The menu lists eight flavours to with which to imbue your wings, which you can order by the dozen or half dozen. We went for a selection including “Shang – High”, “Panang – A – Lang” and “The Honey Monster” as well as the bavette steak loaded fries which turned out to be more than enough for a two person lunch. As I say, I’ve been something of a cynic regarding wings before but these absolutely converted me, to this iteration of them at least if not the less well executed versions. These wings were plump and incredibly tender, a real joy to get smeared all over your hands as you get to work on them in the only practical way to do so. The flavours boldly represented the promised notes from the menu and retained impressive balance, one can just feel the many attempts it must have taken to reach this point. Loaded fries were groaning under the weight of strips of nicely charred bavette steak that remained pink through the majority of its depth. Fresh broccoli topped the plate along with a vibrant chimichurri that rounded things out beautifully.

It must also be said that all this was a bargain, with a dozen wings and the loaded fries being more than enough to satisfy two and coming in at £16.50 a head, more than reasonable in the current climate and all the more so for something of this obvious quality. Even better “Wing Wednesday” brings that down to just 75p a wing, get that in your diary for a great value treat!

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The building on Castlegate was previously home to Source but has been transformed with Clucking Oinks York signature bright pink and hip-hop graffiti motifs bold and prominent everywhere. The layout hasn’t changed hugely but it very much feels like home already. The menu features a bunch of the greatest hits from Spark but has allowed the team to bring back a good number of the popular specials on a more permanent basis including one of my favourites, the “Bombay Bad Boy” which features amazing coriander mayo. Another unmissable fried chicken burger is the “Dean Martin” that forces truffle, pancetta, parmesan and hot honey into wonderful harmony. Having settled in and got the measure of the place, it’s now time for a bit of a rethink to broaden the menu and give you even more reasons to call by.

I went along to a preview evening that gave me an improbable amount of food to get through, though of course I made sure to try everything and put the leftovers to use the following day – we don’t waste food in this house! First up was the Bombay Bad Boy with lashings of my favourite coriander mayo and now featuring a beautifully put together onion bhaji for extra indulgence. Next was the “Chippy Tea” burger, a faintly ludicrous concept executed with commendable conviction that puts homemade chips, chip shop curry sauce and pickled onion alongside the signature fried chicken. Yes it works and yes it’s delicious! Last of the burger triumvirate I was presented with was “Number 28” that focussed on char sui pulled pork which was amplified by pickled slaw and given a textural intrigue by the addition of prawn crackers. There’s been a bit of a lack of “oink” on the Clucking Oinks York menu for a while and this brings it back in style, as do the “Number 28” loaded fries that use the same superbly executed pork as a topping along with spring onion. Also among the topped fries are truffle fries that benefit from a generous topping of parmesan to temper the earthiness of the truffle, something I could eat an unhealthy amount of.

I also got to try a few of the sides too such as buffalo wings that were tender and as well executed as everything else on the menu, if a little boldly spiced for my preference. Corn ribs are a relatively new trend and not something I’ve huge experience of yet but the examples here seem like a pretty good place to start, with a kick from sriracha butter to work with the sweetness of the corn as well as coriander and spring onion to add a touch of complexity. Finally there was a hash brown that was, arguably, the highlight of the meal thanks to topping of parmesan custard, parmesan crisp and smoked bacon to turn it into a carbonara of the type that would deeply upset some Italians. No such reservations here though; I’ve been craving another ever since – don’t miss this when you visit.

As I say, the Clucking Oinks York team have been friends for some time so it’s a great personal pleasure to see them spreading their wings and confidently take over their first bricks and mortar with a load of old favourites as well as some inspired, slightly unconventional, new dishes. Clucking marvellous.

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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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I’m absolutely guilty of failing to look beyond York’s outer ring road on occasion, so haven’t spent as much time in Wetherby as I should, the discovery of free parking by the river means that I’ll be back before too long though. I’ve heard of a couple of coffee spots in Wetherby worth investigating that can provide an excuse for that trip. This one was all about the chicken with The Lazy Bird Wetherby though, which I found my way to easily enough with its small frontage somewhat underpromising the amount of space indoors. While the indoors was perfectly nice and featured plenty of space for the consumption of chicken and booze, we were very happy to make our way upstairs to a newly created rooftop space to enjoy the weather. Driven by the recent need to create more outdoor space, this is a really neatly realised area that packs in plenty of seating without being cramped. It maybe wouldn’t stand up to hurricane conditions, but there’s a decent amount of cover as well as heaters at the tables, which only a fool would turn on in a heatwave… oops.

