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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I’ve got to admit to being late to the party on this one as The Abbey Inn Byland has been open a while and I’ve heard a number of extremely favourable views that should have got me out there sooner. Better late than never though! The pub stands in the shadow of Byland Abbey which makes the tables outside the front one of the prettiest places in the region to enjoy a pint. Inside there’s a flagstone floor and a few different rooms to dine in, with some bar space too, though this looked a little limited, which is understandable in what’s likely a food destination for most customers. We were furnished with drinks and menus and seated in an open dining room along with a number of families who had dogs dining with them – a bonus as far as I’m concerned! It should go without saying that the emphasis here is on produce from the Banks Family farm with accents of seasonality and regionality. From the half dozen starters, we pounced upon beef tartare and smoked cods roe, with a fruity spritzer and a beer to accompany. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord might not be the world’s most exciting beer but it has proper Yorkshire credentials at least and was pleasant enough to sip on while we people-watched in anticipation of our food.

I’m an absolute sucker for a tartare and this was up with the best of them; uniformly diced beef with a deep, rich flavour further emboldened by smoked bone marrow and a hint of lovage and a couple of crisp crackers for texture and presentation. On the other side of the table, smoked cod roe was joined by a dill emulsion in being daubed around a trio of hash browns to make for a striking presentation with a topping of pickled cucumber accented by a frond of dill. All the punchy flavours you’d hope for were here with the gentle smoked roe brought to life by the pickled and herbal elements and the richly indulgent hash browns underpinning things nicely.

Mains were headlined by venison and pork, with the venison joined on the plate by a venison faggot and a spear of asparagus and new potatoes served on the side. Perfectly cooked and with the asparagus to keep things fresh, this was a well put together plate and the faggot really elevated things with boldly meaty notes and a hint of offal-metalicness. The pork came with pointed cabbage dressed generously with black garlic that did a great job of pairing with the meat. The meat needed the fat on it rendering a touch more, but was otherwise perfectly cooked.

By this point, we were too well fed to contemplate dessert so made tracks back to York feeling well-indulged and contemplating a repeat visit. This time we’d consciously gone for more restaurant style dishes but I’m very much looking forward to trying out the burger as well as sausage and mash to see what they can do with quality produce cooked well. The Abbey Inn Byland is an excellent addition to the Banks family empire which is complemented with values of sustainability, quality, attention to detail and a more relaxed vibe than its Michelin-starred siblings, which may be more appealing to some. If this is the template on which further pubs in the group will be based, then they are likely to find a bright future and willing audience.

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I’d not visited this pub before and hadn’t quite prepared myself for how picturesque its setting would be. Aided by the sunny day on which we visited, it cast an attractive light over things. The pub overlooks an attractive village green on which there are a few tables that would make a lovely place to sit with a pint in the sun, and for good measure, there’s a distinctive old water pump subtly emblazoned with the name of the village. An interesting addition sat outside in the form of an A-board featuring Jeremy Clarkson promoting his beer, something that one presumes would go down well in a rural community.

Once inside the atmosphere is calm and low key with plenty of space for diners in the open layout and an inviting bar. We were quickly furnished with menus along with colouring implements to keep Little Fork distracted. The menu is a well rounded selection of pub classics with little to intimidate and plenty of comforting dishes to choose from. Chicken liver pate and prawn cocktail got the nod for starters to be followed by minute steak and a rather intriguing sounding seafood pancake, which I gather is something of a signature at The Tiger Inn Coneythorpe. The well-appointed children’s menu yielded a hot dog in due course which went down well while we set about starters. A classic prawn cocktail can be a light and refreshing preamble to a main course with a fresh crunch of lettuce underpinning sweet prawn and Marie-Rose; this was a well put together execution that served its purpose well. Chicken liver pate needs something to bring out the best qualities of the dish and the bitter rocket with red onion chutney did the job in this instance, another satisfying classic.

