February
The second month of the year kicked off with the launch of the York Ice Trail at Middleton’s Hotel, a fantastic event and a beautiful location. February also saw the publication of the Lonely Planet Experience England guide which features yours truly as the local voice of York! Speaking as someone who doesn’t tend to take enough credit, it was a very proud moment. A bitter-sweet memory is the wine tasting I went to at The Wright Place which has subsequently closed after an all-too-brief life on Walmgate. York Minster was memorably lit with animations that attracted huge crowds, an event that we preceded with a meal at Pho, always reliable for great value and service. Valentines Day was a rather sombre affair as it marked the end of our beloved Milly, a 17 year old cat who is still greatly missed. Rather more positively Remedy opened their doors on Fossgate with a zero waste policy and a bunch of delightful plant-based dishes. After putting on a 5th birthday party at the local church hall, we also enjoyed a birthday trip to The Deep, a breathtaking place to visit. I marked the end of the month catching up with Ellen from Leeds Food Tours who was helping me plan for later in the year…

March
First up in March was C&S Sourdough moving to Tower street having outgrown their (slightly more convenient for me) home on Fossgate, still the expanded range and stock makes up for the minor inconvenience. Restaurant week has become a fixture of the York calendar now and the highlight this time round was The Star Inn the City who were knocking out three courses for just £26 including a delicious confit chicken leg and sherried parsnip veloute. The Pearly Cow opened its doors on Bootham and had a little fun by sending out kits for prospective guests to prepare their signature dish at home, I was pretty pleased with how mine turned out! A fish and chip cruise on the Ouse was a child friendly and fun evening but a rather more mature event was held at Gray’s Court who hosted a caviar tasting with Petrossian, spectacular and delicious. My first awards judging of the year was with Azet’s for their food entrepreneur awards which was a great warm up for the first tranche of Great Taste Awards judging with the Guild of Fine Food. This is a highlight of the year and an enormous honour to be involved with, even more so as this year I stepped up as a coordinating judge to take responsibility for capturing and articulating judge feedback to go to producers. The anchovies in smoked anchovy butter that I was lucky enough to judge still stick in my memory! Amongst other meals, Fleur from Bobby Geetha in Leeds and The Refectory at The Principal stuck in the mind as did an event in Selby Abbey showcasing producers from the locality.

April
This was the first Easter in a few years that I’ve not been needed to work during York Chocolate Festival, after getting things organised in the run up to it, so I took advantage of a bit of down time to chill out….at the Chocolate Festival obviously. The first notable engagement of the month was at Hotel du Vin to try their a la carte menu which featured a particularly well put together sole dish before I trekked North to Eyemouth in The Borders for a family break. Then I had to hot foot it back to London for more Great Taste judging with the Guild of Fine Food. Yorkshire Handmade Pies made an appearance in my house and were as spectacularly good as their reputation would suggest then I was treated to a contrast at Red Chilli over on Kimberlow Hill who have a remarkably good value lunch deal. It was also the awards ceremony for the Azet’s Food & Drink awards while I was also treated to a lovely meal at Chez Mal. I also got my first look at the new Minster Refectory after its spectacular transformation.