The menu has had a good amount of punnery chucked into it which might annoy the more po-faced, but I thought it suited well the playful nature of the establishment. We picked out a Jurassic Pork Burger, Cop Porn Chicken Fries, Resting Beach Face, blue cheese and celery slaw and a “Little Bird’s” Poultry in motion that we feared might stretch our appetite but gave a good sense of what was on offer, as well as the strong likelihood of needing to skip dinner. While there’s app ordering available as one would expect now, the staff were also on hand and friendly to help us work through the menu.

It didn’t take long for a pretty serious amount of food to arrive on the table and only a short time more to establish that it was really very good indeed. The burger immediately made its point with a faintly improbable amount of fried chicken crammed into it along with bacon, cheese, bbq sauce and a healthy dollop of bacon jam that all sang together in a flavour-packed chorus. The “Cop Porn Chicken” loaded fries carried the weight of an equally significant amount of fried chicken and were mixed through with chilli, onions and peppers that made it feel like a well optimised version of the kind of salt and pepper fries that are a staple of late night Chinese takeaway orders. Resting beach face was straightforward pieces of chicken breast that had been baptised with a mango salsa that was rammed with coriander along with plenty of lime, making for a strong smack of refreshment perfectly matched to the day’s intense sun.

All of that might be very compelling but would be rather pointless if the cooking of the chicken wasn’t up to scratch. Thankfully that fundamental building block of this experience was absolutely on the money, prompting all the superlatives you could hope for and balancing tender middle and crunchy outer perfectly. I was expecting to enjoy the food here, but the originality and wit in these dishes combined with the execution of the chicken really makes for a unique and memorable meal. With the bill for all that hardly breaching £40, there’s nothing to fault on value either. The Lazy Bird Wetherby has hit a really neat compromise between having food good enough to make it a destination worthy of travelling to eat while also being fun enough to make it a night out destination in its own right too.

(Disclaimer – PR visit, no charge)

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https://yorkonafork.com/2016/08/09/searching-for-the-source/Fried chicken through is something I do like to indulge in though so the news of a vegan alternative with its roots in York definitely piqued my interest. VFC is a collaboration between the co-founder of Veganuary and restaurateur/chef Adam Lyons who is well known to the foodie community in York as the driving force behind Source, which developed a strong reputation for vegetarian and vegan food. The duo’s stated aim is simple, to save chickens by offering a vegan fried chicken that’s “All meat, No animal”.

I took delivery of an “original bundle” that featured a selection of their products for £25, requiring an amount of freezer logistics that was suggestive of the value it represented. The selection included original bites & fries, original bites and original fillets in quantities to keep one going for some time. First up, I tried the bites & fries on an evening requiring a low effort meal. This just needed popping in the oven for an appropriate period while the accompanying sauce defrosted itself at ambient temperatures. Special mention to the barbecue sauce that came with this one, every scrap of which disappeared along with the fries that came with the VFC bites, which are tremendous and reflective of the passion, knowledge and skill from the team involved.

Similarly to the Beyond Burger, I don’t think many who regularly eat chicken would be fooled by these bites or fillets, but that’s not to say I think anyone would be disappointed. The VFC bites and fillets have a pleasing density with a texture that gives a satisfying bite and a well judged crunchy coating that’s well seasoned and a reminder that those involved have a passion for good food as well as animal welfare. This is something that’s reflected across the range and ensures that these products don’t feel like you’re ditching enjoyment for ethics or losing out on something comforting. While the bites & fries were an enjoyable way into a low stress dinner, there’s plenty of scope to embellish here too as shown by the creative social media posts that VFC have been wise to tap into, with all sorts of fried chicken dishes getting a vegan makeover.

