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!

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The Fairfax Arms has seen some subtle change in recent times. Andy Daly took over as General Manager in the Spring and, while no wholesale change has been required, has been busy making sure that things run as smoothly as needed and the standard remains as high as is required to compete in this crowded market. The Fairfax has recently been shortlisted in the White Rose Awards and scored highly in the Yorkshire Pub awards, so clearly things are going well!

Grace and I enjoyed the drive out of York on a sunny Thursday, admiring the attractive surroundings, and before long we were sat in The Fairfax Arms bar area looking through menus. We opted for rabbit terrine and garlic mushrooms to start before moving onto Yorkshire beetroot gnocchi and pork and cider pie of the day. We were joined by Anna Lupton, who’s lending her expertise in marketing and social media to the Fairfax. Anna ordered the chicken with garden pea risotto based on her previous experience and wasn’t disappointed. I stopped short of stealing chicken from her plate, but she was kind enough to pass some risotto over, which entirely justified her enthusiasm.

The first courses arrived quickly courtesy of our friendly server and were nicely presented without undue fuss. My terrine wasn’t overloaded with garlic as is often the case and the seasoning was well judged. Strawberries were an unusual accompaniment that I later discovered from the chef had been cooked in a vacuum to get them to the desired texture. Grace spoke very highly of the garlic mushrooms indeed, some more of her thoughts later.

As the focus of the meal shifted to the mains I was curious about how the Yorkshire beetroot would be presented. It turned out to be wonderful and, for me, stole the show. Vivid pink gnocchi, Yorkshire Fettle cheese and golden beetroot sat under pea shoots and combined to a delightfully well balanced dish. Light fluffy gnocchi balls with the sharp golden beetroot and crumbling Fettle paired fantastically. If I was to level any criticism at the plate it would only be that (with half an eye on a review meal coming up in the evening, woe is me) I couldn’t finish it. Worry not though, nothing went to waste as my wife gleefully got stuck into the leftovers later in the day.

The pie Grace ordered was, again, simply presented: a portion of chips and a small gravy boat accompanying the main event, the details of which I’ll also leave to Grace. As the plate came down my reaction was of surprise to find it an actual pie. Yes that may seem like an odd reaction, but to find all sides of the pie made of pastry rather than just the lid is an increasingly rare sight.

There was no space left for dessert unfortunately but we’d thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Over a coffee we had a nice chat with chef Ben Turner who spoke passionately about produce and authenticity in local produce. Ben had come from a tiring visit to the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate so, it must be said, his chirpiness really underlined his passion.

The Fairfax is a lovely pub in a picturesque location with an awful lot going for it. Great food, friendly service and a related environment come together well and, under the stewardship of the a talented head chef and an efficient manager, will no doubt continue to do so for a long time to come.

Grace says:
Throw away any conceptions of garlic mushrooms you might have acquired from Italian restaurants. My starter arrived bathing in a Wensleydale and parsley cream, which was indeed creamy rather than oily. Thankfully this complemented the mushrooms rather than overpowering them. Brioche is the pain du jour, and while I feel it is used in many restaurants when regular bread would be better, the sweetness of the thinly-sliced toast contributes to this dish.

When our attentive waitress Anne-Marie announced that the day’s pie was pork and cider, I had no need to browse the menu any further. It didn’t disappoint. This was one deep pie, with a biscuit-brown shortcrust pastry crust topped with a puff pastry lid. This was brimful of tender, falling-apart pork pieces, sausage meat and a cheeky occasional slice of carrot or button mushroom in a gorgeous light gravy. Real comfort food- and the combination of pastries makes it a real winner. Fancy making your own puff pastry? Of course you don’t. (Even Mary Berry has confessed to buying hers.) This pie is the definition of why it’s worth going out for dinner. The accompaniment of chunky chips and vegetables were faultless, serving as carriers of the tasty gravy made during the pork-wrangling. The generosity of the portions here demonstrates value for money. However, it left me no room to try a pudding. I’m a self-confessed dessert queen, so will return with my own special spoon to sample everything served with custard!

Disclaimer: We were invited to review a complimentary meal at the Fairfax arms. No editorial bias was requested.

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