Having been bestowed with a Michelin star within a year of opening there’s little doubt about the momentum that Josh and Vicky Overington are creating out in Hovingham, building on years of experience refining their craft at Le Cochon Aveugle in York which is still much missed in the city. I’ve been lucky enough to sample the evening service at Myse before and having been unsurprisingly impressed was more than happy to pay a return visit, this time pressing a friend into action as a driver in return for their first experience of fine dining of this standard. After a scenic drive passing through the Castle Howard estate, we were met in the car park by a chef who ushered us into the comfortable lounge area to peruse the drinks list and start with a few mouthfuls of smoked pork shoulder sausage and Summerfield cheese cracker that was anointed with black walnut ketchup. These were as appealing to taste as they were to look at and set the tone marvellously as we chatted to a couple of fellow diners before making our way through the dining room to take our table and admire the view of the open kitchen.

It’s always a pleasure to watch chefs of this standard work and Josh’s kitchen showed all the right signs of order and discipline. A large bone occupied an elevated position above a charcoal grill, waiting for its moment in the spotlight on the pass to be sawed in half to access the marrow in a lovely piece of theatre. First up was a “crispy pancake” which was a world away from the retro namesake on which I was fed as a child (Google them if you’re too young to remember), packing a chive punch around birch cream and herring roe which was stuffed into a crisp outer. Next up bread and butter revealed what was going on with the bone as it was paired with beef dripping enriched with the cooked bone marrow and shot through with a generous amount of tarragon. Bread can be a bit of a booby-trap at a meal like this and soak up your appetite, but the dripping with its herb offset was sensational and far too good to miss. We were then happy to be interrupted by the upcoming beef as it made a perambulation of the room before we moved on to our next course.

Squash soup may sound like a relatively mundane thing to be served in a starred restaurant but unsurprisingly here the execution was perfect and the addition of a cold element in the form of pumpkin seed ice cream brought things up another notch. Roast beef for a Sunday roast wouldn’t be complete without a Yorkshire pudding which is what comes next, though rather than served traditionally the batter had been used to encase braised ox cheek then deep fried. Presented on a stick with a crown of fermented cucumber gel, it makes a fine precursor to the beef course.

Expectations were high for this and comfortably met with a dainty slice of beef joined by leek rolled in ash, mustard cress and a sauce with allium notes. Any fears that the portion size would be on the miserly side were quickly allayed by the appearance of more beef at the table served separately so as to not unbalance the presentation. These were quickly divided up, making sure of an entirely equitable distribution and then just as quickly consumed. It goes without saying that the cooking was as perfect as the presentation and the service, bringing an end to this section of the meal before we moved to sweet courses.

The sweet dish was a masterclass in balance and pairing that brought together several elements that are not in my usual preferred choices to great impact. Quince cake with a gently smoked caramel and a lightly savoury malted barley ice cream worked wonders together in the dish with the savoury ice cream bringing contrast of temperature against a softly textured cake. Smoke wasn’t a prominent note but gave a nice backdrop while the drinks pairing elevated things even further. I’m not a huge fan of either pear or cider so the prospect of pear iced cider wasn’t one that had me in monstrous anticipation but this was one of those moments where you realise that it’s sometimes best to take a step back and trust the team. Some tasting menus with drinks pairings deliver lovely dishes and lovely wines but when you find a series of drinks so well matched to the accompanying dishes as is here, it really puts forward a compelling experience. I’d have been more than happy to end things here but after a morsel of beef fat fudge with truffle and grated ox heart my friend decided to throw cheese into the mix too; I didn’t protest. We decamped back to the bar area and happily grazed on a selection of well-aged cheeses before saying our goodbyes and making tracks back to York.

I had high expectations for this meal which were met or exceeded throughout. All the dishes were beautifully conceived and executed, feeling like Josh and the team have refined everything I’ve seen them work on over the last decade or so. The drinks pairings were all expertly judged and the whole thing represented good value for this kind of experience at £85 for the food and £65 for the drinks. Against the Grain at Myse is one to add to your list.

