Pignut is an unassuming building just off the market square in Helmsley that’s simply decorated without feeling sparse and had a welcoming buzz on the Friday lunchtime of our visit. There’re a couple of menu options and we were to sample the four course menu which weighs in at £45 and has several options to upgrade, each of which makes sense and doesn’t feel like added pressure to spend. The first course is the intriguingly titled “Wastage” which was actually served in three parts, intended to underscore the potential of off-cuts that would otherwise go to waste. Chefs finding creative ways to push their margins up by getting more out of their produce is by no means a new concept but putting that front and centre in such an explicit way is rather bold, as well as fully justified by the execution here. A boldly herbed and refreshing drink leads us into a second plate featuring pickled trim from Brill amongst a richly vegetal liquid for a quite remarkable contrast. The last part of the trio featured potato and crab in a dish reminiscent of a bisque that felt far more luxurious than you’d imagine “Wastage” could ever be.

The first course to follow that bold prelude had a lot to live up to but Herb Fed chicken is always a good starting point for a dish and made for an exceptionally well executed terrine with subtle spicing to tease out the best of the chicken rather than obliterate its flavour. Equally well judged spicing in the accompanying sauce and ribbons of kohlrabi formed it into a confidently executed version of a, usually, rather safe dish. The bread course was up next with salted butter and a crab custard that pushed me into eating more of the soda bread than I had intended given I was also due a nine course tasting menu later in the day. The meat course next centred around beef cheek from Castle Howard and also used crispy kale and an earthy espuma to bring out the best of the meat.

Dessert was a showcase for beautiful sweet strawberries with a fig leaf pavlova, another original combination but another one that worked perfectly and made for a memorable end to a memorable meal. It’s clear that the commitment to sustainability here is more than just window dressing and the innovative approach to executing responsibly sourced produce is the perfect foil for this approach. The “Wastage” course is one of the most intriguing things I’ve seen on a menu in some time and would be enough to tempt me back by itself, though the rest of the meal represented great value for £45 regardless. Tom and Laurissa earned a great reputation at The Rattle Owl and I have every confidence that they’ll make a great success of this venture in Helmsley regardless of the difficult climate.

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I went along to the first one with a fair idea of what to expect from Head Chef Jon Appleby who I’ve known for a while and who demonstrates at York Food Festival regularly. The event started at 11am with hot drinks and biscuits for the surprisingly large attendance given it was the first running. With caffeine and shortbread on board my friend and I joined the group in a private room all set up for Jon to get stuck in. Running this in a carpeted room with a portable induction hob on a tressle table was always going to inject a bit of slapstick into proceedings but Jon is clearly an adaptable fellow and tailored his set up throughout to make sure everyone got a decent view as well as the opportunity to ask as many questions as they want. First up was a twice baked cheese soufflé before moving onto a main of chicken supreme with Hollandaise, greens, poached egg and potato Lyonnaise, which prompted an excursion to the kitchen proper for the chicken as a temporary oven would have been a step too far. Over an hour and a bit Jon walked us through each step, which would be featured on recipe cards to take away, before sending us into the dining room to check the results having already seen his workings.

The dining room at The Feversham is an airy space that looks out onto the swimming pool and spa buildings and a very pleasant place to enjoy a midweek lunch. The theme of the demo and the dishes it presented was of dinner party dishes that could be prepped in advance for minimum stress, which suits a souffle down to the ground… There’s a good reason that menus proudly proclaim their soufflés to be twice baked and it’s not entirely for your benefit as much speed of service. Having seen how much cheese went into this example, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised how indulgent and delicious it was and the good scattering of chives would have made the @ratemychives grade any day of the week. The chicken supreme was similarly rich, with the neatly trimmed chicken and presented on blanched greens with a perfectly poached egg just waiting to be burst, and Hollandaise to underline the indulgence. All the elements of this rich dish fulfilled their purpose with aplomb and the red onion in the Lyonnaise potato cut through the heavier elements for a touch of relief.

With a glass of wine thrown in, two courses for £45 in such a nice dining room would be fair value but chucking in entertainment from a chef such as Jon just sweetens the deal. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I turned up for this one and it was a surprise to see it so well attended from a standing start, so I fully expect future editions to be similarly successful.

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Jon comes with a strong pedigree having been previously at the well-regarded Blue Lion at East Witton as well Rockliffe Hall. His emphasis at The Feversham Arms Helmsley is, perhaps unsurprisingly, on local sourcing and sustainability with it being important to him to make partnerships locally for the benefit of both producers and his restaurant. Arriving into the restaurant triggers a relaxed feeling of familiarity after our previous visits with the large glass feature in the roof that, in spirit, joins the room attractively to adjacent the swimming pool and terrace. The day that we attended was gloriously sunny and really let the space show itself off in the best possible light, literally and figuratively. With it being a lunch time, we weren’t able to get into the broader evening menu, rather choosing from a lunch menu of sensible ambition that mixed small plates which would function as starters or snacks along with larger mains and some open sandwiches for good measure.

