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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Previously head chef at Whitby’s The Star Inn the Harbour, Matt now has a broader brief across the Star group of restaurants, so was the the obvious choice to front this first event that took place in the main dining room of the restaurant, though future fixtures will be in more intimate surroundings. The fifty pound cost gets you a set menu of six courses that you can enjoy with matched drinks for another forty quid, something I couldn’t resist taking up.

It’s been a little while since I’ve been to the Star, so it was a pleasure to get reacquainted with the airy, calming dining space that the supper club had taken over a decent chunk of. I’ve been to a few events in the past that have tried to do a large number of covers in one sitting and resulted in very late finishes, so I was eager to see how this one would pan out.

We were quickly directed to our table and after a discrete interval to grab drinks orders, Matt and the restaurant manager braved some public speaking to introduce the evening and our first course, a tart of white crab, cauliflower and Spanish blood sausage. Featuring some of my favourite ingredients, it was hardly a surprise to regret there wasn’t more of this dish, which judged perfectly the amount of the blood sausage, reminiscent of black pudding, that was needed to bring out the sweetness of the crab.

Continuing the hit list of my favourite ingredients, next to the table was a Lincolnshire Poacher and truffle toastie that was intended as a partner to a few scoops of pumpkin and nutmeg burnt cream. I seem to recall loving something similar to this toastie at Mr P’s Curious Tavern in years gone by and this one hit the spot just as effectively. If there was an unlimited supply by this sofa, then it would take me quite a long time to clean the grease off my laptop afterwards.

We continued with a course of cured cod loin with lemon and parsley which made good use of a shard of chicken skin for breadth, before indulging in a lamb dish of uncommon depth. This plate was a real treat that chucked plenty of black garlic into the mix along with red cabbage and a treacherously enjoyable jus. This combination of a finely layered terrine and a perfectly cooked piece of lamb shouted the old maxim “fat is flavour” at every mouthful and will be lodged in my memory for a good while.

Having cleared a path through the savoury courses, we were next presented with a roasted cobnut porridge that featured quince and honey. Desserts are unlikely to ever take precedence over savoury in my preferences, but this was original and packed with complementary flavours. Last up was caramel shortbread with creme fraiche ice cream and dots of a sharp citrus fruit based gel. The chocolate on this one was described as bitter, something that it delivered on notably. While certainly aggressively bitter, the ice cream and caramel did the hard work of tempering that to bring things back in balance.

That fire may have been the story of 2018, but it’s firmly in the past now, with events like The Star Inn the City Supper Club doing a good job of reaffirming the Star Inn the City’s place in York as one of the city’s most prestigious places to eat. With chefs like Matt behind the scenes, it’s got the best possible opportunity to cement its reputation. I’m looking forward to watching its progress continue in 2020.

Disclaimer: no charge was made for attendance, opinions are impartial

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I was looking for somewhere to go for lunch on my 40th that would serve good food without having to commit to a lengthy tasting menu and would also be easily accessible near Whitby, allowing us to drop off Baby Fork with her grandmother. That might sound like quite an ask but, remarkably, Bridge Cottage Bistro hit all those criteria while showing off a heavily seafood themed menu with plenty to excite.

I may have had to endure childhood in Milton Keynes, but places like Sandsend also featured throughout my childhood thanks to my grandparents’ residence being pretty local to it. It only took a couple of minutes of ferreting to establish the exact location of the restaurant, and we also found a lovely pub with a good looking menu. We didn’t eat there, but The Hart Inn had whole lobster with fries on the menu for £20…hard to argue with.

Bridge Cottage Bistro turned out to be exactly what I hoped for in terms of ambience: relaxed and informal without sacrificing a sense of occasion. The menu is displayed on a pair of chalkboards at one end of the room, making it easy to update on a frequent basis to account for the best product available that day.

Given the proximity to the coast, we decided to stick with seafood throughout, starting with cured halibut and grilled sardines. We enjoyed a few mouthfuls of bread dipped in oil to occupy our hands while we waited, but quickly found ourselves swapping plates halfway through our starters, as is our habit. First up were sardines. These deliciously oily little scoundrels were a world apart from the compressed, tinned version we’re most familiar with. Deep in flavour and presented simply with slivers of tomato, basil and a perfectly judged anchovy ketchup, they were absolutely beyond reproach.