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The Pentonbridge Inn is a remote outpost with little around it to distract from eating and drinking within its confines. The views from the car park are unsurprisingly remarkable and the overall effect is of isolation and escape. With a Michelin star proudly held for three years and 3 AA Rosettes, there’s little to doubt the credentials of the kitchen here, but first impressions as one enters are of a welcoming bar space, basic without feeling sparse, and with a pleasant hubbub. After settling into my comfortable room, I had a bit of a shock at the bar with less than a fiver demanded of me in return for a pint. I know this isn’t in the costly South where I’ve recently taken a £7.25 beating for a pint, but that’s still more than accessible enough for a Michelin Star establishment.

Having established The Pentonbridge Inn’s credentials as a pub were intact and having readied myself for dinner, I took refuge in the corner of the room and surveyed my surroundings in preparation for the serious business of dinner. An open kitchen gave view of clearly well disciplined chefs working efficiently and with purpose, dutifully ticking off dishes on a chart as they worked their way through service. First up, in typical fine dining style, was a trio of bites showcasing Montgomery Cheddar, beetroot and Limousin Beef. Each bite presented itself on delightful bespoke tableware and delivered impressive injections of the promised flavours, with beetroot being worked into a macaron to memorable effect and a delicate beef tartare playing strongly toward my preferences. Next up, fresh peas worked their magic against a savoury Japanese-style custard before bread appeared with house-made butter as well as a deeply meaty potted beef that compelled me to eat more than was probably wise for my appetite.

Next up was a first fish dish that showcased mackerel with a fresh backdrop of tomato and seasoning via another delicate tart case with generous quantities of caviar and a peppery nasturtium backdrop. With a vibrant green herb oil splitting the sauce for visual appeal, this was a confidently executed dish that preceded another fish dish. This time, it was a piece of halibut joined on the plate by langoustine and cauliflower with a lobster sauce bringing cohesion to the experience; another well-judged and executed dish with bags of flavour and indulgence. The meat course followed after an appropriate pause to catch breath and made lamb its centrepiece. Augmented by smoked beetroot and a carrot puree, it also pulled haggis just across the border into the mix with a topping of earthy mushrooms. The sauce across it was so shiny as to be almost a reflective surface with there being bags of flavour to back that up too. A generous helping of smooth and rich potato to luxuriate in made sure this was a hearty and well put together plate to round off the savoury elements.

I skipped the cheese course on the basis that I’m well familiar with how good Kit Calvert and Yorkshire Blue are, so found myself next on the precipice of two sweet dishes, the first of which centred around milk and honey with a superb ice cream joined by shards of honeycomb, whilst the second was a Mille Feuille making use of raspberry and white chocolate. Petit Fours were a step too far for my appetite by this point but were very much appreciated as snack later on. The rest of the stay was seamless with the well-appointed room carrying me through to a hearty breakfast just the way I hoped.

This meal hit all the notes I expect for a Michelin and 3 AA Rosette starred spot with the impeccable service provided by clearly knowledgable servers and every bit of food delivering everything you could hope of it. The sense of indulgence conveyed by the plates of refined food was palpable. This is somewhere I’d unreservedly recommend you getting booked into for a night of indulgence and escapism.

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For no particular reason, I’ve never quite managed to make it to Rudding Park before, but its reputation preceded it, in particular through the warm words of its close associate Steph Moon, deservedly a Yorkshire legend in her own right, who would be cohosting the event. On arrival we were treated to live jazz and canapés before taking our places for dinner, where I was fortunate to be seated at the head table with both Steph and Peter Banks, the general manager of Rudding Park, as well as a representative from Hospitality Action. With the stage set by a short video setting out the good work that guests would be supporting, the evening was handed over to a series of chefs who would each present a single course.

