T’ART at The Fossgate Social

Over the last decade, Fossgate has been one of the hubs of food activity that’s driven the city’s burgeoning reputation as a food destination. Its namesake business The Fossgate Social has hosted a number of different kitchens and pop ups over the years, such as Street Cleaver, now sorely missed in York but reborn Hull…

The Principal Hotel

York has many hotels and seems to sprout more and more on an almost daily basis. From funky new entrants such as Moxy to luxury with history thrown in at Grays Court there really is something to appeal to everyone. One of the oldest players is The Principal Hotel, attached to York train station and…

Drake’s Fisheries York

I knew that becoming a parent would bring untold change to my life and impact every single area of it, including our diets. What I didn’t anticipate though was that this would lead to an increasing consumption of fish and chips, previously one of my less preferred take outs, if I’m totally honest. The whims…

Sora Sky Bar

We don’t lack history in York, it’s what our thriving tourism industry is based around and what makes the city so attractive to so many people. Yes it makes the city busy as people inevitably want to experience it for themselves, but if you’d rather avoid those tourist crowds, there’re plenty of other places to…

Impossible York

Assumptions about what’s impossible have been blown away in the last 12 months. Roll out a newly developed vaccine in double quick time? Sure. Find the cash to pay huge swathes of the country to stay at home for a year? No worries. Get the general public to buy into avoiding personal contact with their…

York Dungeon Walking Tour

Throughout 20 years of living in York I’ve tried to be proactive in looking for new ways to explore and interact with the city that I’ve come to love, with treats such as the Snickleway Tour of York and more recently the Treasure Hunt York Tour proving their worth. Without getting too much into talk…

Middletons York

It looks very much like dining out in 2021 will, for a good portion of it at least, mean exactly that. Even after we’re permitted to return to the warm embrace of a restaurant’s interior, I can see many people retaining a preference for outdoor dining as long as the British weather can be tricked…

Treasure Hunt York

After twenty years in this wonderful city I think I know York very well. I’ve never lived more than 20 minutes’ walk from the centre of the city and have spent a great many days happily mooching my way around the city, taking in its history, sights and businesses. On occasion I’ve joined more formal…

Getting to grips with Vegan Fried Chicken

“I don’t get meat substitutes. Why would you want to pretend to eat meat if you don’t want to eat meat?” How many times have you heard that parroted about meat substitutes by bemused omnivores when presented with vegan versions of commonplace meat products? To some extent it’s a view I, as a meat-eater, can…

Reflections on 2020

Well, that didn’t quite go according to plan did it? This time last year I was reminiscing on the preceding 12 months and commenting that “it’s been quite an eventful year”, blissfully ignorant of the incoming tsunami of unwanted eventfulness that would make 2020 a pretty bruising experience for all of us, including a now…