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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…