Truth be told, trying to serve a hundred or so diners in a single seating can be an insurmountable challenge for some kitchens, so I was a little trepidatious that the food would have to be excused as supporting a good cause rather than uniformly exceptional as it turned out. After we enjoyed some delicately shaped and delightfully light honey butter with bread, first up was Luke French from Sheffield’s Jöro who presented a starter showcasing Yorkshire Wagyu beef. Well prepared Wagyu is always a joy but was imbued here with plenty of personality thanks to well balanced additions of onion, truffle, garlic and mushroom. With a scattering of puffed rice for texture, the fermented wild garlic in particular was a powerful flavour that threatened to knock the dish off its axis but just the right amount of restraint kept everything in alignment.

Picking up the baton for the fish course was none other than the esteemed Shaun Rankin, holder of a Michelin Star at his restaurant in Grantley Hall after an impressively short tenure. This was the first time I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy his food, and an impressive introduction it was too with roast turbot falling into conspiratorial harmony with cauliflower, pistachio and pine nut along with a handful of sea purslane. If this is the sort of quality Shaun is able to turn on for a relatively large event, then his eponymous restaurant is certainly unmissable. The final savoury course was in the safe hands of Mark Birchall, whose restaurant may not be in Yorkshire but makes up for that with a brace of Michelin Stars and shelves full of awards. Mark had chosen to highlight deer with vivid red beetroot presented a few different ways as well as kale that I think was braised. Regardless of the cooking medium, it was remarkably deep in flavour. It was left to Callum Bowmer to sign the meal off strongly with a real flourish, using his home advantage as Rudding Park’s Horto restaurant Head Chef to present an apple dish served along with a Jerusalem artichoke ice cream that I would happily eat every day.

While the food was all quite exceptional, the real purpose of the Hospitality Action Chefs Dinner was to raise awareness and funds for that titular organisation. To that end, we were treated to Peter and Steph taking up auctioneer duties, keeping the room flowing nicely while a series of lots attracted a healthy chunk of cash. All in the evening raised nearly £30,000 for Hospitality Action, which will go some way to furthering this great cause. The hospitality industry is very much on a knife edge at the moment, with many challenges to meet in the coming months and years as our society and economy recovers. Do make sure to follow this organisation for more chances to be involved.

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The Star Inn the City has been at the forefront of the York’s establishment as a dining destination, acting as a spearhead for Andrew Pern’s Michelin Starred Star at Harome into the city which has turned out to be more enduring than Covid casualty Mr P’s Curious Tavern. Its location at the edge of The Museum Gardens remains without peer in the city and reflects its status as a landmark York restaurant, bestowing a real sense of occasion as you descend the steps by Lendal bridge to make your way through a small tunnel into its inviting comforts.

The menu for this Michelin dinner with Andrew Pern took in versions of a good few of his highlight dishes, making it a good chance to get a feel for his food in York without the need to make the shortish journey to Harome. Proceedings kicked off promptly after arrival with an amuse bouche of a diminutive stuffed Yorkshire pudding with a veal jus setting the scene nicely before a sea sea scallop tartare blini made its presence felt through accents of chive and coastal vegetables. We then moved onto a more substantial course of risotto showing off black truffle, braised chestnut and generous punches of Leeds Pecorino along with a crunch of cavolo nero. Fine dining doesn’t mean you should leave hungry, and I never have after a meal from any of Andrew Pern’s establishments; not a trend to be broken here with hearty portions such as this.

A meat course was next which headlined red legged partridge from Rievaulx and really pushed the boat out, throwing spiced brioche, parfait, celeriac, girolles and savoy cabbage into the mix along with a complex sauce making subtle use of Madeira wine. It’s a real treat to have game as well prepared as this, especially when so well supported by everything else on the plate, the sauce in particular doing more than could reasonably asked of its quest to enhance without overwhelming.

The penultimate dish of the event was a dark chocolate hemisphere filled with a damson plum mousse with a pear sorbet and ginger crumb to accentuate the bitterness and textures of the chocolate, a shimmer of real gold looking more appropriate on the plate than other more publicised recent implementations. Last to be served was a cheese course anchored around Mrs Bell’s Blue from Shepherd’s Purse also featuring a fig and date flapjack and a “port jam” that reflected nicely the port with which the dish was served.

