Scawton, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“What an amazing experience: loved it!” – “husband and wife team” Paul & Liz Jackson “deliver quality in every department” at the 12th-century inn on the North York Moors they’ve run since 2012. Paul’s cooking is anything but traditional, featuring “Asian-inspired flavours in a tasting menu that doesn’t overwhelm”, alongside “interesting drinks pairings – not all of them are wines”, while the “small number of tables” means “service is attentive and friendly”. There are also “very pleasant rooms to stay overnight”.

“It’s very difficult to find fault” at Tommy Banks and his family’s famous pub out in the boonies of North Yorks – head chef Callum Leslie’s ten-course tasting menu is £175 per person, and even if “you may be heading for bankruptcy at this level of pricing, the cooking is astonishing”: “we even thought it good value! with some of the most interesting and tasty desserts encountered in any starred restaurant”; “it lived up to all expectations despite (well-founded) cynicism about these things!”

“Great pub food and proper Yorkshire hospitality” are the defining features of Rob & Gill Thompson’s whitewashed inn, a fixture in the village for almost four centuries. “Everything is a big cut above the average – highly recommended”.

2021 Review: “Splendid cafe/restaurant in a charming building overlooking Helmsley's picturesque stream that’s on another plane altogether from Helmsley’s other establishments”. Sibling to the York original it serves “delicious, wholesome café food”: “the selection, especially from the specials board, is always interesting, and uses lots of local seasonal ingredients”.