I, like so many, am making sure that my meat consumption has a bit more thought going into it as time progresses. I’m convinced that the casual consumption of over farmed meat will be something the next generation (rightly) hold us to account for so I make sure I have a good relationship with a local butcher who can tell me everything I ask about an animal’s origin and welfare. Meat is certainly not something assumed to be essential to every meal in this house and I’m more than happy to drop in substitutes of the right quality. No matter how much you fancy some industrially farmed, low welfare chicken as a guilty pleasure it’s always going to leave a bad aftertaste, that guilt is there for a reason. VFC may be squarely aimed at the vegan market but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it and incorporate it into my diet, which is certainly something I’ve been doing, the bites making a great snack and fillets part of a wider meal. There will always be those entrenched on both extremes of this debate, but this is one animal substitute that’s easy to understand and appreciate for all concerned.

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With all that being the case, the idea of going to a casino for food was quite far down my to-do list, so I wasn’t sure how to react when I received an invite to pop down to Sheffield and sample a range of new menus at the Grosvenor Casino. My curiosity was piqued and the menus read well enough, so when I found myself with a few hours to spare while Baby Fork was at nursery, I popped myself onto a train and made tracks South.

My naivety showed as soon as I arrived at the casino and was asked to surrender my satchel. After conversation with the pleasant receptionist, I was acutely aware of the potential for fraud and deception and made my way inside. The legend of there being no natural light in a casino proved correct – all the better to lose track of time – but the space was clean and comfortable with the bar area being segregated enough from the gambling activities to provide a space in which to relax in front of the appropriately outsized big screen.

With my focus shifting to food, I took a look at the four street food menus in which I was interested and decided to start off with the offering from Absurd Bird. This menu is an offshoot of the fried chicken chain and offers wings, burgers and buckets of fried food apt to soak up a few beers in front of that previously mentioned big screen. My challenge for the afternoon was to sample something representative from each menu, so I kicked off with some fried wings that were served in a box neatly designed to recline into a plate of sorts. It’s no real criticism to say that I’ve had more refined fried chicken elsewhere, but this was a cracking example of the breed, not too greasy but still messy enough to make sure you leave fingerprints on everything for some time.

Next up was a Garden Club pizza from Barrel & Stone. These guys’ core business is providing ‘plug and play’ solutions to other premises that allow them to broaden their offering easily. Here they’re just one strand of the menu, but pizza is bound to be a favourite and thankfully this one is comfortably good enough for the surroundings, with plentiful fresh toppings and a crispy base.

My next gearshift took me seamlessly into curry. This was branded up from Holy Cow and served along with rice and naan. I chose Rogan Josh on the recommendation of my server and enjoyed it, though the naan was on the dry side.

The last question asked of my appetite was by Field & Fin from a menu geared toward restaurant style dishes. I’d had an eye on the slow-braised beef rib from this menu and it was just the luxuriant I’d hoped to finish the day’s indulgences on. With the smoked bacon strip-topped meat smothering the mashed potato base, the presentation was a little monochromatic but the meat had justice done to it.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I accepted this invitation. If I’m honest I’ve not the time or inclination to start to understand the mechanics of gambling so this is unlikely to become a habit, but I enjoyed my visit and the food. The concept of multiple menus could have tripped up in lots of different ways, but the execution was satisfying and I can certainly see how this makes sense for this kind of venue. I’m not sure how much custom over and above their existing base this offering will get them, but I doubt many who do try this offering will be disappointed.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for my attendance. Opinions are impartial.

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We decided that Doncaster Wool Market would be the perfect half way point at which to meet friends who live in Sheffield so, to that end, hopped on a train on a Sunday morning to make the 20 or so minute hop to Donnie. The Wool Market has benefitted from an extensive make over that’s turned it into a bright and open space full of independent businesses, a number of street food traders amongst them. Notable as well is the table tennis available for all and sundry to get stuck into and a glass covering that lets people admire a medieval well discovered during the renovation.

We started our exploration of the street food on offer with a pizza, acting on a tip off from a York-based street food vendor, and The Rustic Pizza company up to the task of turning out good value tasty pizza pleasingly quickly. Our roast veg offering certainly found itself split across the table very quickly. Next we hit The Barnyard for some chilli cheese fries. Nobody would claim that these were refined or subtle but they lived up to the name and were quickly dispatched.