The minute steak I ordered represented something of a risk – I’m generally nervous of ordering steaks in non-specialist establishments – but this was covered with tempting bar-marks from the griddle and a gently melting pool of herb butter. Crunchy fries and a mound of bitter rocket dressed with balsamic accented the dish nicely. The seafood pancake that had intrigued me was also served with fries as well as a mixed leaf salad. The pancake itself was hidden under melted cheese and a white wine sauce, playing home to a generous mix of sea food with haddock and prawns. I enjoyed this rather unique assembly of ingredients that felt more indulgent than many seafood dishes I’ve been served over the years. We finished off with a sticky toffee pudding that carried on the theme of nicely put together, comforting classics.

I didn’t visit The Tiger Inn Coneythorpe in its previous guise, but as it stands it’s clearly a real asset to the village, well configured to serve a variety of uses. It’s superbly positioned to sit at the heart of the community as well as bringing people from the surrounding area in to show off this picturesque little village.

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My interactions with Poppleton have been, at best, minimal over the years with it existing mainly as a stop on the train to Harrogate in my conscience as well as an occasional venue for kids parties. All the more reason to turn an invitation to dine at The White Horse Poppleton into a day trip and a minor adventure. If you’re unfamiliar with this train ride, it really is as brief as it’s possible to undertake on the periphery of York, barely taking 5 minutes to complete from York. Poppleton station is on the edge of the village and a short walk from the centre, which features an attractive maypole amongst a good amount of green space. All village greens should be in close proximity to a decent pub, in this case The White Horse. New to me, I gather that this place has been a well regarded village fixture for a good number of years though I also gather is under new management, with Chris & Maria taking the reigns of their first pub.This may be their first pub but a background in managing large events suggests no naivety about what this will entail.

As we arrived for lunch on a Friday, there was a decent buzz around the place, with some groups dining while a few people had evidently knocked off work early for a pint or two. The dining area was segregated enough from the main bar to enjoy a slightly more formal dining experience though enough of the atmosphere from the main part of the interior spilled across to stop it feeling more formal than one would want of a pub. The menu hit the right notes with a bunch of pub classics joined by a few more unusual dishes that we wanted to sample. Mindful of appetite, we started with a Ploughman’s lunch from the small plate/starter menu that arrived briskly along with chicken and chips from the children’s menu that would be picked over at varying paces throughout the meal to satisfy Little Fork. The platter was a hearty opening salvo that added piccalilli, chutney, coleslaw and hummus to a selection of meats and cheeses along with bread and salad. In truth this would have made a decent lunch for one which would backdrop a couple of pints and a Sunday paper perfectly. Often with dishes like this there’s an obvious corner cut or suspiciously familiar feeling item one suspects has come from a supermarket but everything on this plate was good quality with each element delivering what one would hope of it, the cured meats in particular being top quality.

From the list of main courses, a chicken schnitzel had caught my attention while from the more predictable pub dishes we went for an old faithful sausage and mash with onion gravy – a dish that leaves little place for its ingredients to hide. Thankfully each element was more than able to stand on its own two feet with a trio of plump sausages adorning rich, buttery mash under a thick onion gravy with a generous helping of vegetable on the side. This was serious portion comfort food to satisfy even the most impressive appetite! As the schnitzel arrived, it immediately looked like an indulgent dish thanks to an appealingly large amount of garlic butter pooling in a central indentation. Frankly the side salad on this one was never likely to get too much of a look in with an entire chicken breast showing an invitingly golden crumb softening under that appealingly pungent garlic. Chips and mayo with a sharpening of spice completed the dish along with a ramekin of coleslaw.

Our earlier decision to share a starter had been intended to pave the way to share a dessert but by this point proceedings had somewhat overtaken us and there was little possibility of eating more in the short term. Thankfully Maria forced a brownie on us to enjoy later but any more indulgence would have made the walk back to the train station more of a challenge than it should be. These small excursions might temporarily feel more like an adventure to us jaded adults, and perhaps that’s why it’s easier to imagine our way into the wonder that these jaunts bring to our children. Either way, a 5 minute train ride followed by a pint, a schnitzel and a ploughman’s is an easy adventure to sell me on and I’d be more than happy with The White Horse as my local.