Our other starter was halibut cured with rosemary, fennel and lime and served with yoghurt, cucumber and a ginger dressing. The combination of curing, flavour and texture balanced carefully the tightrope of those elements it needed to walk. With a flourish of puffed fish skin, this was a beautifully realised dish.

We couldn’t resist lobster, so we paired that with roast skate wing for mains. After a civilised interval, both dishes made their way over and were as beautifully presented as our starters suggested they would be. With chips, garlic butter and salad, this was a pretty conventional presentation of the dish but none the worse for that. Garlic leaves and mayonnaise rounded things out beautifully.

It’s surprising how much meat comes on a skate wing. With clams and seasonal greens adding flavour to the potatoes that rounded out the plate, this was unlikely to leave you wanting more. Sliding the meat from the bone took neither skill nor effort to be rewarded with an abundance of flavour. The texture of the meat was reminiscent of the best examples of slow cooked pork, loads of texture but not at the expense of moisture. It’s hard to find flaw with this one.

Mrs Fork can’t resist a rice pudding, so convinced me I’d fit in a few mouthfuls, a task I just about managed to live up to and certainly didn’t live to regret.

Bridge Cottage Bistro occupies perfectly the middle ground between premium “occasion” dining and the best of casual dining experiences that focus only on ingredients and flavour without worrying about dazzling service. Sharing a range of quality seafood, beautifully prepared and presented was a perfect birthday lunch and an experience I can’t recommend enough.

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Northwood Trail Fairy Sanctuary is based just a few miles from York near Stamford Bridge and is related to Jollydays, a glamping site that has been working its way into the affections of Yorkshire for a decade or so that, come to think of it, I’m way overdue a visit to.

Upon arrival you’re greeted by the Northwood Kitchen which, while it’s still developing its menu, will focus on good quality and will develop a biodynamic woodland garden for supplies. Incidentally you don’t need tickets to visit the Northwood Kitchen.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the trail itself or to what degree 16 month old Baby Fork would interact with it, but we were lucky enough to hook up with a bunch of friends to help us shepherd our toddler around and all had a fabulous time. The trail could take anything between 20 minutes and an hour to work your way around, depending on the time spent taking in the sights and the size of the legs propelling the group’s smallest member.

There are a whole bunch of features to take in on your way round searching for fairies, whose homes litter the route. Baby Fork had great fun climbing the steps to try some of the front doors while pointing out the treehouses that remained tantalisingly out of reach. There’s plenty to engage with on your way round with a maze and spaces to play provided before you get back to take a look around the fairy museum.

This is pretty unique in my experience and packed full of exhibits including the, surprisingly macabre, mermaid skeletons and a door that you’re directed to open… I won’t spoil the surprise but do make sure you investigate.

We really enjoyed taking in an experience that engaged us with nature in a world that’s full of so much soft play and experiences that are heavily curated. If you’d told me a couple of years ago that I’d enjoy a day out to a fairy sanctuary, I may have raised an eyebrow. This visit was thoroughly enjoyable though and was a real treat for Family Fork.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for our attendance, opinions are impartial.

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The Countryfile Live outdoor stage area is always popular with crowds in the event’s Oxford edition, with thousands of people stopping by to watch chefs, food producers and food connoisseurs in action. 

Local restaurateurs are championed on the bill including Jonathan Harrison of the Sandpiper Inn in Leyburn, Matt Healey from The Foundry in Leeds, James MacKenzie, chef patron at The Pipe and Glass, South Dalton and Jon Appleby of The Blue Lion in East Witton. 

Social media stars and internet sensations will also be cooking up a storm with Flexitarian and baking recipe blogger Izy Hossack coming from London to York, as well as self-proclaimed ‘semi-fit Masterchef losers’ Billy and Jack, bringing inspiration from their exclusive monthly supper club in Covent Garden to the stage at Castle Howard. 

A taste of far flung lands will be showcased by British Iranian Sabrina Ghayour, whose Middle Eastern cookbooks and cookery classes bring the essence of Persian cooking to London and Yorkshire. 