York favourite Clucking Oinks has a presence here so we next fell back into their familiar embrace before taking their recommendation to try Peruvian “Rumba Skewers” from Taste Peru. It’s hard to dislike spiced chicken skewers with rice, potato and salad but it’s a shame they were only running a limited Sunday menu and had a relatively narrow offering.

To finish on a sweet note we called by Scrapes for ice cream and brownie. I’m not quite sold on the advantages of making ice cream by hand to order but, regardless of the theatrics, my mint Aero ice cream did everything demanded of it as did a hot double chocolate brownie.

The renovation at Doncaster Wool Market has left a bright and usable space that lends itself well to a few hours of grazing on nice food and browsing independent businesses. Based on the walk from the station, it seems like a definite highlight of Doncaster’s centre that one hopes will go from strength to strength.

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Spark has been on the horizon for some time in the form of a proposal for a container park on the land created by clearing a derelict building on Piccadilly. That plan has now crystallised into reality and Piccadilly has become home to a complex of repurposed shipping containers that house a variety of businesses. There’s been plenty of debate, healthy and otherwise, on social media about the merits of the scheme as is bound to be the case with anything new and bold. This has in part been fuelled by some negativity associated with delays to the project opening. Now that it’s up and running, it’s time to let the project speak for itself though and see how the people of York react. It goes without saying that I’ve been exhaustively checking out the food options for you.

A great deal of the debate on Spark York suitability for the city has centred on its appearance and how well a complex of repurposed shipping containers would blend into York’s historic centre. This is likely to remain a divisive subject for the lifespan of the project, but in my view it’s all the better for its limited attempts to blend in. This was always going to be a distinctive development and I believe it has been improved by embracing its own character, embellished by striking murals and signage. Once you’ve made your way up the wooden entrance ramp to the surprisingly spacious interior that’s open to the air and grabbed a seat, it’s time to take stock of the food vendors.

The traders who’ve been chosen to take up residence in Spark York are a bunch who all bring, deservedly, strong reputations to the party. Fronting the complex, geographically, is Cwtch coffee who offer, unsurprisingly, superb coffee and a warm space to enjoy it should the weather outside not be playing ball. Keep an eye on the food offering here; while chatting to the owner, I get the impression that this is going to be a great place for breakfast… Moving further into the space, you next come across Munchies Cakeaway, who are ready and eager to provide you with sweet treats including waffles with a variety of toppings. These guys have been delivering delicious cake to the people of York for some time so are a great choice to dish out desserts and indulgences.

Another couple of steps gets you to the ordering hatch of Krep, who after making a name for themselves serving from their Citroen van have already established themselves as a firm favourite here. The mix of savoury gallettes and sweet crepes feature fillings that evidence great pride in the product.

Neighbouring Krep is what’s fast becoming a York legend. Street Cleaver has generated a dedicated following (among which I count myself) over the course of a series of pop ups and residencies. Headed by the impressively tattooed and bearded Mark Hill, Spark has given the opportunity to add a range of ramen dishes to the signature range of bao buns. Never one to bow to convention, Mark has branded his ramen “No rules” and is playing happily fast and loose, notably pairing chorizo and pork. This is serious food that doesn’t feature a single shortcut on the way to the recipient.

Continuing our tour of the on site food traders, Once Across the Garden do a brilliant job of broadening the offering by producing a fantastic range of vegan food. Previous dishes have included hot dogs, mac’ cheese and kebabs, so there’s no accusing these guys of retreating into vegan stereotypes.

Next up is Cluckin’ Oinks, who knock out the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. I always feel compelled to qualify a recommendation to Cluckin’ on the basis that it’s hard to articulate how good fried chicken can be given the quality of what’s usually offered to the mass market. With home made sauces, fries and addictive fried macaroni cheese bites as well as the chicken, there’s plenty to come back for.

