horror stories for the last 12 months. While it’s been undeniably grim for the majority, there have been opportunities for the right kind of businesses with the right kind of attitude to grasp the virus-soaked nettle and make waves. This is exactly what Yuzu…
Bull and Co
As we approach the grim anniversary of major restrictions on our liberties, which finally seem to be within sight of being removed, there are many questions to come about the relative normalcy of the society we’ll come back to. The hospitality world, having adapted to the strictures of the last 12 months, will inevitably be…
Pan Sushi
Pan Sushi is a small, family run business that operated in Wetherby and the surrounding area to deliver its unique take on sushi to a loyal customer base. While they offer up the usual sushi staples such as Maki and Nigiri they also offer a range of “Fusion Sushi Rolls” that take things in a…
The Blue Barbakan Takeaway
Who’s had enough of eating at home now? Bored of cooking? Life turned into a never ending race to keep the dishwasher fed and laundry at bay? Itching to get back out and about into the wilds of York’s hospitality scene? Sentiments I think many of us can identify with. It’s only a few torturous…
Courtyard Dairy Virtual Tasting
Hopefully, now we have a “roadmap to freedom”, we have an end in sight to living our social lives via a webcam or at least the option to meet up face to face should we so desire. While that flexibility of offering is something that I hope will continue and broaden access to tastings and…
Retro Road Test: Classic Jaguar XJ
When I was in my late teens I absolutely adored the shape of the Jaguar XJ. That expansive bonnet stretching toward the quartet of headlamps was perfectly proportioned and the retro looks underlined the brand’s heritage without feeling contrived. Compared to its self-consciously and aggressively forward-looking German contemporaries, I thought it was a distinctive choice with…
Berenjak Bazaar kebab kit
At the moment we’re building our weeks around treats, each trip to town for a sandwich or receipt of a takeaway representing a landmark of interest in the days that merge together a bit too much. The latest recipe kit to catch my eye is the Berenjak Bazaar kebab kit, which earned high praise from…
Ban’s Kitchen recipe kit
Recipe boxes are all the rage at the moment, with examples on offer from established operators who have a nationwide footprint as well as smaller concerns servicing their local customer bases and everything in between. I’ve tried a good number of these over the years and rarely been disappointed by the mixture of convenience and…
A lesson with The Virtual Grand Cookery School
Cookery schools have found themselves in a bit of a pickle over the last year, over and above what the wider hospitality industry has had to put up with. The close contact nature and group mixing that’s characteristic of a fun cookery lesson is really been tricky to replicate through the last year of tiers,…
Vanilla Black Cook and Learn
These are dark times for those of us who alighted on eating out as a distraction from life’s mundanities. A few days before New Year, I seized upon the opportunity to spend a voucher for Roots that had been a kind Christmas present on the suspicion that restaurants might be about to be shuttered again,…
Juici Jerk
Caribbean food is not something York is terribly well served for. It’s cropped up as pop-ups in pubs and at the occasional street food market but there’s only one permanent venue in the city offering it and one takeaway that offers it to the best of my knowledge. Perhaps that makes the city attractive for…
Patty & Bun burger delivery kit
It feels like the days and weeks are rather differently punctuated at the moment. While 12 months ago I might have been centring my diary around days out, meals with friends and even trips to different cities, at the moment the coffee machine has seen its status raised to that of a daily landmark. With…
Getting to grips with Vegan Fried Chicken
“I don’t get meat substitutes. Why would you want to pretend to eat meat if you don’t want to eat meat?” How many times have you heard that parroted about meat substitutes by bemused omnivores when presented with vegan versions of commonplace meat products? To some extent it’s a view I, as a meat-eater, can…
Reflections on 2020
Well, that didn’t quite go according to plan did it? This time last year I was reminiscing on the preceding 12 months and commenting that “it’s been quite an eventful year”, blissfully ignorant of the incoming tsunami of unwanted eventfulness that would make 2020 a pretty bruising experience for all of us, including a now…
Tiers of joy with The Feversham Arms
Tiers is a bit of a dirty word at the moment, especially so in the hospitality industry where it represents painful curbs on the ability to make a living and go about our daily business without frustrating restrictions on the basic freedoms we usually take for granted. In the midst of all this confusion, I’ve…
A sense of occasion at The Ivy
For the sake of our collective mental health it’s important we keep finding positives in the midst of this mess, no matter how small, so in the run up to Halloween I took some minor comfort in the idea that I wouldn’t have to deal with a bunch of trick or treaters this year. The…
Lunch with The Deramore Arms
So here we are, pubs and restaurants are shut again along with “non-essential” retail (subject to a few creative interpretations of ‘essential’ from what I’ve seen) and we’re hostages in our own homes again, albeit to a lesser extent than our last run through of this. When things ease again at the beginning of December,…
The Star with a Star and a starring role in Yorkshire
I’ve something of a history with The Star at Harome. Just over a decade ago when I was realising just how much I enjoy dining out, I decided that for my 30th Birthday I would see just how restaurant dining could be and booked into the Michelin-starred Star Inn at Harome. That meal remains a…
Estabulo Rodizio York
Retail parks don’t tend to make fertile hunting grounds for interesting food. They tend to be identikit offerings geared toward the safest possible meal to appease the largest number of people possible while still turning a profit, and all without too much distraction from the day’s spending. While there’ll always be a place in the…
Forest at Galtres Lodge
Petergate is home to some fabulous businesses and, rightly, is one of the the city’s most photographed streets featuring some landmark buildings. Amongst these is the hotel Galtres Lodge which over the past decade or so has done precious little to attract my attention to its place to eat, previously named Michael’s Brasserie and being…
Sunday Lunch from The Feversham Arms’ new recruit
The Feversham Arms is just around the corner from the main bustle of Helmsley Market Square, though close enough for a quick stroll around the block to take in the sites to only take a few minutes. This well established local landmark describes itself as a luxury hideaway rather than boutique hotel or country house…
Shambles Kitchen bring fire to Shambles Food Court
