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…
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.…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…