With its starring role in so many films, Castle Howard should need little introduction to anyone in York, but the long straight drive through several narrow archways serves as just that as one approaches the estate before making your way through a courtyard into the grounds. It’s a spectacular place to visit at any time of year but when dressed for the festive season it’s all the more memorable. Each year the main house shuts for a period to facilitate the vast undertaking of readying it for the Christmas crowds and I was lucky enough to be one of the first to get to see the fruits of this year’s labour. JM Barrie and Peter Pan are the inspiration this year for Neverland at Castle Howard which raises the bar again for spectacle in this destination.

As one makes their way around the house, you can see JM Barrie’s office recreated in one of the bedrooms, Captain Hook’s den and a mermaid pool amongst other things. These are all brought to life by the addition of audio-visual elements for the first time, putting Tinkerbell right in the middle of the action particularly memorably in a food fight!

It wouldn’t do to spoil too much of the experience but the team at Castle Howard have certainly created something special this year with the help of designer Charlotte Lloyd-Webber. There’s a huge amount of detail to take in as you make your way round, with many nods to both Barrie and the characters he created, definitely an experience worth making time for this Christmas!

The post Neverland at Castle Howard appeared first on York on a Fork.

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

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

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

The post A sparkling September at Castle Howard appeared first on York on a Fork.

Castle Howard hardly needs further introduction, deservedly one of the most popular and beloved destinations in Yorkshire and the backdrop for such notable TV series and films such as the iconic Brideshead Revisited, Bridgerton and the slightly less memorable Garfield 2 whose filming I caught some of on a previous visit. As noteworthy as all that is, making your way from the (free to visit) Courtyard up to the house itself is always striking whether you use the road train for accessibility or take the short stroll. We’d popped into the farm shop to collect our Castle Howard Yorkshire picnic but it was a bit early for lunch so we started our visit with a walk around the house to check out the “People We Love” installation from KMA.

I can’t actually remember the last time I went around the house other than when visiting at Christmas so it was refreshing and a pleasure to see it “undressed”. The corridors and rooms feel appropriately grand and occasionally labyrinthine as they deliver you to the grand centrepieces of the house. The central domed room replete with murals and beautiful fireplace is truly breathtaking and the scale of the grand hall is quite remarkable. Housed in there at the moment is a range of exhibits to mark the Coronation of King Charles which caught our interest before ending our visit to the house at that art installation in the chapel.

KMA have installed a series of high definition screens showing a series of video portraits of subjects who stare intently back at you, the subjects of their contemplations remaining a mystery for us to ponder. This was a striking and unique way to mark out the rather sombre feel of the chapel. Make sure you call in if you’re visiting before it ends its run on 15th October. By now we’d worked up an appetite so retrieved our picnic box from safekeeping at the entrance to the house and scouted around for an appropriate picnic spot.

There’re tables available for picnicking over by the Skelf Island adventure playground but instead we made our way to the fountain and laid out our blanket for a more secluded and relaxed experience. The Castle Howard Yorkshire picnic box comes in at £25 a head and is packed with produce from a range of superb Yorkshire producers, grazing on which with a view across the fountain to the house was a delight. I couldn’t resist going straight into The Original Baker pork pies from Malton that were really brought to life by generous dollops from the jar of Castle Howard Chutney. Lishman’s Charcuterie always stands perfectly well on its own two feet but I couldn’t resist getting through more of that chutney with it deposited onto Baltzersen’s bread and generously coated with butter. Cheese with added fruit often feels forced but handled by Cryer & Stott, here the only thing forced was the rhubarb which was shot through Wensleydale. Sweet duties were handled by lemon drizzle cake also from The Original Baker and a selection of Macarons from L’eclair Patisserie. We couldn’t quite polish this all off so packed away a few leftovers and set about making the most of our visit now we were suitably fuelled.

We rounded out the experience with a bit of time in the Skelf Island adventure playground, which Fork Junior had been too small for on her last visit. This time however she was straight in and had a fabulous time running around and climbing, proclaiming that this time she had braved one of the “Tube slides”.