While we’ve been blessed thus far (excepting for some irritatingly unpredictable days) with a summer reasonably conducive to outdoor entertainment, we’d be foolish to think that will be a continuing state of affairs. That being the case, as we come into autumn and winter, it’ll be correspondingly important for businesses to establish new bridgeheads into…
The Pheasant Hotel at Harome
Remarkable as it may seem, there are quite a few places on my mental checklist of Yorkshire restaurants that I simply haven’t gotten around to visiting. It’s unfair to lay all the blame for this at the feet of Baby Fork but it does feel like it’s a list that isn’t shrinking as quickly since…
Hog and Apple at Thor’s Tipi
I don’t think many of us are doing the things day to day that we expected to be doing six months ago. Even if we are, I suspect we’ve all seen significant changes to how we carry out those activities such as working from home or going about our business separated from customers by a…
Welcoming back The Star Inn the City
I’ve recounted before how The Star Inn the City was a tantalising view from my desk while under construction many years ago. This may or may not be a trick of my memory as I age but the sight of an exciting new restaurant from Andrew Pern emerging while I was subjected to the various…
Yolk Farm at Minskip Farm Shop
There’s enormous joy to be found in a lazy brunch. Inevitably you’ll have had a snack before leaving the house and the mid-morning nature of the occasion gives scope to either bleed it into lunchtime or slot in lunch too if you’re feeling particularly indulgent. Brunch menus can present a bit of a problem though,…
Family Fork in The Dales
I would love to be bold enough and organised enough to be intentionally on holiday just a few weeks after travel restrictions were lifted. The truth is a bit more prosaic than that though. Over Easter, I was due to be working on an event in the centre of York that potentially merited a few…
A belated Happy Birthday to The Grand Cookery School
Isn’t it funny what the last few months have done to our perception of time? Those early days of March seem simultaneously to be both part of another lifetime while the relative lack of activity in the interim has also left it feeling curiously recent. One of the final events I was lucky enough to…
Fancy Hanks
While we continue to find our way around what a meal out will look like over the coming weeks and months I’m left to reflect on the last place I dined in pre-lockdown, a meal that I’d hesitated to write about with the eventuality of the venue not being able to reopen foremost in my…
The Bay Horse Inn, Goldsborough
It’s early days for the reopening of the hospitality scene, indeed as I write this it’s not even started to happen, but in a few days pubs and restaurants will start to open their doors again to an audience I presume to be equal parts eager and nervous. One of those reopening is The Bay…
Aroma home dining
Aroma home dining is another business hit by the need to adapt from its existing business model into something more appropriate to our newly socially distanced society. While day to day business activities such as private cheffing, event catering, bbqs, canapés and shooting parties are off the cards, there’s still plenty of appetite to enjoy…
Drink in the sun in York
With the pubs and restaurants due to start reopening this weekend, news has come of two new landmark locations in York where you’ll shortly be able to enjoy a drink in the sun. Sol Ast at The PrincipalThe team behind THOR’S tipi bar will once again open their doors on Friday 10th July when they return with their…
Forest at Galtres Lodge
How does one go about launching a new restaurant right now given that circumstances preclude you welcoming any customers into it? Imagine having done the work, refurb’ed the building, neatly segregated it from the related hotel, come up with a menu then finding that you can’t actually use any of it. Things may be starting…
A French feast from The Chopping Block
This lockdown may have left us prone to introspection and reflection but as tempting as it is, this is no time to be looking back, something that people are rather too keen to do when talking about Walmgate Ale House and The Chopping Block York, its resident restaurant. Its previous incarnation as Meltons Too, sister…
Sunday Lunch from Kennedy’s
One thing I didn’t expect to be doing too much of throughout lockdown was trying new places to eat, but the way this year has panned out has been far from expected to say the least. With the most restrictive part of the lockdown hopefully in the past, we can start to dare to make…
bokkusu from Skosh
Shortly before restaurants were told to shut, this household came to a, shortsighted in retrospect, decision to skip one last meal at Skosh as a last hurrah. The nature of producing this site makes repeat visits to places I love logistically tricky, but Skosh is certainly worthy of repeat custom, so as lockdown tightened its…
Ambiente at home
The trickle of restaurants retooling their offering for enjoyment at home is gathering momentum by the day, with more and more people finding ways to deliver a good representation of their business in the domestic setting. It’s heartening to see some of York’s most cherished establishments start to open their (figurative) doors to customers. The…
Hog and Apple Sunday Lunch
What’s the best environment for a Sunday roast? A pub gives you ample opportunity to relax into the Sunday papers with a decent pint while coming to terms with the number of calories consumed; a restaurant can feel a touch formal for what should be one of the week’s most relaxing feasts; and the home…
Source picnic
What better way to take advantage of an unseasonably warm May than with a picnic? Traditionally though, in my experience at least, picnics are little more than ways of infecting your sun-warmed food with grass and sun cream in an inconvenient location that lacks toilet facilities. In the absence of a hospitality industry to manufacture…
A taste of Thailand at home
When I started this site a good few years ago, I had little idea of the things it would lead me to end up doing. Between train journeys with celebrities, awards judging (and nominations come to think of it), organising events and eating out more than I could ever have hoped, it’s taken quite a…
Fine dining at home with Vice & Virtue
What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten in the confines of your own home? How much does the fine dining experience suffer from being transplanted into a domestic setting and losing the serving staff? How do your plating skills compare to highly regarded chefs? This lockdown is posing a lot of questions that I never…
A pan full of pizza
It’s all too easy to fall into ordering too many takeaways at the moment. There’re plenty of local businesses who are both serving up delicious food and are deserving of support, but I’m craving variety of activity at the moment so I’m seeking out ways to enjoy food in different ways. With that mindset, I…
A Homage to French Fromage in the home
How much cheese is too much cheese? Homage 2 Fromage have been challenging people to find their personal answer to that for some time with their “all you can eat” cheese nights. I was lucky enough to attend one of these last year and found that there was indeed plenty of cheese provided, certainly more…
Hello, fresh?