(Disclaimer – PR visit)

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Kirkham Abbey is a peaceful spot not far from the A64 between York and Malton with impressive Abbey ruins overlooking a river, well worth a visit in its own right but the focus of this trip was another couple of hundred yards up the same road. The Stone Trough has been off my radar for a little while, in fact the last visit I made was to regain composure after attending an eating challenge not far away, and looked like a perfect fit for a leisurely lunch on a Friday.

The Stone Trough Kirkham Abbey lunch menu has a tempting range of sandwiches and lighter options, in particular a beef roll with its own dipping pot of gravy caught my eye, but I was more than happy to let the kitchen stretch its legs by ordering from the a la carte menu. The meal kicked off with scallops baked in their shell with cheese and chorizo and some cauliflower fritters served with pickled red onion and a blue cheese sauce. Both dishes were generously portioned and contained plentiful quantities of the headline ingredients, the punchy blue cheese dip and sharp pickled onion bringing the Buffalo cauliflower fritters to life with a real zing while the punch of chorizo gave life to the scallops without overwhelming things.

The selection of mains included plenty of crowd pleasing pub standards such as lamb shank, fish & chips and steak as well as a few more unusual dishes. First up for us was fish pie presented attractively with its mashed potato topping piped into an attractive topography which gained just the right amount of texture while resident in the oven. Fish pie cooked with too much austerity in mind can be a bit of a joyless experience but no such worries here with plenty of salmon, cod and prawn as well as the neat addition of grated hard boiled egg to liven up the well seasoned sauce. The other main to pique my interest was Oxtail, Beef Cheek Pearl Barley “Risotto” that promised cuts of meat suitable to turn the grain into something enjoyable, an all too rare occurrence in my experience. This turned out to be a really well balanced dish and by far the most I’ve ever enjoyed eating pearl barley, with the unctuous meat lubricating the grains in a very satisfying manner. Parmesan shavings and a perfectly poached egg detailed the dish nicely too making it indulgent and interesting without being different for the sake of it.

Sadly time pressures prevented a go at dessert as the child needed collecting, but that hearty quartet of dishes was more than enough to mark this out as a delightful country retreat worthy of repeat visits. The combination of good food, a decent pint, an open fire and beautiful scenery is enough to lull one into a marked sense of peace. I’m looking forward to having a go at the sandwich menu in front of the open fire imminently!

(ad – pr visit)

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Being near the Millennium Bridge, The Winning Post is easily accessible for large parts of York, further afield than its native South Bank and Bishopthorpe Road areas. Its imposing presence indicates the plentiful space inside which easily accommodates drinkers in the bar along with those wanting a more formal meal. The menu has a, perhaps unintentional, beat of numeric progression with 3 nibbles, 4 pub classics, 5 starters and 6 mains counting upwards alongside sections for burgers and children’s meals. Those starters and mains betray greater ambition and feature some unusual ingredients such as rabbit. With our visit taking place on a quiet day early in the week, there was plenty of seating to choose from and finding ourselves comfortable with pints and menus in hand was a quick business.

The presence of rabbit on a pub menu was not an opportunity I was going to pass up so warm rabbit and smoked haddock chowder took on starter duties to be enjoyed before mains of pork belly and seabass. Service was prompt, friendly and happy to impersonate a restaurant so as to not necessitate any return visit to the bar. The rabbit was presented with potatoes and spinach along with strident garlic and lemon butter with a perfectly poached egg to top things off and let the produce realise its potential. Rabbit can be an easy thing to trip over the cooking of but it suited being served warm and the poached egg did its thing admirably while the smoked haddock chowder on the other side of the table was very pleasant and well judged with a generous whack of garlic through the sauce that did well to whet our appetites for main courses.

