Ruth Hansom is an established fixture in the hospitality scene, making her name down in London at a variety of Michelin-starred and acclaimed fine dining restaurants that led her to appear on Great British Menu. London though, as much as its residents may disagree, is not the centre of the universe and after a couple of years, Ruth made the decision to head back up North and back to her roots. This has led to the opening of Hansom at Bedale, near Ripon, where she’s been putting her stamp on the Northern hospitality scene. Bedale is a handsome (appropriately) home for Ruth which is just about an hour’s drive from York and an easy cruise up the A1. The building itself is a classy looking stone-built thing with a few tasteful planters and classy signage out the front to welcome you. One thing to bear in mind is that the majority of the parking on the street in Bedale requires a disc permit, without which you’ll probably get a ticket. The speed with which this was mentioned as I arrived suggested it’s a very real threat, but thankfully I’d clocked it and parked somewhere appropriate.
The dining space is airy and reasonably formal, as are the servers who buzz around making sure coats are stowed away and cutlery in place. That said, it’s not a stuffy environment and there’s a perfectly comfortable bar area that would be a pleasure to people watch from for a bit. The lunch menu I had come to eat weighed in at £48 for four courses plus petit-fours with a drinks pairing coming in at £42 which having driven I wasn’t able to participate in. First up were canapés consisting of bread & butter pudding and duck liver parfait, presented on a simple wooden plinth. The crisp and rich bread and butter pudding was topped with a smear of Wensleydale which had been set against a few delicate matchsticks of apple to add balance and sharpness; a great start but I particularly enjoyed the duck liver. Wrapped in a sliver of pickled plum and set atop a very short disc of pastry this was a delightful mouthful balancing texture with a well judged sharpness offsetting the rich parfait, a confident start that would hopefully set the tone.
Bread came to the table next and I took my well practised approach of restraint, though making sure that the dainty loaf was indeed delicious as was the cultured butter with which I anointed it. Next up the first “proper” course which was smoked leek wrapped in pasta with pickled walnut and a foraged mushroom sauce as well as Leeds Pecorino from the renowned Leeds cheesemaker Mario Olianas. The pasta from which the Agnolotti was constructed had retained a satisfying al dente bite and the contrast brought to the table by the use of pickling and the mushroom against the cheese made for a superbly well rounded dish. Before the meat course, I was treated to a delicate trout dish which again used pickled veg to provide sharp spikes of flavour to backdrop the fish, matching its predecessor for balance.
Next up came the meat course, showcasing lamb in this case. The presentation took me a little by surprise as the promised mint gnocchi had been used to sandwich braised lamb belly to join a delicately turned spear of asparagus, ribbon of pickled kohlrabi and a wild garlic emulsion alongside the lamb loin. Perfect lamb cookery joined forces with a richly compelling sauce while the gnocchi and braised belly were rich and neatly executed. Relief from the richness came from the freshness of the asparagus while, again, the pickling on the kohlrabi was perfectly judged to cut through the richness, as did the wild garlic. This really was a standout dish, about to be followed by another.
Dessert was a suitable full stop to the meal with a lemon verbena tart joined by a quenelle of beetroot sorbet with a delicate rod of meringue draped over the top. The verbena was strongly present without being overpowering and tempered beautifully by the sweetness of the meringue, with the verbena giving a touch of marzipan complexity that I absolutely loved. I still have very little in the way of a sweet tooth so to say that this was close to my dish of the day next to the lamb is a rather notable statement.
Prior to this meal, I’d met Ruth before as she came to kindly demonstrate for me at York Food & Drink Festival and obviously I’m familiar with her by reputation but this first meal at her mercy felt like a whole new introduction via the medium of food. The sequence of dishes were superbly judged with a deft touch bringing sharp and sour into the balance by skilfully deployed pickles and a rich indulgence marked by consistently strong cookery. Coming in at £48 for lunch too just makes this even more compelling. Definitely worth the journey from York.