Recipe boxes are far from a new thing or a response to current events but could easily find themselves enjoying a crest of popularity as people look to vary their food experiences in a world that, presently, sees limited options for eating out and takeaway dining.I’ve tried a few over the years and enjoyed them…
Le Cochon Aveugle chez moi
As we find ourselves in yet another week of this interminable lockdown, the consumer appetite for meals out and the professional desire to meet that need continue to coincide in new services. We’ve been trying to focus on one treat a week and this time alighted on Le Cochon Aveugle, who have entered the fray…
5 Top ways to achieve a safe vehicle in lockdown days
The current situation is different to what we’re used to, but let’s see the brighter side. Staying at home is the safest approach right now so this is the optimum time to perform at-home activities for when lockdown is over. How many of us are guilty of neglecting our car? In today’s world, time is…
Fine dining, delivered by Tommy Banks
One of the joys of the restaurant scene in York is the variety of styles of dining available. From casual to formal and presented via all sorts of formats such as small plates, sharing plates and tasting menus, there’s a huge breadth of experiences available to sample that are now starting to be translated for…
Love cheese, from a distance
If you read this site even semi-regularly then you’ll realise I tend to be quite the sociable type. Between review meals, helping organise food festivals, keeping Baby Fork socialised and being an active participant in the York Bar Billiards League, I tend to have quite a few demands on my time and I thoroughly enjoy…
The Whippet, Out
Periodically the cyclical world of Sunday supplement tag lines will blurt out the maxim that “Staying in is the new going out” with varying, generally minimal, degrees of justification. Right now though, we really can say categorically that staying in is most certainly the new going out in the extreme circumstances we find ourselves. Socialising…
Lockdown & Leftover soup
It may come as a surprise to hear that I don’t eat out for every single meal, or well it might have come as a surprise this time last week but perhaps less so now. I love cooking and am generally a little too quick to take over in the kitchen, but my approach to…
Rudy’s Pizza in a changed world
This is one of the hardest pieces I’ve had to write. It seems ludicrous as I sit in my living room today with life changed drastically and many operators in the hospitality industry in tatters. It hardly seems like any time at all since I was out and about enjoying great food. The last few…
Covid-19 and Hospitality in York
The last 24 hours has been the bleakest period for hospitality in York that I can remember, by some considerable margin. A large part of the economy in York is based on tourism and we have a proliferation of restaurants which are supported by that market along with us locals, who love to support their…
The Old House York (closed)
York may be defined by its history but it’s never constrained by it. There’s always something new to enjoy but it’s always got a fantastic historic backdrop. This is a narrative that The Old House York ties into neatly from its home on Petergate. Prior to its current occupation, this building was home to the…
EightyEight at Grantley Hall
I’ve occasionally pontificated on the assumptions made about restaurants situated within hotels. They seem to be inevitably seen purely as an adjunct to the hotel rather than a destination in their own right, an unearned slight that I’ve seen unfairly impact on the trade of some superb restaurants. Grantley Hall is a luxury destination that…
Ippuku Tea House
Last week I was due to go out for dinner with a good friend who was returning to York for a week and I found myself with several considerations to reconcile into a dinner venue. The friend in question has impeccable credentials when it comes to cooking and eating so obviously I needed to take…
Nextbase 522GW Dashcam review
Some months ago, a good friend was involved in a car accident when an inattentive cyclist pulled out in front of them and left no opportunity for avoidance. This was an awful experience for my friend (one presumes also not too enjoyable for the cyclist either) who felt terrible at their part in injuring someone,…
Feversham Arms Reach for the Stars as Adam Jackson is Appointed Exec Chef
The Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa is pleased to announce the appointment of Adam Jackson as Executive Chef. He brings over 20-years of experience to the role and a reputation for accolades. These include a Michelin star as Head Chef at The Black Swan, Oldstead; three rosettes as Executive Chef at Sutton Park, Sutton-the-Forest…
Fine Dining with Middlethorpe Hall
York has some extremely striking places to eat. Memorable buildings such as The Grand, The Star inn the City, Grays Court and Goldsborough Hall all represent memorable locations for a meal, while there are plenty of amazing restaurants homed in more conventional buildings of course. One landmark building on the outskirts of the city that’s…
Hyper local bread with One Mile Bakery (Closed)
Bread pays a significant role (roll?) in this household. Trips to Bluebird Bakery and Haxby Bakehouse are both frequent and regarded as a necessity, generally resulting in a wrestling match with the freezer to ensure that nothing goes to waste thanks to our over enthusiasm. Home baking is something I’ve never taken the time to…
Chef’s Table at Le Duèze Cahors
People can get a bit sniffy about tasting menus these days. I thought we were past the backlash of a couple of years ago when luminaries such as Daniel Clifford declared that they were over and that a la carte was the way forward. That said, there still seems to be some background noise murmuring…
Comptoir Libanais Leeds Vegan menu
I’m not sure I can ever see myself taking up veganism, but I’m always up for trying something new and not the type to insist that a meal isn’t a meal unless it contains something that’s been killed. I’ve heard various viewpoints and arguments over the years, notably a speech from William Sitwell who came…
Dinner at The Twine & Barrel York
There are many, many challenges associated with opening a new food business. The process can be a perfect storm of colossal public expectation, monstrous workload, huge capital expenditure and a massively competitive market. I’ve been to more restaurant launches that smell of wet paint than I can count and it’s not uncommon to be sat…
Mademoiselle’s Whitby
As much as Baby/Toddler Fork represents a wonderful addition to our life and family, we do occasionally fancy a meal that involves us eating concurrently and not chasing around after a small child determined to say hello to as many of the furnishings as possible. To that end, we’ve recently found ourselves leaning on family…
Some highlights of French Gastronomy
Sometimes it’s a struggle to decide what to feature on this site. I frequently receive offers of novelty crockery and dubious dietary supplements that are easily dismissed along with some of the invitations to less salubrious restaurants – if I wouldn’t be tempted to eat somewhere on my own money then why would I invest…
Looking back at 2019
Not only is it the end of another year packed with food and family adventures but it’s the end of a decade which is ending rather differently for me to how it began. Back then I was a Business Analyst (ISEB qualified and everything) in financial services rather than whatever I am now (which feels…
Chef Lu’s Chinese
I still get a frisson of excitement when finding a new gem in our lovely city. There’ve certainly been some hidden gems that I’ve tried my best to share with the wider community which have subsequently found their feet, so when I started to hear whispers of a new restaurant in a less desirable location…
3 Non Beards brewery opens in York
A new brewery has opened just yards from York’s Bar Walls, in the cellar of an award-winning pub. 3 Non Beards has been set up by friends Andy Aspin, Paul Marshall and Jason Simpson and will officially launch next week. The brewery is based in the basement of The Rook & Gaskill in Lawrence…
Malton Cookery School
What better place could there be to learn to prepare some Yorkshire produce than a cookery school attached to the county’s self-styled Food Capital? Malton Cookery School has been a fixture in the town for some years under the leadership of experienced tutor Gilly Robinson and has recently moved to a new location just between…
Sage Barista Express Review
A few months ago I had to endure a big birthday and, therefore, find a few ways to soften the blow. The alternatives to ageing don’t really bear consideration, but when there’s a zero in the number it’s a good excuse for an indulgence. My drip filter coffee machine was looking decidedly battered so I…
A Christmas Masquerade with Castle Howard
A couple of years ago, when Baby Fork was still Foetus Fork, we made our first visit to the Castle Howard Christmas decorations. Since then, the Christmas visit has developed into something of a tradition, allowing Baby Fork’s grandmothers ample opportunity to fuss over her as we make our way around the reliably breathtaking displays.…
