British, Modern Restaurants in Bedale
1. The Orangery, Rockliffe Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Darlington
James Close with wife Maria closed his acclaimed Co Durham restaurant the Raby Hunt (a regular on our UK Top 100 list) after 14 years and relaunched in the Orangery of nearby Rockliffe Hall in mid 2024, after our annual diners’ poll had ended. Initially billed as ‘A modern bistro by James Close’, from October 2024 the site has launched new tasting menus – ‘Expresssion’ (£105 per person) and ‘Experience’ (£170 per person) – that aim to take the diner on a ‘global culinary journey’. The ultimate aim is clearly to establish the dining room as one of the best in the UK.
2. The Old Deanery
British, Modern restaurant in Ripon
Minster Rd - HG4
Yorkshire reporters are very enthusiastic about the late 2023 reformatting of this property owned by Layton Hill Hotels, now pitching itself more as a ‘restaurant with rooms’, with chef Adam Jackson – formerly at the Black Swan in Oldstead – at the stoves. Nearly all accounts on its tasting menu are of “incredible cooking”: “we first sampled Adam’s food when in Oldstead, and this was our first visit here with food just as good as we have come to expect from chef Jackson, with a well-matched wine flight. Service was attentive, and the pacing of the tasting menu was just right. The building is lovely too with superb views over the garden”.
3. Samuel’s, Swinton Park Hotel & Spa
British, Modern restaurant in Masham
Swinton Park - HG4
Struan Macintyre now presides over the stoves in the flagship dining room of this stately country retreat. It has seen a number of head chefs come and go in recent times, but still inspires good all-round feedback following its significant refurb concluding earlier in the year. The menu format nowadays is that of an upscale brasserie (including grilled steak, fish and lobster) rather than the more ‘haute’ tasting formats of yesteryear. Elsewhere in the property, its plush lounges also win the thumbs up as a place to “live the high life in the afternoon” – “served in the traditional way in the drawing room, there is no better place in the area for afternoon tea”.
4. ChefsTable at TRUEfoods
British, Modern restaurant in Melmerby
9 Hallikeld Close - HG4
On a small, rural industrial estate – within a unit dedicated to the making of top-quality sauces and stocks – this industrially located chef’s table makes an unusual venue for one of the better meals in the country. Over five hours, you experience a 14-course tasting menu with the chefs on hand to explain the sourcing and techniques used at each stage. Feedback is not vast, but continues to rate it as “exceptional all-round”.
5. The Sandpiper Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Leyburn
Market Place - DL8
More solid reviews this year for the 40-seat restaurant within this attractive old inn, situated in a market town: “really enjoyable” modern bistro cooking wins praise as does the “great service” (including with kids in tow).
6. Crab & Lobster
Fish & seafood restaurant in Asenby
Dishforth Rd - YO7
An “original ambience” contributes to the charm of this eccentrically decorated hotel-restaurant, bedecked in grandfather clocks, chandeliers, tubas and drums – and part of the 18th-century Crab Manor, where the quirky décor continues in five globe-trotting bedrooms. “Tasty” fish is the specialism, but there was also praise this year for the “nice game”. Service can still occasionally lag – “maybe short staffed”? In Summer 2024, they added a sun-trapped terrace, further amplifying the “nice surroundings”.
7. Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Grantley
“Oozing luxury (as it should do at this price!), but a tremendous experience, especially if you stay over” – Shaun Rankin wins exemplary feedback for this “stunning” and stately venue. The centrepiece of the experience is a “great taster menu” running to 14 dishes for £160 per person, produced with “real class and taste”.
8. The Coach House
British, Modern restaurant in Middleton Tyas
Middleton Lodge Estate, Kneeton Lane - DL10
2021 Review: Set in 200 acres of North Yorkshire, this informal bar/brasserie is an “interesting conversion of stables attached to the main house” (there is also a posher dining option here, ‘The Forge’). An all-day operation, it offers food that’s “reliable and well presented” from a series of menus, including breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner (with the focus on Mediterranean char grills).
9. The Wensleydale Heifer
British, Modern restaurant in West Witton
Main St - DL8
Stewarded by father-and-son duo David & Lewis Moss for two decades, this “fantastic Dales inn” (notably friendly to doggos) has a prime setting in the national park, and combines “friendly service” with “great food” that (despite the name) is notably fish-centric. If you want to make a night of it, they have pleasant themed rooms (including one dedicated to 007, to assuage fans irritated by the long delayed next instalment) and a private two-bedroom cottage just a few steps away.
10. Fletchers at Grantley Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Grantley
“Trying very hard in a fabulous location” – the traditionally decorated dining room is part of an impressive country-house hotel and spa – a 17th-century manor in the Yorkshire Dales relaunched with little expense spared five years ago (and the AA Hotel of the Year in 2022/23). This luxe brasserie – with steak, lobster, chicken and other fare from the Josper grill – “maintains high standards” although the odd fan feels that it’s “good, but has further to go”. (See also Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall).
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