May
“Alright mate, just done a test and it turns out that cold I had last night wasn’t just a cold”…Just the message you want to kick off a new month. Also just the backdrop you want to enforced jogging at your daughter’s “Star Wars Marathon day”, that was a breathless experience. Much more restorative was a selection of Yorkshire Wolds Apple juice, startlingly high quality products deserving all of their many awards. Truly the high point of the month, and quite possibly the year, was meeting our new kittens after we found the house feeling empty without Milly. It felt like a long wait for Bean and Tansy to be ready to come to our home after that! Alessandro Venturi is one of the best Italian chefs in York so I make a point of attending as many of his pop-ups as I can and this month’s edition at The Fossgate Social didn’t disappoint. The Grand Cookery School is always up for something new and this month it was the launch of their new Weber BBQ masterclasses, a great excuse to get stuck into some steaks. Yorkshire Heart knock out some cracking beers these days as well as offering events to try them out, their Friday night brewery tour and sampling sessions are a great value way to get stuck in to some with dinner thrown in for good measure. The Elm Bank Hotel on The Mount is a hugely under appreciated building in York so I took great pleasure in swinging by for a meal in its breath-taking Art Nouveau interior, a great contrast to the modern surrounds at Sora which was next on the agenda. Afternoon tea at The Principal Hotel, Breakfast at Victor J’s and a visit to Pairings rounded out the meals for the month along with a picnic in the incomparable grounds of Castle Howard. Musical entertainment came from Dr Syntax while I also found myself pressed into covering decaf espresso judging… I can confirm 30 decaf espressos in an afternoon is too many.

June
June kicked off with Fork Junior’s first trip to London, which duly blew her mind with underground trains to such an extent that she was sick on the platform. Still, it was great to visit the Natural History Museum for the first time since childhood and we snuck in a detour to Borough Market too for a successful day all round. Collecting Bean and Tansy to bring them to their permanent home produced a look of delight in the child that will remain with me forever, as will the stench of their attempts at litter training. I’m a big fan of Pho, and not just because I have a VIP card, so the offer to check out their outdoor space was gratefully accepted before I moved on to dinner at The Chopping Block for some hearty French classics. The Motorist cafe ticks a lot of boxes for me given my love of motorsport and cars, the food at restaurant “The Arnage” though makes it a worthy destination in its own right. Away from the food scene, Frankie Boyle put on a great set at The Grand Opera House and Little Fork enjoyed her first visit to Clip & Climb greatly, ascending with confidence and elan. The inaugural Street Weekend also hit Melbourne raceway – if you’ve any interest in noisy cars this is definitely one for your diary this year. The Judges Lodging has long been a landmark building in York and now in 1711 it has the food offering to match that status thanks to chef Marlon Sanchez who’s knocking out well thought through and extravagant dishes. Clucking Oinks have been an asset to York as well as friends of mine since opening in Spark half a decade ago and they looked right at home straight away in their permanent spot on Castlegate, the larger kitchen allowing a broader menu. Another new offering was found on Leeman Road where Pastelle events started offering supper club style events, the standard and generosity of which made it a highlight of 2023 for me. A visit to Skosh is always exceptional and this month’s edition was no exception to that trend, faultless execution of well-conceived dishes as always. Perhaps the most significant part of the month though was running the first trial of the York on a Fork food tour! I’d had this in mind for a little while so to bring it to reality and toward being a viable commercial offering was a uniquely rewarding milestone.

July
I’m the first to admit that my taste in music runs to the niche so a trip to see the quite remarkable Petrol Hoers which ended with an unexpected lift home in an air-bagged 1950’s rat-look pick-up was about as remarkable a confluence of my tastes as is possible, though I concede of little interest to much of my social circle. Having started looking at the mechanics of running tours, I tagged along with Mad Alice for her Bloody Tour of York, something I would thoroughly encourage you to book on for a great mix of theatre and history. I took a trip to Sheffield with old friends for a couple of nights that yielded some cracking pubs and a trip to Cutlery Works for a taste of Joro spin-off Konjo that should be on your list if you’re in the area. Another enormous privilege and responsibility came in the form of another day with The Great Taste Awards judging 3-star products in anticipation of the Golden Fork Awards – I’m still thinking about the smoked anchovies in smoked butter that cropped up again! The Feversham Arms is always worth a trip to Helmsley so I leapt on the opportunity to see chef Jon in action demonstrating there before enjoying lunch. The final indulgence of the month was for my birthday, checking out the uniquely good value Six by Nico over in Leeds.