Ashfields Restaurant, York College
It’s intrigued me for some years that there’s a restaurant in York College by Askham Bar. I’ve periodically looked at the menus and intended to go along and check it out as, frankly, it looks incredibly good value for the produce listed. How does £3 for crab cakes sound? Or two courses featuring ingredients such…
Star Inn the City Supper Club
The mood at The Star Inn the City is a bit different today to this time last year. 9th November 2018 saw the restaurant’s kitchen devastated by a fire that left them unable to resume their full food offering until March 2019, though the bar and terrace were open again impressively quickly. Part of their…
Once around the Bloc
Living in York has myriad advantages but, as with all things, there’s a trade off somewhere. It might be less than two hours to London but that’s still a fair chunk of time to add on to a journey if London isn’t your final destination. The North is well served for air travel but sometimes…
York Axe throwing with The Hilt
York has a broad range of activities that have the power to make you keenly aware of various elements of its history. The various museums dotted through the city do a fabulous job of imparting the weight of history that we enjoy, generally remaining lighthearted about it while still reverential on the more serious points.…
Fish & Forest moves to Gillygate
Gillygate seems to be becoming the default location for businesses moving on from Spark. Just Smile designs are about to take up a new spot on the corner with Bootham, Toner & Co have been there some time and Cardamom & Dill have plans to make the move imminently. Everett’s Coffee is just around the…
Shaws of Huddersfield
It’s always a privilege to get behind the scenes of a reputed local food producer. When the invite came for a tour of Shaws of Huddersfield it only took a couple of glances at the empty jar of their red onion chutney in my fridge to encourage me to accept. Other than knowing I like…
A sweet treat with Fudge Kitchen York
How many times have you been offered a sample of fudge as you enjoyed a mooch through York’s city centre? The friendly team from The Fudge Kitchen York always seem to be on duty to spread their sugary message outside their Petergate store, as they were on Kings Parade in Cambridge when I lived there.…
Expansion at Robinsons, Bishopthorpe Road
Bishopthorpe Road has a bit of a starring role in York’s shopping scene. Its flourishing collection of independent shops, restaurants and bars give it a sense of purpose and character that’s unique in the city. Its reputation is only further burnished by its featuring in a stage of the Tour de France in 2014 that’s…
Firelake Leeds
Restaurants in hotels always seem to start on the back foot. Having a restaurant with rooms is one thing, but there’s undoubtedly a stigma surrounding restaurants that are perceived just to function as a service to the hotel thaFirelake t hosts them. There always remains the possibility that this will inspire greater depths of effort…
York’s Chocolate Story is set to host the KitKat Chocolatory
New to York’s Chocolate Story is The KitKat Chocolatory. This is a luxury experience that includes the chance to create your own, customised, eight-finger KitKat. The eight-finger ‘Create Your Break’ option is exclusive to the KitKat Chocolatory and offers different flavour combinations along with a host of diverse ingredients including shortbread pieces, mini marshmallows, honeycomb…
York Food & Drink Festival 2019
It’s that time of year again! York Food and Drink Festival has been a highlight of the calendar for me for some time, serving fabulous lunches when I was still working from an office in the centre of York and dishing up a whole range of experiences since then. It’s been a great privilege to…
Homage 2 Fromage comes to York
How could I possibly say no to “an all you can eat cheese party”? The idea of turning up at a venue and gorging oneself on a selection of eight different quality cheeses is a very compelling one, that clearly needed exploring when this invite arrived. Homage 2 Fromage have been running these events in…
Hidden Harewood
Serving good food in unusual locations is a unique challenge, not always met by those who attempt it. It can be a reputational risk for a chef to take, but can pay off handsomely if it works out, making for a superbly memorable dining experience. The Harewood Food & Drink Project lands perfectly on the…
Rapid Response: Film review
If you’re a fan of motorsport, the last decade has offered plenty of opportunity to indulge at the cinema. ‘Senna’ set the tone and standard for all of the subsequent motorsport documentaries; ‘Rush’ memorably captured the Lauda/Hunt rivalry; ‘TT3D: Closer to the Edge’ brought the madness of the TT to life in visceral fashion; ‘Road’…
Cuisine of the Southern States comes to York as Cut & Chase closes to become Fancy Hanks
A popular York restaurant closed its doors for the last time on 1 September as its owners prepare to open a new venture that promises to bring ‘good mood food’ from the southern states of the USA to Goodramgate, as Cut & Chase transforms into Fancy Hanks Bar & Kitchen. The transformation will take two…
Vice & Virtue
It’s safe to assume that I witter on about food and restaurants an awful lot, occasionally to the detriment of my close friends and relations. I’m frequently nudging whoever is nearby to point out whatever interesting titbit has just caught my eye on social media, observing details of presentation and technique of varying interest to…
Gambling on a good meal
In my forty years, it’s never once occurred to me to go to a casino. My experiences of gambling are intermittent at best and don’t feature many extremes of emotion. I may have won a few quid courtesy of Marc Marquez when he won his first MotoGP world championship, but that high point is forever…
York beers triumph in World Beer Awards 2019
A BEER from York has been named the best of its kind in the country in a prestigious industry awards competition. Brew York’s Empress Tonkoko, aged in a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel, has been named best wood-aged beer in the UK in the World Beer Awards 2019. Brew York also won awards for the two…
Bridge Cottage Bistro (closed)
It’s not often these days that I feel like a restaurant has slipped through my fingers. I’m confident I have York well nailed and reasonably sure I’ve got my eye effectively on the surrounding area. That being the case, I was a bit surprised to get a series of suggestions to go check out Bridge…
Zaap Thai bringing taste of Thailand to York
The people of York will soon be able to experience the vibrant flavours of authentic Bangkok street food, as Zaap Thai are bringing their distinctive brand of casual gastronomy to the city this September. The new restaurant is located at 7 Lendal in the city centre and follows hot on the heels of the success…
Getting to know the Mazda MX5
It’s hard to think of a car that represents its sector as well as the Mazda MX5. Its winning combination of usability, fun, reliability, price and looks has made it the defining affordable budget sports convertible over the 30 years that it’s been with us. Those 30 years are now being marked by a special…
The York Van Gogh Experience
We’re well served for museums and the arts in York, with plenty of headliners able to garner national recognition alongside smaller galleries that offer plenty of opportunity for local artists to find a platform. Alongside the more permanent venues and frequent pop ups that we enjoy, there’s a new attraction to check out, The York…
Searching for fairies in Northwood Trail Fairy Sanctuary
Life is taking us in different directions these days. A few years ago, the idea of a visit to a Fairy Sanctuary would have existed at the periphery of my consciousness, but one must be open to new experiences, and Baby Fork has certainly been the catalyst for lots of those. We’ve been exposed to…
Doncaster Wool Market
I can’t recall many reasons to visit Doncaster coming to me over the last 18 years I’ve lived in York. It’s never been more than a stop on the train to London to me, despite its proximity, making it easy to access from York. I’ve never heard of much in the way of food and…
Yorkshire’s hospitality scene rally support for chef Tim Bilton
A dinner was held in York last week at the 3 Rosette Restaurant, The Park, by Adam Jackson to show support and raise funds for Yorkshire chef Tim Bilton who earlier this year was diagnosed with stage four melanoma cancer. As widely reported last month, TV Chef Tim Bilton has battled on and off with…
Le Creuset Kitchen Theatre with Brian Turner at BBC Countryfile Live
Brian Turner and his celebrity chef and food writer friends will be showcasing four days of tasty summer meals and treats at the Le Creuset Kitchen Theatre this August at Countryfile Live. For its inaugural outing at Castle Howard, local chefs including Michelin-starred Tommy Banks and Andrew Pern will take to the stage to showcase…
Welcome to Skelf Island!