It’s going to take a while longer for us to feel like approaching normality, and probably longer for reality to reflect that sensation, but events such as this are precious movements back toward enjoying the art of hospitality executed beautifully. This series of dishes from a deservedly garlanded chef, presented in some of York’s finest surroundings was a truly memorable meal of the sort that’s been scarce for some time. It was a privilege to see this operation back in action serving up a series of superbly executed dishes that will undoubtedly linger in the minds of those present.

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This value along with praise from much of the press has led to a predictable supply shortage so we had a few weeks in which to anticipate the Aktar Islam at home delivery, which on first sight represented phenomenal value. It’s billed as a generous feast for four but with eight portions each hitting around 500g, it’d comfortably do four very generous meals for two. We started by sharing a Goan fish curry, which required the most effort to prepare. This amounted to no more than searing a couple of fillets of fish before pouring over curry sauce to finish and when plated up with a good sprig of coriander and one of the four included naan breads, it was a really superb entry point to the selection. My very high expectations for this were comfortably exceeded at the first time of asking, rich deeply flavoured curry sauce and fresh fish meeting perfectly judged spicing for a blockbuster start.

Mutton Korma and Chicken Madras both did a superlative job of distancing themselves from the typical British curry house versions of these dishes, the Korma being very far from the luminous blandness that you can end up with and the Madras having generous amounts of heat without turning into a test of endurance rather than enjoyment. Both of these dishes exhibited a striking balance of big flavours and more nuanced flavours, definitely a cut above.

For another meal we coupled Seyal Gosht and Achari Aloo, with slow cooked beef brisket and new potatoes headlining. This pair had a fierce heat that was pushing toward the limit of my moderate tolerance for spice but also predictably bold flavours that lived up to the spicing. The potatoes cooked in Bengali pickling spices working themselves up into a memorable dish while the brisket had been cooked as slowly as needed to realise the meats potential.

The accompanying breads and rice continued the strong showing, Hyderabadi style milk loaves being soft and light, incidentally work very well for a bacon sandwich pepped up with sriracha and coriander. Naan breads and aromatic basmati rice held up their end of the bargain too.

I’d ordered this on the back of almost hyperbolic praise from a number of people I know to be have good taste which turned out to exactly praise that this box deserves. The combination of value, quality, convenience and flavour is hard to argue with, making this a true highlight amongst the at home offerings that the last year has necessitated. It’s comparable in value to the local curry house while throwing in a big whack of refinement too, which admittedly isn’t always desirable. I’ll certainly be grabbing one periodically to keep the freezer stocked with top notch curries at quite remarkable prices.

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That intervening decade has led me back to The Star at Harome on a few occasions, illustrating the flexibility of its offering. That flexibility is key to the Star’s broad appeal; it’s always been welcoming to those just wanting to slope in for a surreptitious pint as well as those wanting to bust the budget on an indulgent tasting menu, while not forgetting the imperative to feed locals for an accessible amount of money, though it should perhaps be noted that drinks service is restricted at the mo for obvious reasons. When the opportunity to relax into an extended lunch without the cute but distracting Baby Fork in attendance came up, it took a matter of seconds before we were winding our way to Harome.

Harome is a picturesque village just a couple of miles down the road from Helmsley that is lucky enough to not only be home to The Star Inn but also The Pheasant, which I was lucky enough to be invited along to only a few weeks ago, and it’s also possible to book packages that include meals across both of these superb restaurants through The Pheasant’s website. The Star is a strikingly quaint thatched building which seems to exude a welcoming atmosphere as you arrive and guided to a table, the masks and sanitisers failing to puncture the welcome. We opted for the a la carte menu rather than tasting menu, augmenting with a few extra treats to reinforce the sense of occasion a day without a nappy brings at the moment.

We kicked off with a few snacks, including Lindisfarne oysters with a sorrel and elderflower dressing, mini game kebabs and mini potato & onion pie with black garlic ketchup. Oysters don’t feature toward the top of too many of my to-do lists but when they’re as fresh and well accented as these I’ll happily live with them. The pie was artfully constructed and packed powerful overtones of black garlic and the cute mini game kebab brought aioli and fermented cabbage into the mix for a well developed mouthful to finish on before we began on starters, for which we’d chosen octopus and halibut.