August
August started with a faintly ludicrous double header that led to me eating at both Pignut in Helmsley and Myse in Hovingham in a single day, setting a high bar for the rest of the month to follow! Our first trip to the Wonderlab at the National Railway Museum was immediately a hit with Little Fork and has led to multiple repeat visits, definitely one to have on the list for kids. Deep fried lasagne was always going to pique my interest so when I saw it in the window of Biga+ on Walmgate I was straight on the case, amazing value and totally unique. Jimmy Mack’s Street Kitchen pitched up at Brew York’s Handley Tap, giving me a perfect opportunity to quality check them before the following month’s York Food Festival… spoiler, it’s amazing. Outside of food, I led a team down to Nottingham for a Bar Billiards tournament which we won on the final shot of the event, taking home the world’s smallest trophy for our efforts. One of my favourite street foods, which is hugely underrepresented in this country, is Currywurst and it needs just the right sauce…which was delivered to me all the way from Germany by a very kind friend. A return visit to Pastelle Supper Club reinforced my view that it’s one of the best value places to eat in York right now. Following that it was my annual trip to Bilsdale Country Show to judge the food and produce categories, something that my digestion is glad they are to further subdivide next year. Diversity in brunches is something we lack in York and Rosa’s Thai have tackled this head on with a Thai brunch menu, the sweetcorn patty is a treat…who wouldn’t want spice for breakfast!

September
With preparation for York Food Festival ramping up, I was very happy to get away at the beginning of the month for a few days to Keswick, where I was long overdue a visit. The Pencil Museum is surprisingly comprehensive and Castlerigg stone circle magical, though we didn’t get up to too much in the way of food and drink. The Whippet has long been at the front of the York meat scene but the step of taking their beef dry aging in house has really pushed things to another level. The 80 day dry-aged sirloin that they treated me to was quite something, a real event of a meal. I then rushed down to London to check out the Golden Fork Awards, which features tasting of the very best Great Taste Awards entrants from the 14,000 or so entries they receive. Those anchovies featured again! After stopping by Dishoom for breakfast on my way back to Yorkshire it was time to get things moving for the Food Festival. This year we delivered around a thousand free workshop places for KS2 schoolchildren at multiple locations in the centre of the city as well as trails, demonstrations, live music and free spaces for community groups to use. We were also celebrating the historic twinning of York and Dijon, both of whose civic parties I took on a tour of the event as well as joining at an exceptional meal at The Grand. I can’t wait to see what this year brings!

October
Most people I meet seem convinced that by virtue of my broad food tastes my daughter must be also similarly inclined, however that is far from the truth. So when she started tucking into the broth at Pho in October I was ecstatic as it’s such a reliable and good value place to eat. Another ambition was fulfilled when I took her to see a Jet Dragster for the first time and she was excited rather than terrified at being in such close proximity to an afterburner. On the foodie front it was restaurant week again so I made my way around The Ivy, 22 Yards and Clucking Oinks to take advantage of their fantastic offers. Ippuku Tea House is one of the best value and consistently lovely places to eat in the city and it was a relief to see Forage back up and running after a brief closure brought on by a change of ownership. Tasca Frango have been banging out peerless peri-peri chicken since their Spark days and my first visit to their new bricks and mortar home on Kings Square certainly didn’t disappoint with plenty of great stuff to order alongside that chicken. Truth be told the Pickering Disco Steam train runs more to the rest of the family’s taste in music than mine, but I managed to feign enough enjoyment at the disco music to not ruin anyone else’s day. At the end of the month we made our way over to William’s Den for Halloween and were blown away by how well run and well thought out every element of the attraction was, definitely one that merits repeat visits.