Now that Baby Fork is fully ambulant and happily charging around, we’re starting to embark upon the journey of discovery that will pair us with her chosen play areas (that fall within our regular budget). We’ve already an established local routine thanks to our proximity to Rowntree Park, but we’re always on the lookout for…
Assembly Underground brunch launch
Since Baby Fork arrived, brunch has taken on a new meaning in our lives. It goes without saying that we’ve always enjoyed a lazy, late morning brunch, but in these days of evening routines and babysitting arrangements, it’s become a key opportunity to fit in good meals out. That being the case, it’s all the…
Family Fork Amsterdam
Regardless of the presence of Baby Fork (that should probably become Toddler Fork at some point) we were determined to enjoy as much of Amsterdam as possible. While tasting menus in Michelin starred restaurants might be off the cards at the moment, at least while we’re abroad without a baby sitter, there’s still plenty to…
Amsterdam Secret Food Tour
Food tours are right up my street, so to speak. I’ve done a few, both in cities I’m new to and ones I’m confident I know, and found them to be a perfect way to explore new environments, though getting fed is a bonus too of course. Our recent trip to Amsterdam presented a perfect…
First travels with Baby Fork
Turns out, travelling with a baby can be quite stressful. Who knew, eh? We’re both relatively experienced travellers and have honed our ability to pack light over many trips, something we knew would take a dent with the addition of a baby but the question remained, how prepared were we for our first travels with Baby Fork? As I’ve posted about…
Baby Fork’s first European city break
I don’t think we’ve done too badly with expanding Baby Fork’s horizons so far. She’s taken in the sights of Cambridge, Ludlow, Cardiff, Surrey, Chester, Leeds, Harrogate, Edinburgh, Whitby, Filey, Bridlington, Peterborough and (of course) York. Now though it’s time to challenge ourselves a bit more and get her overseas for the first time. In…
Reflections on 5 years of The Fork
I’m not always great with anniversaries. I can manage to remember the ones that come with consequences such as wedding anniversaries and birthdays, but the more minor ones can slip by, hence my realisation that York on a Fork has been going on for five years. I really had no idea what direction it would…
Silver Service Afternoon Tea from Hudsons at The Grand
Surroundings can make quite a difference to some meals. I’ve had opinions related to me suggesting it’s impossible to enjoy a meal in some locations and, while I can see merit in the suggestion, it’s not something I subscribe to. I’ll ignore most decorative faux-pas if the food is good enough, but that’s not to…
Afternoon Tea with Hotel du Vin York
I’ve had a curious blind spot for Hotel du Vin for a number of years. Despite being a well reputed bolthole close to the centre of York, I’ve somehow contrived to avoid it since 2013 it seems, based on my occasionally shaky memory. With that in mind, I was all too eager to accept a…
Happy Birthday to Mak Tok in Malton!
Chef’s table events are a great way to get up close and personal with your favourite chefs or producers. I’ve enjoyed a couple of these at Malton Cookery School over the last few years in its original home, but the School has recently shifted across town to a new location, so I was very happy…
Family Fork visit Almaz York
It can be hard to see the wood for the trees when I’m trying to choose which restaurant to head to next, such is the continuing proliferation of openings in York. Time is even more precious these days and now that Baby Fork is becoming tiringly ambulatory, some restaurants just aren’t appropriate for her to…
A foraged feast with Mr P (closed)
Any opportunity to eat food from a Michelin Starred chef is a thing to be grasped with both hands. A set menu for a very reasonable price with input from a well-reputed forager makes the occasion even more special, so the idea of dinner cooked under the watchful eye of Andrew Pern featuring ingredients from…
Lebanese with Comptoir Libanais Leeds
When I was invited to pop across to Leeds and try some Lebanese food in the Trinity Centre, I had to own up to not having heard of Comptoir Libanais Leeds. This chain has been working its way around the country for a while and is now making its presence felt in the North; this…
Sticky Walnut Chester
Sometimes the best parts of something new can feel comfortingly familiar. Sticky Walnut Chester has the reputation for dishes with a happily old fashioned basis but which are underpinned by a thoroughly modern commitment to engagement through social media thanks to chef patron Gary Usher. Usher has become a well known figure in the hospitality…
Family Fork visit Chester
It pays to do your research before going on holiday. That way you can make sure you pick a destination suitable for your family circumstances and appealingly different to your home town. Alternatively, you can choose a place to visit based on a hunch and find it both slightly impractical for your circumstances and spookily…
York’s Chocolate Story
York’s chocolate heritage is so rich and has contributed so much to the fabric of the city we now love, it’s only fitting that it gets its own tourist attraction. York’s Chocolate Story landed in Kings Square a few years ago with a mission to tell the story of how the chocolate industry shaped our…
A chance to explore Manchester
It’s funny how time slips by. I regard myself as pretty well travelled within the UK, but that doesn’t mean I’m without blind spots. Given its proximity to York it’s a little surprising that Manchester is one of those. Even more surprising was that, when I gave it some thought, I realised it was 21…
Meeting a cheerful Masterchef with Naked Noodles
It’s funny how some Masterchef contestants slip from your mind despite avidly having followed the show for years. Occasionally these days I’ll fall into a Wikipedia hole and realise that large numbers of the contestants I’ve followed on Masterchef over the years have escaped my memory entirely. One of the characters in last year’s edition…
The Grand Cookery School opens in York
The Grand Hotel is something of a landmark in the centre of York, occupying a prime location on the route from the train station to many of the city’s tourist attractions. It’s been worthy of a visit on its own merits for a number of years now, with two restaurants, relaxing space for drinks and…
Afternoon Tea at Oxo’s on The Mount (closed)
I’m not the biggest fan of afternoon tea. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so when trying it, I can end up at a loose end after working my way through the sandwich offering. That said, when I was invited to Oxo’s at The Mount Royale for their afternoon tea, I was more…
Yorkshire’s finest food & drink entrepreneurs revealed at Garbutt and Elliot Awards ceremony.
