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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…