November
With winter really taking hold, one of the first stops this month was Sora, the sky-bar above Malmaison, to check out their winter specials. The food here matches the views with some delicate pieces of sushi on offer. Next up, the Twilight Walls walk took in the section from Bootham to Monk bar with sensitively judged illuminations – make sure to keep an eye out for this next year. Batanga had opened a few months previously in Franklin’s Yard and sadly plans for them to be involved in the Food Festival didn’t come to anything, still my first visit to eat in the restaurant was great value. One of the most unique meals of the year came, oddly enough, from LNER who had taken over The Cookery School at The Grand to celebrate their centenary with a menu reflecting the past, present and future of on board catering. A truly original offering and all they asked for was a generous donation to a food bank. Ripon isn’t somewhere I’ve spent much time but Adam Jackson taking over the kitchen at The Old Deanery was more than enough inducement. This early preview was impressive enough, with the tasting menu and stunning breakfast both being beyond reproach, and the future surely holds great things. Christmas at Castle Howard followed a Neverland theme this year, raising the bar yet again with the addition of unique AV elements. The Delifresh Young Chef competition continues to gain in stature every year, with a whole range of producers sampling this year and high profile chefs in attendance including Gareth Ward from Ynyshire. I didn’t get enough in the way of traditional Christmas dinner this year but The Minster Refectory came some way to filling that gap with their neatly realised version, including cauliflower cheese soup to start.

December
The festive period saw more tour bookings come in and positive Tripadvisor reviews that were really rewarding to read. Clucking Oinks launched their new menu in their Castlegate premises, belatedly reintroducing the “Oink” to their menu as well as a show-stopping “Carbonara Hash Brown”. Celebrations took place with my Bar Billiards team at the Garden of India just across the road from our home venue, The Phoenix Inn. We returned to William’s Den for their Christmas show which was just as flawless as the Halloween experience. This place really knows how to cater for kids – the food is spot on too! Rather less rewarding was a supermarket’s “Pigs in Blankets” ice cream I picked up on a whim which should have been resisted though thankfully that was the only Christmas catering mis-step with Swaledale Butchers supplying a wonderful porchetta for the Christmas centrepiece, Food Circle supplying the veg and Courtyard Dairy on cheese duty.

So what does 2024 hold? Well more of the same in general. I’m working on York Chocolate Festival at the moment, next month I’m back with the Guild of Fine Food which will dovetail with York Food Festival planning before that takes over in the summer. Operating food tours of York will carry on gaining momentum with different tours in the pipeline as well as bespoke and corporate bookings. May will see me pass ten years of York on a Fork so I should have a think about how best to mark that. I can’t quite believe how fortunate I’ve been to be able to find an audience for this and the opportunities it’s afforded me! Happy New Year everyone.

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Flat Iron are continually celebrated for their quality offering and affordable pricing, making great steak accessible to everyone. The menu is led by the signature Flat Iron Steak; meticulously seam-butchered from the shoulder, the steak is tender, juicy and full of flavour. The menu also boasts an array of sides, including truffled macaroni cheese, crispy bone marrow garlic mash and homemade beef dripping chips.

The Flat Iron team have had roots in the North for over 10 years, with their own herd of cattle which has been reared under the watchful eye of third-generation beef farmer, Charles Ashbridge. Nestled in the hills above Sutton Bank in Thirsk, the Flat Iron herd thrive on luscious pastures, homemade hay, rolled barley, molasses and nuts. The Flat Iron herd beef features on the menu in their iconic Bearnaise Cheeseburger.

Leeds diners can also take their pick from the drinks menu, consisting of a curated selection of wine, cocktails and local draught beers. The team have their very own Flat Iron Malbec on offer, expertly blended using grapes grown in the Limoux area of the Languedoc in southern France.

When asked about the opening, Flat Iron’s Head of Beef, Fred Smith says “Yorkshire is the home of our Flat Iron herd, so it felt only natural to open a Flat Iron in Leeds with our very own beef just a few miles away. We’re really looking forward to bringing great steak to the North and welcome new guests to the Flat Iron family.

