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…
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 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.…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…