Recognisable faces including Tony Singh, and of course Brian Turner himself will open the stage on Thursday 14th August at BBC Countryfile Live with four full days of demonstrations. The full demonstration schedule is available at https://www.countryfilelive.com/castle-howard/show-features/the-le-creuset-kitchen-theatre-at-countryfile-live

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I thought I had a good handle on the food scene in York when I started this enterprise. It turns out I did have a fair idea and now, half a decade on I can put my hand on my heart and say I believe know it better than anyone. I produce the food pages for the York tourist guide, have contributed to various other websites, been quoted in the national press, been shortlisted for and judged awards and been lucky enough to attend hundreds of fantastic meals and events. The network I’ve built (and occasional discretion I’ve shown) along the way puts me very close to all the gossip and local news and in a great position to continue sharing what’s going on sharing the fantastic things that continue to happen in our city.

I’ve certainly not lost interest in York’s fantastic food scene and I’ve no intention of slowing down my coverage of it, but life moves on and York on a Fork needs to broaden its focus to continue to justify the amount of time it takes and reflect my changed family situation since the arrival of Baby Fork. The last 10 months since her arrival have offered the opportunity to broaden the content on here and that’s something I’m keen to capitalise on. To that end, you’ll now see the lifestyle section of this site renamed “Family Fork” and this is where you’ll find content that features family life and days out.

Another feature of my life over the last few years has been occasional motoring writing. I’ve been passionate about cars for longer than my memory runs so being able to indulge that passion and write about them has been a great pleasure. I’ve got permission to share the work I’ve done here so I’m looking forward to sharing that with a wider audience under the “A Fork in the Road” banner.

There’ll still be plenty of the same food content for you to enjoy…I’ve no intention of losing my reputation as the person to speak to about the food scene in beautiful York. There’ll also be plenty of stuff to enjoy aside from that though and more reasons to call by for a nosey. I hope you enjoy following what Family Fork gets up to in 2019 and beyond as much as I do.

Ben Thorpe

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Tartare, brioche

The Rattle Owl has spent the last couple of years establishing itself as one of the best fine dining restaurants in York and has recently extended its lunch offering into the bang on trend market for small plates with a deal that offers 3 small plates for £12.50. In all honesty, that’s a very small amount of money to eat in a dining space as relaxed as one finds in The Rattle Owl, so you’d accept a few compromises in the food, but everything is up to the impressive standards one would expect from somewhere with this reputation. The small plate menu runs to six savoury dishes so, with two of us dining, it was simple enough to order one of each and check them all out.

Service was friendly and brisk enough to satisfy the need to arrive and leave within a precious lunch hour, first delivering trout tartare and ham and leek terrine. The next pair to arrive were celeriac veloute and stone bass before a final pairing of tofu croquette and poussin breast competed the sextet. It was a relief to see the kitchen’s muscles flexing across these dishes and find them all good representations of the standard you can expect from an evening meal here, regardless of the bargain price. The highlights were the celeriac veloute, that found further depths of flavour from French blue cheese, and the beautifully cooked stone bass that would have been even better had it come with the beetroot which instead came with the tofu croquette. 

As my years advance, I find myself retreating into surprise at just how pricey things are these days, but £12.50 for a light lunch in a restaurant as good as this doesn’t trigger any of those curmudgeonly instincts. It might be a few quid more than the work canteen (should you be lucky enough to have one) but even if you need to redress the spending balance elsewhere, you won’t need to cut out many indulgences to enjoy this periodically and encourage yourself to return for an evening meal at a more leisurely pace.

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With a strong client base in the food and drink sector, Leeds and York based accountants, Garbutt + Elliott wanted to celebrate the industry and encourage small and large producers, manufacturers and retailers to showcase their successes, within a supportive and collaborative awards scheme. 

Announcing the launch, Managing Partner, Russell Turner, said: “We are looking for the cream of the crop and the cherry on the cake! Every business has a story to tell and we look forward to entrants from businesses that do things differently, be them producer, manufacturer, grower or seller.”

The regional food and drink sector is growing both in size and recognition and Garbutt + Elliott are excited to be a part of a movement positioning Yorkshire’s plethora of businesses at the front of the game. 

Garbutt + Elliott see first hand, on a daily basis how forward-thinking and innovative the regional food and drink sector is. With clients, in the sector ranging from micro-breweries, to national producers and high-street retailers, it makes perfect sense for them to celebrate all that Yorkshire has to offer.