With little else to do that day and a characteristic desire to try as much of the menu as possible, we selected a pair of small plates to function as starters as well as a pair of mains and a smaller dish for Little Fork to occupy herself with. A prawn cocktail is always a easy thing to throw out of balance and can easily show up a disinterested chef but everything I wanted from this one was present and correct; crisp lettuce underlining fresh prawns with a punchy Marie Rose sauce to bring it all together and a generous pop of avocado for a point of difference. A blue cheese and leek tartlet was the other starter/small plate to get the nod and arrived on a bed of salad made memorable by a fine apple dice that added texture, taste and interest. The tart itself was neatly constructed and had enough of the promised ingredients to give a nice salty blue cheese hit, relieved by that refreshing salad.

Beef formed the foundation of both main dishes, with steak and koftas both drawing the eye away from the temptations of moules frites or a crayfish & chorizo risotto while Little Fork happily worked over her fish and chips which were stretched across both of our courses. The steak was cooked, seasoned and rested well before being paired with equally well executed fries, drenched in herby butter and augmented with a handful of salad. Ordering steak in restaurants for whom it isn’t a specialty makes me nervous for fear of comparing the product to my own strong efforts when I put my mind to it, but this stacked up just marvellously. Next, the koftas landed on the other side of the table supported by a flatbread and a potato salad as well as another hit of salad to relieve the pleasingly heavily seasoned and spiced beef. A drizzle of yoghurt and some fresh herbs also lightened the plate and allowed the beef to find its voice without overwhelming anything of its companions.

The Feversham is always a nice spot to visit which pulls off that neat trick of relaxing you purely by virtue of turning up. This lunch menu strikes a nice balance, with hearty dishes that are refined enough to suit the environment but don’t get too deep into fine dining style touches, which look to be notably more prominent on the evening a la carte menu. The lunch menu is also notably fair value I thought, with the steak frites in particular looking like a great way to spend a sunny lunch time with a glass of wine for about £20. With Bantam opening recently around the corner and The Star at Harome set to make its return from its terribly unfortunate fire, it’s fair to say that there are many good reasons to come to this corner of the county to eat and it’s nice to see The Feversham playing its part in that.

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Afternoon Tea isn’t one of my favourite eating experiences, playing away from my preference for savoury (give me a cheese board rather than dessert every time), but The Feversham has recognised that limitation of this style of dining and now offers a savoury version that plays out over three tiers of treats along with as much tea or coffee as you can get down yourself. The Feversham is in good hands at the moment, as I found out recently when I went to try Sunday lunch after Adam Jackson took over the kitchen bringing with him a host of experience, accolades and industry respect.

Our first task on arriving to dine was to choose a tea with our household staple Yorkshire Tea available alongside a selection of 10 more unusual options explained through a bespoke menu housing samples of the loose leaves. We decided to run with a gentle Milk Oolong and a gently sweet Rooibos, both showing great complexity and making perfect partners to the coming food. A glass of champagne can be added on for an extra fee too, I suppose it’s worth mentioning that this style of dining would lend itself well to a few convivial drinks too should you be after something actually rather than euphemistically substantial as some more opportunistic venues are offering.

We decided to work our way through the three tiers housing our savoury selection from top to bottom, starting with the savouries that I found far more appealing than the usual selection of sweets. First up a delicate mouthful of chicken liver parfait that had been worked into a perfect scoop, characteristic of Adam’s presentation, and delivered on just enough toast to get it into my mouth without mess. This first snack’s success can be judged on how quickly it disappeared (very) and before long we were setting about a more substantial snack in the form of a venison sausage roll with a port and plum chutney, another well balanced and satisfying few bites that made the most of the venison filling for a refreshingly distinctive sausage roll. This theme of Afternoon Tea would be nothing without smoked salmon, here making an appearance as a roulade with cream cheese on a circle of Haxby Bakery rye bread and last up was a caramelised onion tart topped with goats cheese and two perfect rings of sharp onion. This was the most visually refined of the quartet and was a delicious note on which to descend to the next level, featuring scones.

Being a savoury afternoon tea I’m thankfully spared at this point the tiresome debate regarding the primacy of jam and cream in the application process, with the scone selection comprising pumpkin and chilli and mustard, cheddar and chive scones, with tomato chutney and and herby whipped cream to be applied however desired and without fear of reprisal. It’s not really an Afternoon Tea if you don’t take some leftovers home so we quickly earmarked a couple of scones for later consumption before tucking into the remainder, which showed off all the punch of the advertised flavours and had the required lightness of texture one hopes for.