Eleven of Yorkshire’s leading food and drink businesses have been recognised for their entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen and product or service excellence, as winners were revealed at the second annual Garbutt and Elliott awards, last night. The winners emerged from over 100 entrants to be crowned across nine categories, including the coveted ‘Garbutt + Elliott Business…
Jaguar XF
Can the Best of British defeat the endless onslaught from Germany? I tried the Jaguar XF to find out… Now that Jaguar has finished the important business of separating its current model line up from memories of the X & S Types, rounding out the saloon models with the F-Pace and F-Type, it’s moved its…
Children at The Star Inn the City
When we learned of the impending arrival of Baby Fork, we promised ourselves that this would not be the end of our love of dining out and that we would involve her in as many meals as practically possible. As she’s only just about to pass the one year marker, we’re not quite at the stage…
Exploring the USA
What would be your dream holiday? Where would you go for a once in a lifetime trip? How much would you try and fit in? Would you prefer to fill your time relaxing on a beach catching up with your favourite authors or would you try to fit in as many sights as you could?…
Retro Road Test: Fiat Panda 100HP
For anyone who cares about driving there should always be an appeal to basic, light, low power transport marketed toward fun. The kind of thing that harks back to the original Mini but is increasingly hard to find in these days of driving aids and airbags to cater for every eventuality. Arriving on the market in…
Garbutt & Elliott Food Awards shortlist announced!
REVEALED: SHORTLIST OF YORKSHIRE’S MOST ENTREPRENEURIAL FOOD BUSINESSES The second annual Garbutt + Elliott Food Awards have now closed for entrants and a shortlist of 28 businesses across the eight categories have been announced. The awards, established by leading York and Leeds based accountancy firm, Garbutt + Elliott, now in their second year, celebrate Yorkshire’s…
York Cookery School Sushi
It’d never occurred to me to attempt my own sushi until I happened to see some friends making a go of it on social media a few weeks back. I wasn’t quite organised enough to get hold of the ingredients and kit needed but in a fortunate twist of fate, I was invited to try out…
Family Fork visit Keswick
It may be stating the obvious, but the Lake District is stunning. I’ve been visiting on and off for around twenty years and after staying in various locations, I generally find myself returning to visit Keswick. Coniston, Amble, Ambleside, Windermere, Ennerdale Bridge… all absolutely beautiful places to visit but Keswick offers a great blend of…
Reflections on a year of Family Fork
It’s a curious contradiction that busy periods in one’s life seem to fly by when viewed in retrospect but also subject you to seemingly interminable periods of slow motion when dealing with the the more trying events. This is something that’s come into my mind repeatedly while considering the first year of parenthood and reflecting…
Going Wild in the Jaguar F-Pace
Think a Jag is an old man’s car? Jaguar wants to prove you wrong with the Jaguar F-Pace… My stepfather has a Jaguar XKR with which he’s very pleased. It’s his third Jag after another XKR and an S-Type. With the utmost of respect to my stepfather, I don’t think he’s exactly Jaguar’s target market…
A Grand new cookery school
The Grand Hotel is a landmark in York, providing a stunning foreground to many pictures of York Minster taken as people make their way to it from the train station. As well as being a hotel and spa, there are a variety of food and drink reasons to visit The Grand including Hudson’s and The…
Is the perfect car a van? Vauxhall Combo Life first drive
The Vauxhall Combo Life is a new family vehicle based on the Combo panel van that, in its position as a successor to the Zafira, Vauxhall definitely doesn’t want you to associate with its utilitarian origins. It’s entirely understandable that Vauxhall want to make sure this product stands on its own two feet amongst its…
Berlin Trabant tour
“Your car is equipped with a communist radio system – you will hear my commentary but you may not respond through it!” Briefings and safety advice are in surprisingly short supply before we are expected to dive into a Berlin Trabant tour Trabant production started in 1958 and didn’t end until 1991, by which point, approaching…
Change on the horizon!
It’s time for a change. I’ve been producing this site and the huge majority of its content for approaching five years now, with help from some amazing people along the way. I’ve met some incredible people and had some wonderful experiences but life moves on and it’s time for a bit of a shift in…
2018 in Review
I can scarcely believe another year has gone by and that we’re already set to drop into 2019. 2018 was another year of growth for the food scene in York with high profile new openings and expansions from established locals complementing one another. New development Spark also broadened the city’s horizons. On a personal level,…
York hits heights with Harden’s guide
The UK’s best towns for foodies and top 100 Restaurants are revealed today in Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2019. Harden’s 28th annual poll surveyed 8,000 diners who contributed 50,000 reviews, which, as analysed and curated by the editors, form the basis for Harden’s inclusions, ratings and reviews. This year saw a surge in interest in the York…
The Cutlery Works Sheffield
Food halls seem to be popping up all over Yorkshire these days. In York, we have Spark to host a range of street food vendors at the moment and the promise of another food hall in the recently refurbished Stonebow House to come in 2019. In Leeds, Assembly Underground has just opened with 50 beer lines…
Assembly Underground Leeds
The newest big name on the food scene in Leeds is Assembly Underground Leeds, an appealingly subterranean food hall that features (predictably enough) great street food and a huge range of beers to choose from. The space that it inhabits, I’m reliably informed, used to house a nightclub and has been artfully distressed into a comfortable space…
Dough in the City
The Vice & Virtue team are on a bit of a roll at the moment. The titular bar continues to win plaudits for its cocktails and fine dining and it’s only a few short weeks since I was there to attend the preview for their new Pudsey based restaurant and coffee shop, Feed. That impressive…
Garbutt & Elliot awards update
Entries are still open for this year’s Garbutt & Elliot Food and Drink Entrepreneur Awards so make sure that you take a look at the categories and get entered in everything relevant to your business. Here’s a reminder of the winners from last year’s crop of 76 entrants: Northern Bloc for Best Innovation Heck for…
Whippet Inn Pies
Lunchtime is precious in the world of office work. It’s an opportunity to stamp your authority on a small element of the days you spend earning a living in return for a precious slice of that remuneration. While you may or may not be lucky enough to have a subsidised work canteen (and “lucky” is…
Street food faves Slap & Pickle land in Leeds city centre
The diner treats and perpetual holiday vibes which made Slap & Pickle Leeds such a success at the likes of Trinity Kitchen, Eat North and Chow Down are soon to be on offer 7 days a week, 12 months a year. With its founders so in love with Leeds that they relocated from down South,…
The Rattle Owl grazing plates
Lunch can be such a precious refuge from the workplace. I’ve spent many days cowering behind a desk desperately looking forward to an hour long escape from the day’s mundanities, always debating what kind of indulgence is justified after enduring yet another morning of tiresome meetings and reputation making. The centre of York has a…
Harewood Food & Drink team up with Northern Monk
Two much talked about Yorkshire award-winners are combining for a winter filled with beer, food and festive fun. The Harewood Food & Drink Project (HFDP) will be taking over the Northern Monk (NM) taproom kitchen from 28th October to the 29th January with informal day to day plates and a series of ticketed pop up supper…
Hudsons at The Grand