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Northern products have won not one, but an impressive 545 awards. 365 x 1-stars, 157 x 2-stars and an impressive 23 x 3-stars have been scooped including the following:

·       Great Taste 3-star – Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Gelato by Churn and Chill (only 1.8% of entries received a 3-star – “extraordinarily tasty food & drink”)

·       Great Taste 2-star – Traditional Pork Scotch Egg by Mr Murray’s Scotch Eggs (only 11% of entries received a 2-star – “above and beyond delicious”)

·       Great Taste 1-star – Cloudy Apple & Blackberry Juice by Yorkshire Wolds Apple Juice Co. (28.8% of entries received a 1-star – “food & drink that delivers fantastic flavour”)

John Farrand, managing director at the Guild of Fine Food comments: “A huge congratulations to the Northern producers who have been awarded a Great Taste stars for 2023 with their outstanding food and drink 

“Every year, we welcome new and established producers making fantastic products around the world and this year has been no exception. The breadth and quality of food and drink has been outstanding and we wish everyone who entered huge success and hope they find the feedback from our expert judging panel beneficial as they continue in their onward journey.” 

What is Great Taste? 

Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind-tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.

New for this year and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Great Taste, the Guild of Fine Food offered 50 micro producers the chance to put one new product in front of its expert panel of Great Taste judges for free. The bursary was aimed at micro producers who have never entered Great Taste before or have a new product, which has never been entered before. The bursary panel, which consisted of Adrian Boswell, buyer at Selfridges, industry commentator and food entrepreneur Mallika Basu, and PR & marketing expert AJ Sharp, selected the 50 most eligible entries.

2023 saw 21 products entered through the bursary scheme win a Great Taste award including Karobi’s Ghee from Karobi’s (3-star), New Alt from Antur Brew Co. (3-star), Shoogle Junniperous Scottish Navy Strength Gin from Shoogle Spirits (2-star) and Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi from The Ferm (1-star).

Food & Drink Wales is the headline sponsor of Great Taste 2023. Great Taste Golden Fork trophy sponsors include: Andrew Ingredients, Bord Bia, Food & Drink Wales, Invest NI, Italian Trade Agency, Maltby & Greek, Mevalco, Partridges, Scotland Food and Drink, ShireFoods, and Speciality and Fine Food Fair. Great Taste is supported by Henderson Group, Horgans, and Peter Green Chilled.   

The Great Taste 2023 judging panel:

“When I come across a product with the iconic black and gold Great Taste logo, I see it as a badge of honour and feel compelled to purchase it. Having knowledge of the effort required to attain such a rating and the exceptional flavour that accompanies it, I am confident the product will not disappoint.” said a regular of the Great Taste judging panel.

The distinguished judging panel consisting of over 500 food & drink experts, included chefs, critics, recipe developers, buyers, journalists, retailers, broadcasters, and reputable industry professionals. The Great Taste 2023 judging line-up included senior buyers and coordinators from Selfridges, Whole Foods Market, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Waitrose and Westmorland Family. MasterChef 2022 winner Eddie Scott, olive oil sommelier and author Irini Tzortzoglou, food writer and owner of Violet Cakes Claire Ptak, chef and co-founder of Island Social Club Marie Mitchell, chef turned farmer Julius Roberts, pastry chef and author Ravneet Gill, restaurateur and producer Amy Poon from Poon’s, baker and author Kitty Tait – the youngest and newest judge to join this year. Finally, broadcasters and journalists Nigel Barden and Lotte Duncan (BBC), Andy Clarke and Juliet Sear (ITV), Felicity Cloake (The Guardian), Xanthe Clay (Telegraph) and Joanna Blythman were involved this year, among many others.

What happens now? 

These Great Taste award-winners can now proudly display the iconic black and gold Great Taste logo as a badge of honour on their award-winning products. The logo states whether the product was awarded 1-, 2- or 3- stars and that it was awarded in 2023, so make sure to look out for them in your local stockist!

Past winners have stated that displaying a Great Taste sticker has increased sales by as much as 50%, as consumers from around the world are enthused to taste the best food and drink products available each year.

