Leetham’s Brasserie at Elm Bank

(ad – pr) Whenever I think I have a handle on all of the best buildings in York it feels like another contender looms into view all ready to wow me again. The concentration of landmark buildings within the city walls is practically endless and there’re plenty of examples around the wider city such as…

Yorkshire Heart Brewery Tour

(ad – pr) You’d think serving fresh beer to enthusiastic customers in a brewery wasn’t a terribly hard thing to do. After all, the beer is brewed and ready to go and who isn’t eager to attend the proverbial in a brewery. In real life though practicalities can intervene and I’ve seen a few events…

Firepit Beverley

Over the last couple of years I’ve repeatedly told myself that I must get out of the purely “York” mindset and start straying further from my natural epicentre. The downside of running this website is that I seldom get back to many places I want to, such is the demand to try new places, so…

Malmaison Bar & Grill

(Ad – PR visit) York has recently developed a rather disturbing habit of tearing down buildings only to rebuild something of equally debatable merit on the same site. Older more notable buildings are obviously protected from this trend but, with the welcome exception of Stonebow, it’s rare to see some of the less well conceived…

Red Chilli East Campus

A consistently good Chinese that delivers (literally and figuratively) is something that I’ve struggled to find in York since my days living in South Bank close enough to The Golden Horse to indulge myself. Several have sporadically come up with the goods but none seem able to sustain it. One that I’ve never quite got…

Hotel du Vin

(Ad – PR visit) I recently popped along to Hotel du Vin York for Sunday Lunch and found it to be a well resolved balance of a dearly loved British tradition with a few French elements which was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a few indulgent hours on a Sunday. Now they have a…

The Refectory

The Principal Hotel right next to York train station is one of the most striking buildings in York and a grand sight for visitors to arrive to. In years gone by it had been somewhat neglected to the point that I resented when its meeting rooms were booked by a previous employer! That’s long in…

Fleur Leeds

Social media has changed the way in which we interact with our favourite celebrities, brands and businesses over the last decade or so. We now expect to be able to share our thoughts with all those subjects in the public domain, for better or worse, while some businesses scramble for the most striking appearance to…

Fish & Ships!

The sight of City Cruises boats giving tourists a view of York’s riverside is a familiar one, especially if you live near the Millennium Bridge (as I do). They’re a mainstay of the city’s tourism offering which makes great use of one of our natural resources, turning the River Ouse into a great alternative viewpoint…

Yorkshire Handmade Pies at Spark

Pies can be a bit of a minefield and inspire strong emotions. Many is the time at a function where a pie is promised and what is delivered is a stew with a cursory sheet of puff pastry plonked on top; generally satisfying enough, but certainly not a pie. Taking things rather more seriously are…