If you continue to circulate, you’ll come across Dough Eyed Pizza who have sadly had to temporarily close after a small fire on the opening weekend. I can’t wait to see these guys up and running again the slices of pizza on offer here easily rank amongst the best in York. Dough Eyed’s other neighbour is Sloppy’s Burgers, offering up suitably messy and indulgent burgers. Take a look at the scooter out front and make sure you get a pic on it!

If, after trying all that, you’ve still the stamina to check out more places to eat (for clarity, I didn’t eat at all these places in one day), then there are even more treats upstairs from Tikk’s Thai Kitchen, who won the northern heats of last year’s British Streetfood Awards. Every time I’ve sampled food from these guys, it’s been fabulous and the red curry I grabbed from them the other day was just as fantastic as the satay skewers I had the previous week.

Unique amongst the food offering is York Nurturing Community who operate ‘pay as you feel’ and ‘pay it forward’ models to make sure that anyone can afford a healthy meal with them. They also make use of intercepted surplus food that may otherwise go to waste. This is a wonderfully valuable project for York that’s landed in a great spot.

Obviously food this good needs something to wash it down, and Spark doesn’t fall short here either. There’s a range of beers from Pivovar at the main bar along with a micro brewery to offer more variety. Cocktails come from 4swings and are as inventive as their reputation suggests and if you’re after a glass of wine then BNHO have a great variety on tap. Of course it doesn’t end with food though. While that’s my focus here, there’re a bunch of good people doing their best to make Spark York feel more like a high street than a food court: vintage clothes, vinyl, interior furnishings, stationery and accessories all being available.

Spark York is a fantastic addition to York. It’s family friendly and has a range of great quality food and drink at sensible prices that make it a fantastic place to to meet the demands of most audiences. There’s a real sense of community amongst the traders that gives a real sense of cohesion and opportunity to grow the project. There’re a few improvements to be made, in particular more covered seating will add flexibility and a lift will improve accessibility, but the remainder of this project surely holds exciting things.

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Still, even with that reassurance, it was beyond me to book, so I crossed my fingers as the four of us arrived on a Friday night and assured my friends that sitting in the bar had been the plan all along. Table found though, the evening was on its way.

The drinks list was sensibly constructed of good quality Brewdog beers and a small selection of wines that looked well chosen. It certainly did a good job of supporting our opening arguments about who would eat what. This was fortunate as service certainly wouldn’t be characterised as brisk, perhaps finding ourselves in the bar and off the beaten track for the servers left us at the mercy of their chosen routes between kitchen and dining room.

We decided starters were redundant as it’s pretty clear that the portions aren’t going to leave anyone wanting, an assumption validated by the large lunch of leftovers I had the following day.

As drinks finally arrived, service still wasn’t hitting the mark. Two of the party ordered gin & tonic that was initially served with sparkling water instead of tonic, an issue alleged to be rectified when the replacements were issued with lemonade. Not great, but the need for refreshment overtook the desire to further debate.

A selection of dishes turned up after another significant delay, all notable for the quantities. Mountains of food were present on each plate or tray. I’m not going to make a point about growing levels of obesity in society though… That’s a high horse that I’d be quickly thrown from as so on as you notice that one of the party ordered an entire chicken, a tempting spectacle given his track record of refusing to share food (he’s a royal pain at tapas).

One and a half chickens, “Winner Winner chicken dinner” and a chunk of beef chased down with plenty of sweetcorn, slaw and fries made from both regular and sweet potato was a challenge too far for dinner, but made a cracking lunch of leftovers the following day. Given the quantities involved, its perhaps a bit surprising that there’re no challenges on offer, something that Huckleberrys diner seem to be making good business out of.

Slow cooked smoky beef was falling apart and succulent and my companions reported the chicken as superbly moist and tasty. That aversion to sharing precluded me from trying some so I’ll have to use that as an excuse for a return visit. The eponymous dish came with as much maple sauce as one could want to drizzle over crispy chicken, bacon and fresh waffles. A tasty dish with perhaps a uncharacteristic restraint given the surrounding quantities.

We all left very happy despite the mis-steps around service early on, I’m pretty confident that the whole party have recovered from the extreme chicken consumption and as I mentioned earlier, leftovers sorted out the following day’s lunch nicely. Definitely worth a return visit, maybe I’ll even book this time.

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