All areas of the industry are covered within the award categories, which are sponsored by regional food champions, and include:

• Best Innovation
• ‘Deliciouslyorkshire’ Taste Award
• Growth Business of the Year
• Best Partnership
• Young Business of the Year
• Best Yorkshire Exporter
• Best Yorkshire Brand
• Yorkshire Grit Resilience Award

The deadline for entries is January 25, 2019. A shortlist will be announced in February 2019 on the Garbutt + Elliott website and via social media.  Winners will be announced at an awards event on March 7, 2019 at Kirkgate Street, in the Castle Museum.

Businesses can enter by simply providing basic company information, submitting 300 words for the chosen category and sending any supporting documents before the deadline.  It is also possible to nominate other businesses for a category. To find out more or to nominate yourself or someone else please visit www.garbutt-elliott.co.uk/food-awards.

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We started the day meeting some lovely family bloggers from the region for a picnic on a lawn in front of the beautiful Banqueting House. We were very lucky to have plenty of sun as we ate given the catastrophic forecast, so made the most of it. Our hosts had laid on croquet, bubble wands and a host of ways to have fun that will serve to prompt us for entertainment when we return with Baby Fork as she grows older. The Banqueting House was a lovely backdrop and also housed the opportunity to get dressed up in period clothes before we started our tour of “Folly!”.​

Our first port of call was the Gazing Ball, a polished sphere that reflected the tranquil, still ponds in the near distance. The ball was perched on what looked like a stylised climbing frame with windows of varying shapes framing the horizon in different ways. While the smaller members of the group busied themselves scaling the structure, we enjoyed the views and noted the small sculpture of a human heart proudly presented at the top.

Next up was the product of a young mind, a cloud designed by 11 year old Foster Carter​ which was​suspended from a frame. His was the winning entry amongst over 1800 that were submitted, so I’m sure he’s enormously proud to see his design come to life. It’s fair to say that the recent weather has been rather extreme so we pondered the irony of sheltering under a an artificial cloud on a blazing hot day while playing chicken with a weather forecast that suggested impending doom.

The next part of our journey took in some spectacular views across the gardens, placid lakes and trickling waterfalls as we approached the Listening Tower. This houses a mechanism to maintain a constant, gentle dripping of water, audible when you put your ear close to one of the listening holes punched into the tower. I loved the symmetry of the distant, gentle drip of water in my ear while looking over another stunning view, this time of the serene lakes beneath us.

The last folly was reached by a bit of a steep climb that the more ambulatory kids tackled with more enthusiasm than I could make apparent while pushing a buggy. The climb was rewarded not just with a much needed ice cream, but also with the sight of an enormous stylised parrot with a rotating head housing the lens for a camera obscura. The children (and adults) loved the bright colours and striking design of this one that contrasted neatly with the more traditional layout of the garden. The folly’s innards hid the opportunity to take in the parrot’s eye view, projected onto a plate in the middle of the space that had to be in otherwise pitch blackness. It’s rare to get the opportunity to mess around with a camera obscura, especially with views such as these to take in. I think the last time I got my hands on one was in Dumfries, lovely in itself but perhaps less picturesque than Studley Royal Gardens.

Having taken in the follies, we carried on pushing our luck with the weather to take a stroll around the Abbey ruins. These were just as imposing and evocative as my childhood memories suggested and something I’d more recently spotted in the recent BBC drama Gunpowder. Having been to a recent evening event in which the Abbey was illuminated, my partner was able to pick out some carvings revealed then that wouldn’t otherwise have been obvious. As we made it back to the car, raindrops had started falling, which quickly turned into sheets of water that tested our windscreen wipers to the limit, but did nothing to dampen the enjoyment of our visit.

At five months, Baby Fork isn’t doing too much in the way of listening for water, climbing sculptures or marvelling at the camera obscura, but it was a delightful to see in attendance the other kids of varying ages all enjoying their visit, as were the adults. Between the gardens, abbey and sculptures, there’re plenty of attractions here to fill a day out. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the schedule to make sure Baby Fork gets to appreciate it in the future.