Octopus was slow braised and coal roasted before being served with a “Goose Fat White Bean Whip”, black cabbage and studs of bold chorizo. Well cooked octopus is a joy, as was this dish which was a luxuriant start to the meal proper with the fatty “whip” balancing with the chorizo heat perfectly and the octopus given plenty of space to breath. Halibut tartare was inevitable as soon as I realised there was something raw on the day’s specials menu and didn’t disappoint with a heady combination of black garlic, pommery mustard and cured egg yolk drawing every ounce of potential out of the fish. This came accompanied by a shot of red cabbage gazpacho delicately balanced with herbs and happily refreshing. Next up was a mid course of scallop with a deeply nuanced dashi that kept up the meal’s momentum beautifully.

For mains we went with locally shot Fallow Deer and Rievaulx Partridge, zeroing in on the sense of locality central to the Star’s offering. The partridge came with smoked beets and quince as well as spiced fruit and nuts for a delicately balanced plate of food featuring this relatively rare meat. The Deer pushed things up another notch too with perfectly cooked loin joined by parsnip and an elderberry topped “Pluck Tart”, which will ensure that this dish remains in my memory for a long time. While the meat had been treated with the utmost care and was beyond reproach, the tart paired a deeply flavoured earthy, gamey filling with huge flavour that never threatened the balance of the element, particularly being reigned in by the elderberries. The key question of this was the constituent of the tart’s filling, which perhaps is best left mysterious for those particularly squeamish, suffice to say it was “offal-y good”.

I lack much in the way of a sweet tooth so the presence of a savoury finale is the proverbial red rag for me, this time in the form of a Baron Bigod and caramelised onion quiche that called in truffle, marjoram and chive for heavy duty backup to the brie style main flavour. This was a predictably show stopping end to the meal which pulled off the impressive contradiction of being a refreshing, light cheese course.

I think by now it should be pretty clear that I’m a fan of The Star. It’s been a feature of the food scene around here for a long time and continues to be one of the finest in the region based on the evidence of this meal. That’s only half of the trick though, this meal gave the kitchen ample opportunity to show off but what’s most striking is how the sense of occasion is derived. I’ve had plenty of meals in starched restaurants in which you feel that the clientele wouldn’t be too bothered if the standard dropped off a bit as long as the staff continue suitable deference. Here though the surroundings are relaxed enough to facilitate a convincing role as a village pub while giving staff the platform to deliver the sense of occasion that a meal such as this deserves. The Star has had a starring role in my love of food and Yorkshire over the last decade or so and I don’t doubt will continue to play a key role, both for me, its locals and those that make it a destination.

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The Black Swan at Oldstead and its York sibling Roots need little introduction, being two of the region’s most garlanded places to eat which have bagged numerous regional, national and international awards while sharing their philosophy of local production, seasonality and preservation. The first few days of the lockdown saw Roots offer a Sunday lunch to enjoy at home, but that has evolved, as the practicalities of the the situation have emerged into a delivery service offering a set menu to enjoy in your home and reheated at your leisure.

Pricing for this came in at £35 per pair of 3 course meals (this may have changed subsequently) so we ordered enough for two matching pairs of meals to last a brace of evenings. Interestingly, the pair of meals delivered offered a variety of courses, giving a total of six different dishes to share. While this would chime nicely with our usual approach of sharing each dish, we were in the mood for indulgence and felt the need to stretch the occasion, so the scene was set for two nights of great food.

With a decent bottle of Champagne to accompany, we started our first evening by reheating potato and wild garlic soup with rapeseed and rosemary focaccia while popping a main course into the oven to be ready after a suitable interval. The strikingly green soup started things smartly enough, the focaccia bringing a few mouthfuls of greater substance to the dish before things really got going with braised lamb ragu lasagne that also featured wild garlic. There was no reinvention going on (or called for) here, just a perfectly executed dish that crammed in flavour and fresh ingredients while not demanding any more of me than being thrown into a hot oven. This first meal finished with a flourish of Jerusalem Artichoke and butterscotch sauce that was yet another intelligent use of produce from the Oldstead farm.