For the main event we opted for pork belly and sea bass that both looked to be a good compromise between hearty pub grub and more elevated restaurant style plates. Both arrived quickly and made good on that promise being well presented without too many unnecessary embellishments, letting the produce speak for itself in the main. The sea bass wore a crown of crisped potato string for a texture while served over potatoes and samphire with a prawn and chilli sauce that served to accent rather than dominate, making a well rounded dish that I’d happily order again. The pork belly had rather a lot thrown at it, coping well enough with the barrage that included carrot, parsnip, broccoli, Dauphinoise and a sauce using pear to make it a dish with a broad approach. Not that its enjoyment was really diminished by that, everything on the plate was well executed and very enjoyable, but I must say I’ve never seen so much pork belly intended for consumption by a single person! While enjoyable I can’t imagine The Winning Post see many dessert sales after this one!

The Winning Post has been on a steady course of improvement throughout my 20 or so years in York that has culminated in its present role as a much valued neighbourhood pub that serves drinkers along with both casual and more involved diners without detriment to any of those parties’ enjoyment. The dishes we enjoyed represented the more ambitious dishes available and largely hit the mark, complaining about a surfeit of pork belly being a touch churlish perhaps, and represented decent value. The dining experience was also well judged to feel just formal enough to match the style of food while not over reaching itself toward unnecessary contrivance. From this compelling evidence it’s easy to see that The Winning Post is balancing all those roles that it’s set out to fulfil, making itself a real asset to both the neighbourhood and wider York communities.

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The Owl is the second venture from the creators of “Home”, a fine dining restaurant in the heart of Leeds that’s been earning plaudits since its launch a few years ago. While I’ve been lucky enough to pop by Home for an occasional chat with the owners, I’ve never quite made it round to going through its full dining experience, but I’ve heard enough good things to be confident in its standard, which I fully expected to be reflected upon at The Owl.

Lurking amongst its menus is a lunchtime grazing platter for two, which only runs to £30 and looked to represent fantastic value while hitting the majority of the dishes we’d have chosen anyway. With that decision made and a carafe of gewürztraminer selected as accompaniment, we settled into our seats to watch the chefs work in the small open kitchen, which also featured a couple of counter seats for a lucky few to get up close. The platter arrived after an appropriate interval in which to make friends with the wine and was strikingly served on a tray whose dimensions perfectly suited the constituent parts of the meal. First to catch my eye were the bite sized crumpets topped with smoked cod roe and wild boar jam which were quickly despatched, and truthfully should have been more than a single bite but for my gluttony. These were playful and made great use of their ingredients to start us off in memorable fashion. Next up oysters, never my favourite but improved greatly by being baked given a savoury topping. We then moved onto cottage pie. Cottage pie isn’t a dish I cook often and is ripe to disappoint based on my memories of the frozen versions I occasionally went for as a student. Obviously though this execution was many steps removed from those mundanities, topping red deer with an improbably smooth potato mixture to move lunch along indulgently and with great flair.

“The Owl” Caesar salad was next, topped with crispy coated quails eggs whose yolks were exactly the desired consistency and, making use of sharp anchovies, this was another bold dish of big flavours that still achieved equilibrium. Marinated Sea Bream with pickled onions was last to inspire debate about equitable portion distribution as we stretched our appetites out with accompanying bread and marmite butter.

Thirty quid for all that is sensationally good value. I’d not sully an establishment such as this with words like cheap, but euphemisms like accessibly priced seem fair enough. There was no hint of compromise to hit a price point, just well thought through dishes executed with confidence and flair to bring together what must surely be one of the best value lunch options in Leeds at the moment.

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Marton-Cum-Grafton is a picturesque village a short drive from York, just this side of the A1 on the way to Harrogate, that turned out to be a happy place around which to stroll with a few blue plaques to hunt out some snippets on its history. The Punch Bowl at Marton-Cum-Grafton is surely its main attraction though and makes a good first impression as you get parked up and start to have a think about what the menu might have in store. The interior is all low ceilings and exposed beams, furthering the village pub feel and a reminder that this site can trace its history back to the 16th century. There are also a wide variety of motoring themed pictures to distract the eye, not that I was distracted for long from the important business of lunch.