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

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A trip to this area isn’t really complete without a stop at the Cod and Lobster for crab sandwiches so we broke our journey there, parking at the top of the hill and realising on the way down how much effort would be involved in getting a pram back to the elevated car park. Thankfully the calories from those crab sandwiches and superb chips did their thing and propelled us back toward the car to carry on North to Raithwaite.

Raithwaite Estate is located just inland from Sandsend and is made up of a collection of buildings both modern and traditional that house two restaurants, plenty of accommodation and a spa to relax in. It’d been on the periphery of my consciousness for a few years now, so it was with some intrigue we approached down the driveway that separates it from the bustle of the public highway. We were due to stay in ‘The Keep’, which is the first building one arrives at on entering the estate. Featuring dog friendly rooms alongside a variety of other options including larger rooms and suites, it’s a distinctive building styled with crennalations across its top and a central atrium that feels welcoming and airy. Our room was on the first floor and a generous size, complete with travel cot already set up for us and a balcony to enjoy along with all the tea and coffee making facilities one would expect, though I was a little surprised not to find a mini-bar. A personalised welcome card and some chocolates were a nice touch and after getting all the equipment Baby Fork requires unpacked, we didn’t linger long, instead setting out to explore and check out the spa.

The main building that houses the spa was only a couple of minutes’ walk through the attractive grounds from The Keep. Also in this building is Poachers Bar, which provided a useful space to retreat to with Baby Fork when tag-teaming baby care for spa access.

The spa itself was immaculately clean, being kept efficiently clear of the puddles and damp patches that one might expect at less attentive venues. The swimming pool features a cascade of water in one corner under which to relax and there’re also a sauna, a jacuzzi and a steam room in which to shut out the stresses of the outside world. All of this is surrounded by the landscaped gardens which are visible though, thankfully tinted, large glass areas. There are, of course, luxuriantly soft robes and towels for use and a pleasingly gadgety machine to shake water from your swimming costume before heading back to your room.

For dinner, I’d booked us into The Hunters Lounge rather than The Brasserie, which features a menu combining elements of French and Yorkshire cooking. The Hunters Lounge, also based in The Keep, looked like a slightly less formal option likely to suit our continuing acclimatisation to parenthood. After a relaxing drink in the bar to blunt the memories of the afternoon nappy changes, we made our way to our table as the restaurant started to fill, and we began our dissection of the menu.

Our starter decision landed on Scotch egg with coronation mayo and ciabatta soldiers and cauliflower and courgette pakoras with yoghurt dressing. The Scotch egg was served in an over sized egg cup and easier to handle directly on its slate. I’m not sure that bashing in its head as per the presentation’s suggestion would have been an elegant way to proceed, but the yolk remained soft and the meat was well seasoned with a crunchy crumb exterior to account for all the right textures. The pakora could have had a bit more spice run through them to cut across the minted yoghurt, but were well judged in quantity as we looked forward to main courses.

Mains featured chicken breast stuffed with brie and basil and feather blade ale braised beef. Both came with a variety of vegetables, variously roasted, steamed and creamed to complement the main elements of the plate, which were helped along by white wine cream sauce for the chicken and an ale jus for the beef.

We took guilty pleasure through the meal at the presence of another baby that was more disruptive than ours, so were happy to hang on for dessert and share a rich sticky toffee pudding with ice cream before retiring to the room to get Baby Fork to sleep.

Suitably refreshed the following morning after a relatively uninterrupted night’s sleep in the comfortable bed, we made our way back downstairs for breakfast. There’s a particular joy to a hotel breakfast, a situation that somehow empowers one to order as much fried food as you could want, so that’s exactly what I did while. My Yorkshire Breakfast was reflected across the table by a slightly more modest Eggs Benedict, both plates being a good stepping off point for the rest of the day. As well as the main plates, there was an impressive selection of fruit and cold self service offerings. Breakfast here offers a strong possibility of needing to skip lunch!

I have family in the area, so before we left, we took advantage of the Poachers Bar being open to the public to catch up for a coffee and have a stroll around the grounds, which are a pleasing compromise between spectacular and restful. All three of us enjoyed our visit to Raithwaite. It was a relaxing place to escape to with a good range of food and drink options and a flawless spa to visit. We even bumped into some friends from York who were arriving to take advantage of the spa as we left!

Disclaimer: Our stay was complimentary, opinions are impartial. Check the Raithwaite website to confirm prices for particular dates.

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