Day two started with a terrine of ham hock accented by Oldstead Marrow Relish, a condiment that I confirm goes with pretty much anything you can throw at it after I picked up a jar of it at last year’s York Food Festival. I felt like the terrine needed a bit of texture to draw it out so I knocked up a couple of crisped toasts to go with it, thankfully not drawing anything from the balance of the terrine that packed in herbs along with the meat. The main course was ox cheek and short rib cottage pie with smoked butter mash and bone marrow bread crumbs that mixed all those elements into a predictable depths of flavour and surprising subtlety, all the different flavours and elements present and correct without overwhelming one another. We ended on an elderflower and citrus drizzle cake with duck egg custard that was sweet without grabbing too hard at my teeth or overwhelming anything that had gone before, a happy few mouthfuls to finish the evening with fresh custard that’s all too rare in this house.

This time last month I would never have imagined eating comfort food like lasagne and cottage pie from restaurants such as Roots or The Black Swan but that’s where we are right now and I’m just grateful to find them still operating at all. I’d been confident that all the food would be delicious but it was a relief to find it all recognisably from the Banks family, with judicious but never gratuitous use of ingredients you may not typically expect. There’s no reason that what’s provided should be treated as the be all and end all of a meal too; there’re plenty of great producers around Yorkshire to deliver treats to tack on a great cheeseboard or perhaps some cured meats or fish to graze on first. This sort of experience will never let a great chef replicate their restaurant experience in the home. If we were up to that task then the restaurant industry would be in ever more dire straights than it is now, but it’s a happy compromise that gives individuals the platform to make an event of a meal. I’m looking forward to seeing how the concept can be developed as chefs get to grips with what they can provide us with at home to reflect restaurant experiences.

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He brings over 20-years of experience to the role and a reputation for accolades.  These include a Michelin star as Head Chef at The Black Swan, Oldstead; three rosettes as Executive Chef at Sutton Park, Sutton-the-Forest and three rosettes held for five years at The Park, York. 

Happy to be back in Ryedale, Adam is looking forward to establishing the Feversham Arms as the ‘go-to’ place for great food in a relaxing atmosphere.  He said: “I’m really excited about to bringing my own style of cooking to the Feversham Arms.  

“We’re creating an á la carte and tasting menu with vegetarian and pescatarian options as well as developing a wholesome, healthy-eating Spa menu with fresh, local ingredients.  The hotel has a great reputation and I’m looking forward to taking customers, old and new on an exciting food journey.”

Group General Manager, Ingo Wiangke, said: “We are delighted with Adam’s appointment and his vision of making the Feversham a food destination in its own right.  We know that customers and guests are going to love his proven style of cooking, hospitality and amazing food.”

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You can read more about Chateaus de Mercues and its surrounding area in this previous post, but this was a meal with more elements than could be done justice in that piece. There’s an illicit thrill to be had from marching through a busy restaurant into what other diners must presume is the inner workings of the kitchen. In reality, this was the the secret entrance to Head Chef Julien Poisot’s den, part of which is a table tucked unobtrusively beyond the pass for lucky guests to enjoy a unique culinary experience with full view of the chefs at work. Predictably I was the first of the party to arrive, my compulsive punctuality and enthusiasm for food intersecting neatly to give me a few minutes solitary contemplation of the menu to come.

The group was a couple more people than the chef’s table at Le Duèze Cahors had been designed for so things were a little snug, but we were all on good terms so that was hardly a concern. With wine production taking place on the premises, you’d expect the drinks to equal the food, the sparkling Bellefleur we started with presaged a series of fantastic accompaniments that leant heavily on the region’s feted malbec.