Scallops are something I feel haven’t been numerous enough in my life throughout lockdown so they were a no brainer amongst the starters along with an asparagus based special whose price included a donation to a charity specialising in supporting the deafblind and those with complex disabilities. With a portion of fish and chips duly ordered by the youngest person at the table, we were all set and before long tucking into our first courses. Scallops with pancetta and pea is deservedly a classic that doesn’t need mucking about with, the combination of generous size scallops with pea puree and pancetta was always going to be a winner and a touch of sorrel as an emulsion gave enough of a twist to make it distinctive without going too far. The asparagus dish hinged upon getting the crispy hen’s egg right and thankfully upon its bisection a soft yolk was revealed to go alongside the local asparagus. A side salad, crisp breads and a tarragon dip completed things while on the other side of the table, fish and chips were starting to disappear at a rate suggesting the recipient’s approval.

Next up came hake with a Thai twist courtesy of a sesame crust, prawn dumpling and a Thai coconut sauce which all came together nicely with a hint of originality and plenty of comforting flavours that showed a lightness of touch with spicing. The final dish we chose was headlined with a real star ingredient, Warrendale Wagyu Beef marking this one out as holding plenty of potential to be fulfilled. The beef rump took a confident first step to the plate living up to that potential, showing evidence of everything a quality piece of meat deserves such as seasoning, resting and being allowed to remain pink. Slowly cooked beef shin also filled a hollowed out roscoff onion with a big punch of flavour, making this a notably indulgent dish. Alongside these were a generous amount of pomme puree that was appropriately rich and a beer based sauce. Charred baby leeks and white onion puree gave a bit of sharpness to contrast and finish off this memorable dish.

With time and appetite limited, we skipped dessert and made tracks back to York, though there’s no inference to be taken about the selection of desserts from that. It was a real pleasure to tick The Punch Bowl at Marton-Cum-Grafton off my list finally and it really hit all the beats I would want and expect from a quality village pub. It can be tricky to balance offering food worthy of the trip with the right kind of atmosphere to satisfy locals just after a relaxing pint to finish the day, but that’s a balance well struck here. I don’t doubt we’ll be back for food when I’ve a gap in the new spots to try, but I’d also be here very frequently to take advantage of it as a local if I lived nearby.

(Disclaimer – Complimentary visit for PR purposes)

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The Bay Horse is a food led pub in the attractive village of Goldsborough that is now being helped along by the people who have helped put the village’s landmark Goldsborough Hall back on the map. It’s benefitted from a refurb’ that has turned it into an immaculately presented village pub offering food worth a journey which doesn’t sacrifice the sense of being able to call by for a pint, something crucial in a village pub.

I’m a sucker for an unusual starter so cracked on with devilled kidneys on toast, contrasting that with the much more conventional prawn cocktail on the other side of the table. This was productive in so far as being a reminder that I’m not terribly keen on kidneys, though I’d expected a good kick of spice to pull them further toward my preference which was lacking a touch. Prawn cocktail played things a little more safe and would have benefitted from another dollop of Marie Rose to bring out the best of this classic but was still a comforting dish.

While those starters were enjoyable enough, the mains raised the bar considerably, both the lamb and rabbit dishes we chose bringing out the best of their components. Lamb Henry isn’t a cut you see on the menu too often and this portion of lamb shoulder had been braised to the point of great comfort for the recipient, if not the lamb. Simply served with a nicely presented portion of mashed potato along with peas and red wine jus, each of those elements found a strong enough voice to make itself heard. The other main was a rabbit and wild mushroom gnochhi with plenty of shaved parmesan and fresh herbs, this one threw plenty of flavour at the plate, with the rabbit and mushrooms both being bold enough while cooked to best effect. I’ve eaten way too much overcooked, tough rabbit in my time but there was no sign of such a crime here. This was a hugely enjoyable and well refined gastropub dish.

To keep Baby Fork occupied through all this we ordered her a portion of chicken and chips from the children’s menu that was thoughtfully delivered at an appropriate time to occupy her while we got to work on our starters. There was no sign of laziness in the kids options and it was evident that the chicken was good quality breast meat – no supermarket nuggets here. It’d be nice to have the option of a smaller portion for a smaller child though; there was no chance of Baby Fork polishing off this lot and we were only going to distract ourselves from our mains so much. We finished off with a sticky toffee pudding that was packed with a happy smattering of dates and paired with a pleasingly unusual ice cream featuring stem ginger and caramel.