Great Taste Golden Fork ceremony 

The excitement of Great Taste 2023 doesn’t stop here, for the highest scoring winners it’s just the beginning. All 3-star winning products were tasted and judged again by the knowledgeable judging panel to crown the Golden Fork trophy winners and the 2023 Supreme Champion – the highest accolade of all.

The Golden Fork ceremony celebrates the best of the best from producers around the world, awarding them with a Golden Fork trophy. Further Golden Fork trophies are given for various categories, including the Guild of Fine Food Lifetime Achievement award, the Great Taste Startisan of the Year award and Nigel Barden’s Heritage Award.

All will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Ceremony on Monday 11 September 2023 at the Battersea Arts Centre (trade event only).

For the full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them, head to www.greattasteawards.co.uk from 2pm today where you will also find a wide range of the award-winning products available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the country.

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This September, Castle Howard visitors can enjoy Nyetimber English Sparkling Wine aboard The Nyetimber, which will be parked up at the heart of Castle Howard’s stunning Yorkshire setting, overlooking Castle Howard’s baroque North Front with sweeping views over the Great Lake towards the North York Moors.The Nyetimber vintage 1968 Routemaster bus will embark on a 200-mile journey from London to North Yorkshire, stopping at Castle Howard from the 14th – 17th September. Nyetimber will be serving their world-renowned English Sparkling Wines daily between 11am – 5pm, and offering tastings on the top deck on 16th and 17th September. Castle Howard’s Head Chef, Nathan Richardson-Kelly, has designed a beautiful tasting menu for a Perfectly Paired Dinner served in the stately home’s Grecian Hall on 14th September (tickets available now).Castle Howard has been serving Nyetimber English Sparkling Wine since 2017. Developing an all- encompassing partnership, Nyetimber is served across the Castle Howard Estate, and is included as part of Castle Howard’s weddings and private events as their exclusive English Sparkling Wine.As well as onboard the Routemaster bus, Castle Howard visitors can also enjoy a glass of Nyetimber in the Courtyard Cafe. Nyetimber is also available to purchase in the Farm Shop and Gift Shop.

The Nyetimber vintage Routemaster 1968 at Castle Howard 14th – 17th September 2023
Nyetimber Perfectly Paired Dinner
14th September, 7.30pm
Book tickets (including travel to and from The Grand Hotel in York City Centre)

Nyetimber English Sparkling Wine Tastings 16th – 17th September, 12pm, 2pm & 4pm Book tickets

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Anyone interested in the York hospitality scene will be familiar with this location as the former home of Source which has had to call it a day to tend to other, very successful, business interests and the interior hasn’t been too drastically meddled with. Bright pink branding has been proudly installed on the frontage and the rest of the interior now matches the bright, hip-hop inspired aesthetic that has become Clucking Oinks trademark while the menu doesn’t deviate from the successful formula that they’ve been refining the last few years. What has changed is the breadth of the menu, with many of the much loved monthly specials from Spark now permanent fixtures. When I popped along to the friends and family soft launch I took the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the “Bombay Bad Boy”, largely on the strength of the incredible coriander mayo it features. We also grabbed some chicken strips, some wings and a couple of portions of loaded fries to make sure the transition to this site had been a smooth one.

Being well versed in working in many different environments, having a permanent venue was unlikely to prove an obstacle and the food is as consistently superb as always. The slathering of coriander mayo and crunch of Bombay mix on my burger was as distinctive and boldly memorable as I remembered and the loaded fries are the same indulgence as always, just in more comfortable surroundings.

I’ve no doubt that this move will see Clucking Oinks achieve even more success, building on the hard work of the last few years despite all the obstacles they’ve had to endure too. It’ll also give them space to breathe and, in time, broaden the menu which has had a conspicuous absence of “oink” for rather too long in my view. It’s been a pleasure watching these guys firm themselves up as one of York’s street food heroes and I’m excited to see what the transition to a permanent site brings for them.