Between the house, the art installation, the picnic and the playground, we covered an awful lot of what Castle Howard has to offer, though a bit of time to explore the walled garden and wider grounds wouldn’t have gone amiss. Castle Howard is as rewarding a day out now as it was when I first moved to York nearly a quarter of a decade ago and it’s upped its game significantly in that time with the addition of the playground amongst other improvements. The Castle Howard Yorkshire picnic was a great centrepiece for the day and, as always, I’m excited for a return visit.

The post Castle Howard Yorkshire picnic appeared first on York on a Fork.

On 27th May, Castle Howard will host a special Afternoon Tea in The Long Gallery, which received Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on the occasion of their visit in summer 1850. This event will also feature a talk from curator Chris Ridgeway who’ll take the lucky attendees through the stately home’s royal connections. After that one off event, a Castle Howard Jubilee Afternoon tea experience will be available to enjoy from May 27th to June 12th in The Grecian Hall. Both of these offerings are certain to offer appropriately refined and regal food with a selection of sweet and savoury featuring lobster, caviar and edible gold along with a selection of traditional sandwiches, cakes and scones that showcase the best of the region.

There will certainly be many ways to celebrate the Jubilee over the coming months but throwing Castle Howard into the mix along with a top notch afternoon tea makes a strong case for itself!

The post Castle Howard Royal Afternoon Tea appeared first on York on a Fork.

The Case Howard Christmas theme this year is “A Christmas Masquerade” and, as always, the whole house has been transformed. Designers Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Bretta Gerecke have showered the house in colour and light to create another year of striking imagery and spectacular installations to enjoy as you make your way through the iconic building. The Christmas Masquerade theme has empowered the team to be bold with colours and create a very different experience to that of previous years; don’t assume that you’ll see the same thing as last year if you’ve been before. If you think there’re more pictures of me than usual on this page. that’s to avoid spoiling the experience when you arrive.

The aim is to provide a tangible sense of walking through a Venetian Masquerade Ball, something that is produced without the sense of losing the huge personality of Castle Howard itself. As you circulate, you see the theme reflected in the palate used and masks adorning a number of the statues throughout the experience.

As unmissable as ever is the 26ft tall Christmas tree that is dressed with three and a half THOUSAND baubles. I suspect this will be in the background of a similar number of selfies by the time all this is taken down. Despite that headline grabbing bauble count, I felt that the most memorable part of the experience was found in The Long Gallery. This room is bisected by a canal complete with bridges that Baby Fork demanded we cross many, many times. Thankfully there was enough to see in the background to temper the repetition of movement.

The team at Castle Howard have again done a fantastic job. The amount of thought and effort that’s gone into this transformation is easy to see. The opportunity to append it with an Afternoon Tea or a trip to Santa depending on the visitor’s age and leanings only broadens the appeal. We’ll be back soon to take Baby Fork’s grannies around, something that we’ll be bound to repeat in the coming years.

The post A Christmas Masquerade with Castle Howard appeared first on York on a Fork.

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

The post Le Creuset Kitchen Theatre with Brian Turner at BBC Countryfile Live appeared first on York on a Fork.

Castle Howard has been a favourite spot to visit for a good fifteen years, offering an unparalleled combination of outdoor space to explore with a stunning building for a backdrop. The grounds feature a great range of landmarks including fountains, temples and follies to take in along with an adventure play ground that has recently been taken to an entirely new level.

Skelf Island has just opened (conveniently timed for the summer holiday) near to the existing playground and really ups the game. Accessed via an elevated rope bridge (or a lower level walkway for the less adventurous), the new development that brings Skelf Island into use for the public is truly impressive, bringing together a great variety of tunnels, slides and bridges along with loads of opportunity to climb and scramble around. The zip wire is bound to prove popular too.

We already have plans for another trip to Castle Howard next month, and I don’t doubt that there will be many more, which will feature trips across the water to Skelf Island with increasing frequency.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for our attendance. Not that Baby Fork is open to influence anyway

The post Welcome to Skelf Island! appeared first on York on a Fork.