That left us on the bottom level with just sandwiches left on our, literal and figurative, plates that started with prawn with marie rose sauce on brioche showing itself to be a retro-tinged delight. Coronation Chicken was a similarly nostalgic pleasure, with plenty of sweetness and tang to make it a bold flavour. Finally we enjoyed quality ham and mustard and cheese and chutney sandwiches, which need little in the way of elaboration save to say they reflected quality ingredients.

I guess at this point we knew 2020 would end in tiers, I just feel fortunate that the less enjoyable tiers we’re under restriction of still allowed for the enjoyment of these three tiers of savouries. 2021 is looking like a significant improvement on 2020 and judging by the evidence so far, The Feversham is well placed to take advantage of better times and has exciting plans to help 2021 along.

Disclaimer: Press meal. No charge made or conditions attached.

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Adam is well known across the the Yorkshire hospitality scene, and further afield, thanks to his most recent restaurant on Bootham in York, The Park, which racked up plenty of positivity throughout its life before his move to Helmsley. Prior to that Adam was also pivotal in earning The Black Swan at Oldstead its Michelin Star and setting the scene for that establishment’s illustrious future. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy food from Adam on a number of occasions which generally involved multi-course intricacies of indulgence but never home comforts, something I was able to add to my list of experiences courtesy of A Feversham Sunday Lunch.

Sunday Lunch deserves to stand as the high point of that day’s half of the weekend. Some insist that this is a meal that must be enjoyed at home, preferably with someone else cooking, or that it should be no more formal than a pub. I’m happy to enjoy anything on its own merits though so made my way up to Helmsley with the expectation of a thoroughly good feeding. The only hitch with my arrival was my car grounding out slightly on the steep ramp into the car park that also brushed the front chin spoiler, not the end of the world in a slightly soiled 14 year old Golf GTI, but you might want to consider leaving the Ferrari at street level. Once that was dealt with, we made our way to the bright, airy and appropriately distanced dining room to settle in.

The Feversham Arms Sunday lunch menu was reassuringly focussed, with a trio each of starters, mains and desserts to form the inventory of decisions. We plumped for Ham Hock and Mackerel to start followed by Beef and Cod, resisting the temptation to double down on the traditional roast beef. Starters are a contentious issue for some when attached to a Sunday lunch, straying into the regional debate about when Yorkshire puddings should be served, but being a restaurant meal we ran with the concept and enjoyed our first dishes. These were of the high standard you’d expect from a chef and establishment with this reputation, both doing a great job of whetting our appetites for main courses. A pressing of ham hock with pig’s cheek croquette was brought to life by delicately balanced pickles and accents of lovage while mackerel tartare had just the right amount of heat from some wasabi and a refreshing amount of cucumber. With those formalities completed, it was onto main courses.

Little in life is as disappointing as overcooked roast beef but thankfully no such rug pulls came about here as blushing slices of beef drew the eye along with carrot, Yorkshire pud and roast potatoes. To augment this, we also received piping hot cauliflower cheese and some fresh greens to liberally splash gravy across. Everything was all a touch less fine dining than I’m used to from Adam, with no evidence of tweezering onto the plate, but none the worse for it. This was a Sunday Roast elevated to a the highest standard with every element delicious and complementary to one another, cauliflower cheese being particularly compelling. I’d have probably put a couple more roasties on the plate if I’d been serving, but frankly I’d probably be saying that regardless of how many I was presented with and there was certainly no argument to be made with the portions. Cod with curried mussels and cauliflower was equally convincing, though could be a bit far from “meat and veg” for some Sunday Roast preferences if you hold stubbornly traditional views. With my scant regard for tradition I very much enjoyed this dish though, which was deceptively filling thanks to a hefty portion of cod and plentiful cauliflower all wrapped up by a delicately spiced coconut sauce with some powerful micro herbs and crunchy shards to give plenty of variety.

With main courses in the book, we managed to muster just enough appetite to share a chocolate mousse that wore a thin disc of cherry jelly and an immaculate quenelle of cherry ice cream. We wasted no time in deconstructing this to finish the meal, with it continuing the theme of well balanced dishes that showed enough restraint as to be appropriate for a traditional meal. With food having all hit the mark, I’d have been quite happy loitering in the Feversham with the Sunday papers for a good couple of hours, an indulgence that tops off a Sunday lunch beautifully, but was sadly denied to us by the need to retrieve our daughter. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some superb Sunday roasts this year and this one more than stood toe to toe with the best, also representing very fair value at £25 for two courses. Adam Jackson is an asset to any kitchen and I’ll look forward to seeing the Feversham gain momentum under his leadership.

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

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

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

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

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

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