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Perfectly timed for the start of the British barbecue season, these courses are now running most weekends and let you get to grips with a number of BBQ classics in an attractive, previously under-utilised, outdoor space by the side of The Grand which looks up toward street level. Rather appropriately, the launch event was preceded by weather extreme enough to warrant a reassuring email to the effect that it would be going ahead. The team have done a great job of weather proofing the space though so there should be no worries about the great British weather intervening in your fun.

The launch event started with some hands on pizza dough stretching by way of illustrating the versatility of a barbecue with some members of the audience more successful than others. I dodged the public trial and just settled for a good look at the results. The second demonstration was rather more traditional as we were introduced to some beautiful ribeye steaks. These were cooked back to back on gas and traditional charcoal barbecues, both delivering bags of flavour and smoky character.

I’ve not gone through a course with Marc Williams yet but it’s clear he’s extremely knowledgeable, approachable and enthusiastic. The short demos that we enjoyed were certainly enough to pique my interest in this intriguing new concept. Weber Academy at The Grand Cookery School courses are available to book now.

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Grays Court has become well established as one of the best small hotels in Yorkshire since being taken over by the Heraty family just under a decade ago, who have painstakingly worked to restore it to the standard this historic building deserves. Central to any prestigious hotel should be an appropriate food offering which, at Grays Court, is fulfilled with characteristic competence by Adam Jackson at The Bow Room restaurant. Now, though, they’re ready to add a slightly more casual string to their bow with a menu that’s perfect to enjoy in their stunning garden, bounded in part by York City Walls. This may be more casual than a multi-course tasting menu but that’s not to say it isn’t suitably indulgent, with a theme that picks the best of French and British caviar and sparkling wines to compare.

Caviar from either Exmoor or Pettrosian is served with blinis, sour cream and pickled cucumbers and starts from £90 for a tin; pairing that with a bottle of champagne or Nyetimber sparkling wine would make a suitably indulgent afternoon and a memorable experience. Also on the menu are a beautifully dressed steak tartare and potted shrimp with crab meat as well as fish platters and plenty of oysters of course. It’s fair to say that this is priced as a premium experience, and it really does deliver on that. Top quality seafood and a high end drinks offering in the grounds of one of York’s most spectacular buildings really is a thing to savour and serve as the foundation of great memories. What could compare to sipping the finest English sparkling wine in a garden abutting York city walls while trying to decide if English or French caviar is superior?

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Entries are open for the Azets in Yorkshire Food & Drink Business Awards 2023. The Awards are well known in Yorkshire and have been running for five years now, previously under the Garbutt + Elliott brand and I’m very happy to be returning as a judge. It is very simple to enter; just click the link and submit a 300 word entry. You can enter as many categories as you like. 

The 2023 Categories

This year there are 9 categories open for entries, with the chance to be crowned overall winner:

1.       Personality of the year

2.       Rising star

3.       Best hospitality

4.       Retailer of the year

5.       Best new food product

6.       Best new drink product

7.       True Yorkshire Grit

8.       Manufacturer of the year

9.     Producer of the year

How to Enter

Entries are now open via the Awards web page. Simply fill out the form, attach any supporting documentation and submit your entry by 27^th February 2023. It’s completely FREE to enter and there is no limit on how many categories you can enter.

Enter via this link:

https://discover.azets.co.uk/azets-food-and-drink-awards-2023

Shortlisted entries will be invited to attend the awards ceremony on Thursday 27^th April 2023 at York Racecourse, Parade Ring Restaurant where the winners will be announced.

Contact Azets

If you have any further questions or queries about the Awards you can email Azets at: yorks.awards@azets.co.uk

If you do choose to enter, best of luck from me!