It’s a tough thing to build a reputation as a restaurant when you’re based in a hotel. For reasons that have always been slightly beyond my grasp, the challenge involved in convincing non-residents to make a few steps from their usual route is a significant one regardless of the quality of the restaurant in question.…
Garbutt & Elliot launch second annual Food Entrepreneurs awards
The Garbutt + Elliott 2019 Food Awards opened for entrants on October 19th, celebrating the wonderful food and drink offerings in ‘God’s Own County’. The awards highlight the county’s growing position within the national and even international marketplace and were set up in recognition of entrepreneurs and businesses from across Yorkshire who have been part of…
Thor’s Tipi to return
This November the ever-popular and highly-acclaimed Thor’s tipi bar to return to York city centre. Last year over 50,000 people visited this uniquely themed attraction that plays on York’s Viking heritage and is now a firm fixture of the Christmas offering in the city. From 10.00am on Thursday 15th November in Parliament Square, Thor’s will once…
The Bishy Weigh
A new shopping experience is coming to Bishopthorpe Road. The Bishy Weigh will be a pantry and household essentials store, complementing what is already on offer down Bishy Road, while also responding to a high demand for more lifestyle products. Instead of having to order from a faceless internet shop, their customers will get friendly, local help…
Los Moros York
There’s a lot of love for Los Moros and its founder Tarik Abdeladim in York. Tarik has been a fixture in Shambles Food Court for some time, helping to build that area’s reputation for good food while knocking up fabulous street food. He’s even been beating the great and good of York’s restaurant scene to reach number one on Tripadvisor for…
Sunday lunch at The Refectory
Location is an element that can really add a sense of occasion to a meal and the Principal Hotel is without doubt one of the most striking places to dine in York since its refurbishment some years ago which elevated it from faded glory to contemporary relevance. There’s a smartly decorated bar to relax in which has a rather…
Roots York Launch
It’s something of an understatement to say that the last few years have seen an upwards trajectory for The Black Swan at Oldstead and the Banks family. Since taking over the kitchen at Oldstead, Tommy Banks has retained its Michelin star, won Great British Menu twice and seen TripAdvisor name the restaurant the Best Fine Dining…
Born to Lose burgers (closed)
Over the last couple of years, Mark Hill has become well known in York, developing his Street Cleaver brand into one of the most reliably excellent street food vendors in York. From humble beginnings and through pop-ups in a range of locations, Street Cleaver settled into a unit at Spark while continuing to hit up…
A crafty evening with Prashad Indian Vegetarian
It’s remarkable how long one can spend abortively trying to visit a restaurant. In 2010 Gordon Ramsey hosted a program by the name of “Ramsey’s Best Restaurant” which saw him facing off restaurants of different specialisms until one was crowned the nation’s favourite. Bristol’s Casamia took the win that time round, but I was thoroughly…
Stamford’s Bar & Grill Pocklington
Pocklington doesn’t tend to crop up in conversation too much about places to eat. I’d be hard-pressed to come up with many recommendations (or any actually) for it within the town centre. While it’s regularly on my schedule for family visits, I’ve not been out socialising there for some time, partly since my last visit…
York Food & Drink Festival 2018
How can it be time for the York Food & Drink Festival 2018? It only seems like a few months since I was joining the crowds flocking to York to sample all the traders while making my way to the day’s demonstrations. It’s entirely possible that my sense of time has been disrupted by the arrival of…
The Hideaway Kitchen at the Dunsforth (closed)
For a variety of reasons, it can sometimes take a little bit of a push to get me out of York to check out somewhere new. While there’s certainly a proliferation of great places to eat in York, it’s hardly the only place in Yorkshire to find fantastic food. With that in mind, for a…
Riverford recipe box
It can be a struggle to constantly think of new dishes to try in the home. It’s oh so easy to end up relying on a few easy dishes that you’ve committed to memory and their derivatives, even more so when taking into account the trouble of getting to a supermarket to booster your stocks of obscure…
Feed Leeds
Over the last year or so, I’ve kept hearing word of a young chef in Leeds who’s been earning a reputation for putting together indulgent dishes that don’t let themselves be constrained by any particular genre or convention. Jonathan Hawthorne’s name has become hot property in Leeds for some time as his regular XO Supper…
Expansion at Brew York
This Friday (August 24th) sees York’s new city-centre beer hall and street food kitchen opening it’s doors. Brew York, which opened in Walmgate in 2016, has expanded into a neighbouring building and has spent the summer converting it into the city’s biggest beer venue. The new upstairs beer hall will serve 40 beers at a…
Filmore & Union summer menu (Closed)
It’s not too long since I visited Filmore & Union but whenever they have a new menu on, it’s worth a trip. They have a new summer menu to check out that’s great value at £14.95 for two courses or £18.95 for three. This menu continues the usual Filmore themes, catering for meat and dairy…
Baby Club and a burger with Everyman York
Ever since I moved to York in 2001, the City Screen has been the go-to cinema in York for good reason. Its combination of a well-judged schedule of popular and niche programming along with a friendly bar that does reasonably priced food has been unmatched in the cinema scene in York for years. The former…
Becoming part of the Fountains Abbey family
Yorkshire has so many beautiful places to visit it can be hard to decide where to go. This summer, Fountains Abbey has further made its case for a visit by adding a series of follies to the gardens at Studley Royal. These plot a nice walk around the gardens and provide distraction for little legs on their way round. It’d…
New menu at the Cat’s Pyjamas (closed)
The Cat’s Pyjamas hasn’t been in York for long, but it’s made a bit of a splash already. I’ve seen plenty of people commenting on social media about how they’ve enjoyed the Indian street food dishes and wide selection of craft beers. It’s obviously a successful formula, and is one that’s set to be replicated…
The Ivy Afternoon Tea
Being the home of Betty’s largest branch in York, St Helen’s Square is inevitably associated with afternoon tea. Aside from this, in recent years the area has become something of a hotspot for restaurants as Jamie’s Italian, Carluccio’s and the Ivy have set up shop. The Ivy is now bringing both of these worlds together…
Culture in a car park with the Rose Theatre York
Temporary structures have been something of a theme in York this year, with the Spark container park making headlines. Spark will be in York for at least a couple of years but making a rather more brief appearance in our city is Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre York which has popped up on Castle car park in…
Arras York
York can be a slightly backwards looking city, happy to rely on existing glories rather than pushing forward. This can be reflected in the restaurant scene. When places are established there’s an attachment, justified in many cases, that can last for some time after the place in question has disappeared which can become unwelcome baggage…
CSONS at the Green Cafe
Recently we were invited to a wedding near Cardiff by a good friend so decided to break the journey with a couple of days in Ludlow. I hadn’t made any particular plans to go out and eatOn a trip while there as we were staying in a beautiful Dovecote opposite the castle that leant itself…
Vegan with The Whippet
The Whippet Inn has been well established in York for some time as one of the best places to go for a meat fix. Its expertise in charring meat to the right point is difficult to argue with but that specialism makes it rather less appealing for the ever increasing vegan population. With that in…
Press Kitchen York is go!