The menu leaned as heavily as one would hope on local produce throughout the succession of dishes and started with snacks including brioche and a caper leaf containing steak tartare. Being a sucker for raw beef, I happily celebrated that particular mouthful before moving onto the first main courses. Smoked duck, Jerusalem artichoke and foie gras featured in the first dish, a take on a Pot au Feu that was lighter than those components might suggest. Incidentally, foie gras raised its head several times over the course of this meal; it’s not an ingredient they’re squeamish about around here.

Next up was the obligatory “textures of” dish, in this case an effective run through of Jerusalem artichoke before the chef started to really stretch his leg with one that made oyster and caviar the stars, stuffing them into a potato case. Oysters are never going to make a list of my favourites, but with a generous amount of caviar around too and a richly indulgent sauce, it laid down a marker to represent the indulgences to come.

Next up, more foie gras, this time both roasted and carpaccio along with ceps and a delicate broth ripe to be accented by a crunchy topping of bread crumbs which gave it a nice bite of texture. “Cyril’s snails” did its best to sell this French delicacy to our Anglicised tastes and, it must be said, was more successful at this than many of us expected. The crunchy potato basket and smoked garlic cream turned out a memorably simple presentation and the flavour of the title ingredient met a happier audience than the texture.

As I’ve said, this isn’t the place for you are squeamish about foie gras, a point underlined by its third appearance on the menu. This time paired with swede and poached pear, the least memorable dish of the evening. Scallops with artichoke and mushroom came and went, the scallop was cooked expertly and was well judged against the earthy artichoke… which was also the title of the next plate. “Artichoke” came stuffed with beef cheek this time and with white truffle thrown around to make sure there was no chance of forgetting the quality of the experience. Beef cheek rewards care and Chef had clearly lavished plenty of affection on this occasion to underscore the richness and indulgence of the menu so far.

It’s rare to come across a tasting menu featuring only one sweet dish, not something I would necessarily complain about given my preference for savoury. We worked our way back down to Earth with a passion fruit soufflé which reached skywards and which was good friends with fruit sorbet and “fresh fruit exotic salad”. Served elaborately to leave a dramatic final impression, these were remarkably fresh notes on which to finish a quite extravagent meal.

I always assumed that the backlash against tasting menus would be a passing thing and I think that’s proving to be the case, for reasons ably demonstrated by Le Duèze Cahors. This menu gave the chef the opportunity to highlight the local specialties that he obviously takes pride in working with, something that could be missed by ordering a la carte. Of course not every meal is going to benefit from giving a chef carte blanche to show off in the way they see fit but on occasions such as this, it’s entirely appropriate.

Disclaimer: This meal was included in a press trip.

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You may, or indeed may not, remember a post a little while ago about Bloc Hotel at Gatwick. That stay was actually necessitated by my nervousness at making an early morning flight from Gatwick reliably on our public transport network, though I didn’t mention the details of my quite strikingly cheap Wetherspoons ham, egg & chips dinner in that piece. Suffice to say I’ve never eaten in an airport for such a disposable sum of money with an even acceptable outcome. Yes that is meant to sound like faint praise!

After I woke refreshed in my windowless room and dealt with the practicalities of travelling by easyjet and rental car, I found myself deposited at the door of a building with seemingly innate calming properties. Chateau de Mercues dates from the 13th century, when it was the residence of the bishops of nearby Cahors. After fulfilling that role for many years, it has found its true calling now as a luxury hotel featuring a winery and fabulous food.

As your vehicle climbs a steep hill, you’re presented with a memorable frontage and it’s pretty immediately clear that a stay here will be a unique, luxurious and calming experience. I was met at reception with a cold, refreshing peach based drink to soften the checking in process, not that this was unduly onerous anyway as my luggage was subtly spirited to my room for me to find later. While that was happening, the group I was with were treated to a generous snack to regain our energies.

Having been appropriately refreshed, I took the time to explore a little more thoroughly and grab a few pictures of the grounds and exterior of the building. I enjoyed taking in details such as the hatch through which grapes make their way to the subterranean winery and the swimming pool with stunning views. Sadly it was far too cold to make use of that in November, but would make a peerless summer hang out with a glass of the sparkling Bellefleur from associated winery Chateau de Haute-Serre.