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Harry Blades, who works within the hotel’s restaurant The Rise, served up a roasted duck breast with a duck confit foie gras bonbon, celeriac purée, red cabbage and apple gel, drizzled in a rich, duck jus. For his second course, he served a mouth-watering chocolate mousse with raspberry sorbet, and chocolate tuile finished with a chocolate and Szechuan crumb, gold leaf and raspberries.

Competing against 79 chefs in the previously completed first round, Blade’s dishes led him to success on the finals day and were highly praised by the panel of star judges and stated: “It’s a great honour to be awarded the Delifresh Young Chef winner this year and I could not think of a better place to have won it than in the hotel I cook for. Our Head Chef, Ahmed Abdalla has been a total inspiration for me, helping me through the many extra hours spent in the kitchen refining my dishes for today. The hospitality industry can be challenging but days and events like this gives us confidence in our culinary careers and how we can grow.”

The competition challenged each chef to curate two standout dishes, to be judged by the expert panel: Terry Laybourne of 21 Hospitality Group; Andrew Pern, Chef Director of the Star Inn & Star Inn the City; Stephanie Moon, TV Chef and Chef Consultant for All Things Food; and Pierre Koffman, one of a select few in the UK to have been awarded three-Michelin stars at his London restaurant La Tante Claire .

The competition and its success are a great highlight to The Grand, York and its culinary offering and ability to nurture talent for the future. Guests are invited to enjoy its various culinary outlets all year round, including the recently launched fine-dining restaurant, Legacy, in addition to The Rise for breakfast, Afternoon Tea and dinner, and the hotel’s cocktail bar 1906. The Cookery School is also the perfect place for guests to put their own culinary skills put to the test with the guidance of Head Tutor, Marc Williams.

Delifresh, an independently owned specialist food service supplier founded in 2002, is dedicated to providing its customers who include Michelin-starred restaurants, hotels, events, and conferencing facilities with the finest and freshest ingredients from its high-quality network of producers.

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22 Yards Wine Bar & Merchants
Enjoy a charcuterie board of specialist cured meats or a cheese board from the menu and a glass of wine for just £20pp. Offer available from Tuesday to Thursday, from 12pm to 5pm. Limited selection of wines available.

Café 21 York
Enjoy 2 courses from the set menu for just £15pp. Offer available Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 4:30pm.

Chopping Block @ Walmgate Ale House
Enjoy 2 courses from the set menu for just £20pp (starter & main), add dessert for just £4. Offer available Tuesday and Wednesday from 5pm until close. Thurs, Friday and Sat from 12pm until close.

Corner Grill House Restaurant
Enjoy any 2 courses from the normal menu (a main and starter or main and dessert) for just 20pp. Offer available during opening hours from Monday to Thursday and Sunday. Excluding premium steaks from the grill section.

Drake’s Fish & Chips
Enjoy 2 Courses from the set menu and a soft drink, beer, or glass of house wine for just £20pp. Offer available everyday day during opening hours.

Forest Restaurant @ Galtres Lodge
Enjoy 2 flat iron steaks and a bottle of house wine for 2 to share for just £20. Offer available Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 5pm. Pre-booking is required.

Los Moros
Enjoy any 3 small plates from our menu for just £15pp. £3 supplements for the King Prawns al pil-pil applies. Offer available Tuesday to Friday, for lunch and evening dining during opening hours

Malmaison
Enjoy a Japanese bento box & a glass of prosecco for just £20pp. Offer available Wednesday to Friday, from 12pm to 5pm. Pre-booking is required via telephone 01904 946071.

The Larder Club
Enjoy breakfast and a hot drink for just £10pp. Offer available Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Monday). Excludes platters.

The Star Inn The City
Enjoy 2 courses from the Market Menu for just £20pp. Offer available Monday to Friday from 12pm to 3pm.

The Taylor Made Kitchen
Enjoy any small loaded fries, or nachos, or mac & cheese for just £5. Offer available Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 12pm until 4pm, and Friday to Saturday from 12pm until 8pm. Subject to availability.

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