The combination of Fossgate and Walmgate has long been a hotspot of restaurants in York, one of the first areas in the city to really find itself embedded in the food culture, which has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. With that being the case, it’s a little unusual to hear…
A Super Break with a Masterchef
Sara Danesin is pretty well known around York these days thanks to her 2011 appearance on Masterchef which took her oh-so-close to winning. Since then, she’s built a successful business as a chef consultant and hosts a successful supper club from her home in the city. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy her food a…
The Cat’s Pyjamas (closed)
Leeds is only a short hop on the train and, while I do get there semi-regularly, there’s a good list of places that I’ve yet to make it to. Included amongst these is The Cat’s Pyjamas, which counts Jay Rayner amongst its many fans. Thankfully the opportunity to check it out has now landed a…
Raithwaite Estate
The pending arrival of a baby really does focus your mind on all the ways in which your life is about to change. Along with local and domestic concerns about maintaining cleaning and social routines in your community, there are numerous questions raised about the practicality of travellRaithwaireing and holidaying with a baby that are…
Yorkshire Cheddar at Shears Yard
Wensleydale Creamery is something of a Yorkshire institution, offering plentiful samples of its eponymous cheese at its visitor centre. Its Wensleydale is well established as a superb cheese and now, after some serious research and recipe development, they’ve expanded their range to offer Yorkshire Cheddar. This is not an endeavour that has been taken lightly…
Welcome Spark York
York isn’t short of history. There’s a huge amount to learn about the history of our beautiful city. From Viking Jorvik, through Roman Eboracum and Victorian expansion to the present day, it’s easy to find most aspects of our history reflected in tourist attractions dotted across the city. Recent times have seen a reduction in…
A Nook in York for street food (closed)
There are widely documented concerns about some of the main shopping streets in York, some being blighted by empty units and a general malaise compared to more prosperous economic times. I don’t doubt that, in time, there’ll be solutions found to reverse this trend, but in the meantime some streets on the periphery of the…
Cardamom and Dill
I love quirky local museums. I’m never happier than when I happen upon a haphazardly curated old folk museum or village museum with odd exhibits. Keswick used to be a particular goldmine for these things, with the Cars of the Stars Museum, James Bond Museum, Puzzling Place and many others. A few of these are…
The Park on Bootham (closed)
Bootham is a fine street from which to find the centre of York. A series of spectacular buildings and hotels are dotted along the road that features the handsome St Peter’s School, which famously counts Guy Fawkes as an alumnus. The striking hotels along the thoroughfare don’t, in general, do a good job of shouting…
Ask Italian Harrogate
If you’ve been following my eating recently you may have noticed that Baby Fork is starting to have an impact on our activities, forcing us to make a few compromises, but so far not preventing the pursuit of good food around York. We seem to have a pretty relaxed baby thus far so have been…
Afternoon Tea Cruise
York has so many assets, it can be hard to work through them all even as a resident with a bit of time on your hands. There are so many glorious nooks and crannies in this city to explore so perhaps it can make sense to combine a couple of activities in the interests of…
The Cat’s Pyjamas comes to York
A new offering for York, featuring Indian street food and craft beer
Expansion at Brew York
Brew York reveals full details of expansion – and invites local people to help make it happen
The Star Inn the Harbour
A look around the latest addition to Andrew Pern’s stable of restaurants
Devonshire Arms Bolton Abbey
A trip to Bolton Abbey to meet a new head chef and check out the Dev
Melton’s at York Food Festival
An evening of matched wine and seafood with Melton’s in St Sampson’s Square
A Great British Menu meal brought to life
An evening with food from Josh Overington, Tommy Banks and Danny Parker at House of Tides.
Taking a butchers at some BBQ with Andy Annat
A full day of butchery, bbq, food and drink with a BBQ legend.
Appleton’s Butchers birthday
A chance to win a fifty pound voucher for Appleton’s Butchers on Lendal
Yorkshire Day with Marks & Spencer
A look at some of the Yorkshire produce on offer from Marks & Spencer
Lobsters in the Walmgate Ale House kitchen!
Getting to grips with lobster in Walmgate Ale House
Country hospitality with The Plum and Partridge (closed)
An overnight stay at The Plum & Partridge in Husthwaite.
Making Friends with Ham with Ham and Friends (closed)
A new venue from the team behind Friends of Ham
Dinner at the Chef’s Table Malton
An evening at the Chef’s Table with Gareth Bottomley from the Charles Bathurst Inn
Express lunch at Jamie’s Italian (closed)
A trip to Jamie’s to check out their new affordable lunch menu
Malton and Pickering with Brewtown Tours
Visits to three North Yorkshire Breweries with Brewtown
Andy Annat at The Blues Bar (closed)
Revisiting the Blues Bar in Harrogate to see the latest from Andy Annat.
Cut and Chase private dining (closed)
A private dining event hosted in conjunction with Cut & Chase
Liz Cottam at the New Ellington
A visit to a Masterchef semi-finalist taking up a residency in Leeds.
Taking a Butchers at Appleton’s York (closed)
A visit to a butcher new to the centre of York