After a tour of the available rooms, I had time to take stock of my own surroundings, finding my room palatial enough to relax into though snug enough to be personable. All the amenities you’d expect were provided and the furnishings were the appropriate standard though a couple of things came as a surprise. The temperature was set high enough to provoke a constant balancing act with the air-conditioning to create an appropriate climate. It also struck me as odd that a few of the rooms didn’t have showers, something that slowed the progress of a couple of members of the group on occasion. Regardless of that, all the robes, towels, slippers and luxurious touches one would hope for were intact.

Having got settled, our next task was afternoon tea featuring a delightful selection of cakes and pastries, notably a meringue swan that used the region’s favourite wine for Malbec jelly and Malbec mousse. I practised a little restraint at this point though, mindful of the impending dinner in the hotel’s bistro, and let discretion take over from valour.

The Bistro is the less formal dining option at Chateau de Mercues but still features plenty of quality and regionality on the menu and sense of occasion in the dining room. I opted for pan-fried mushrooms followed by black pork with chestnut addled mashed potato. All of this was punctuated with extra bites and followed by a cheese course with some rewardingly aggressive and pungent local specialities. I’m on the look out for Rocamadour in the UK now! We finished with a sweet course featuring more of that indulgent local Malbec, this time as ice cream.

The following morning I found myself back in the same room working my way through a predictably high quality and satisfying breakfast, featuring a range of scrambled egg and bacon and so on to satisfy those insistent on something approaching a Full English. With that fuel on board, we made tracks to nearby Cahors to take in the jurisdiction of those bishops for whom our residence had been built. Pont Valentré bridge dates from a little while after Chateau de Mercues was built and is comparably striking, even in the rain. The remainder of Cahors remained picturesque and engaging throughout our walking tour which included a look at an ancient relic said to have been taken from Christ’s body.

Our next port of call was Auberge Lou Bourdie for a selection of traditional local dishes in a quite remarkably welcoming rustic restaurant. Truffle omelette wasn’t a hit around the table sadly, but everything else was just the right combination of flavour and comfort, salsify gratin in particular lives in my memory. As with the previous day though, the prospect of another indulgent meal in a few hours tempered the urge toward too much gluttony.

Before heading back to base, we took the opportunity to take in the sights of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. It’s difficult to articulate just how pretty this village is, perched on a rocky outcrop, but suffice to say its reputation as one of France’s loveliest villages is thoroughly deserved. It might have been out of season for our visit but we still were able to regroup there with a coffee before heading back to prepare for dinner.

Dinner at the La Duèze restaurant is deserving of its own post, which is on its way. Be assured though that it was as memorable as one would expect. After a night digesting 10 courses of food and creating happy memories, it was time to get moving again, this time to Mercuès’ partner establishment Château de Haute-Serre.

Haute-Serre is a more modest location than Mercues and more open to the elements to allow its surrounding vineyards. We started with a wine tasting that began in challenging fashion for some who had indulged too much the previous evening. We still all managed to sample a selection of wines, which all deserved their strong reputations. Food is still very much on the agenda here though and the restaurant has been awarded with a Bib Gourmand for its accessibly priced food that doesn’t skimp on quality. The meal began with the last presentation of Malbec the trip would see, onions braised in it underpinning a fondue pre-starter. Any restaurant that rolls out fondue before things kick off is fine with me and the dishes kept up with that impression. Pork, prawn, guinea fowl and mushroom followed to provide a memorable ending to our meal before we hit the road to get back to the airport and a, figurative, bump back to earth with Easyjet.

As you can see, this was a packed trip that did a fantastic job of showing off both Chateau de Mercues and the attractions of the surrounding area that it provides access to. Amongst the food and travel experiences I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy over the last half decade, this stands out with the best. The combination of location, gastronomy and luxury coalesces into a unique experience that makes this a very tempting region to visit.

Disclaimer: This was a paid for press trip, opinions are impartial

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