I’m not sure how it’ll feel to visit The Bay Horse, or indeed any pub, in the near future but the meal we enjoyed was a happy confluence of good service, delicious food and a memorable location. I don’t doubt that the amended experience will be true to those memories and I’m looking forward to returning.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for this meal. Opinions are impartial.

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The Old House York is a venture linked to reputed street food and catering operation Shoot The Bull who also operate a venue called The Old House in Hull. The demise of The Wagyu Bar & Grill presented an opportunity to bring this brand to York and give this building an exciting new occupant. The front of the building, easily visible from the street through a large expanse of glass, acts as the main restaurant space through which one can access a more casual bar area, that I’d found very welcoming when I called by a few days before we were booked in for this meal. Don’t be put off by the restaurant facade though if you’re just after a drink; it’s a personable and relaxing place to while away time.

There was a nice buzz around The Old House York on the Saturday we went with pretty much every table apparently booked. The dining space isn’t overcrowded with tables, as can often be the case; other diners close enough to contribute to the atmosphere, but not the conversation. The restaurant menu is lengthy and varied enough to form the basis of some involved decision making with some interesting produce listed. There’s also a bar menu with a selection of small plates and burgers for a more casual experience.

Obviously I’d gone through the menu in detail prior to visiting, so ordering was a typically brisk affair with haddock scotch egg and Wagyu Bresaola first to be requested along with a couple of deep fried pickles to snack on. Scotch egg will always be a bit of a banana skin of a dish but this was an assured example, lighter than a meat version and with a soft yolk, and there was also a decent amount of haddock to enjoy with the creamed leeks. I was concerned that this would fall into the old fish cake trap of being bulked out with too much potato, but there was no sense of a lacking budget on this plate. The other starter of Wagyu Breseaola was equally generous and well developed with a blue cheese bonbon to shoot some salt through the plate. A light salad separated those elements without inundating the plate with redundant leaves and the meat remained the star attraction of this round with an abundance of flavour to go with its delicate texture. Those fried pickles made a satisfying few extra crunches of flavour too and would make a standard setting bar snack.

The main that I’d had an eye on was a game and chicken suet pudding, though the season dictated that it become a chicken and mushroom pie. Suet is all too scarcely seen, so there was no need to change course. The other main to make it through this tough decision was the 36 hour pork belly about which I’d heard good things. The chicken suet pudding did everything I hoped for, providing ample comfort and a real sense of indulgence without recourse to stodge or undue heft. The pork showed an equal lightness of touch and justification of that 36 hour investment, the meat yielding great globs of flavour and improbable softness. Swirls of crackling shattered satisfyingly in the mouth and while the dreaded pea shoot garnish made an appearance, it was only minimally invasive. Neither were the vegetable accompaniments with both of these dishes to be overshadowed, with carrot, parsnip and kale making a strong showing and given every chance to shine.

To round off the experience, we chose creme brûlée and beignets. The latter were delightfully light fluffs of deep fried satisfaction with caramel sauce and ice cream, though the brûlée was taken a bit too far, with the sugar top burnt to a touch of bitterness. While I didn’t mind the hint of black treacle that gave, it wasn’t what I expected and could well have been construed as a disappointment.

There were a couple of mis-steps with service during our visit though these were quickly rectified, cutlery and drinks reappearing with a slight nudge, which seemed to be amplified in the experience of a friend who happened to be dining there on the same night with a large party. I’m happy to write these off as minor annoyances in the early days of a notable addition to the food scene in York. The vast majority of the food was distinctive, well developed and memorably delicious while the environment was a buzzing spot to relax into. The Old House York might have inherited a sense of history from its location but it’s very much looking to the future of the food scene in York. I’m looking forward to watching it continue to find its feet.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for this meal. Opinions are impartial.

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