“Forget Yorkshire puddings, here is where you should be eating on your next trip to Yorkshire”

By Sarah Rainey

The humble Yorkshire pudding may be a proud culinary invention of its namesake county, but it often overshadows the rest of the incredible food on offer in ‘God’s own country’. Yorkshire is more than just pudding, in fact, the restaurant scene has evolved in recent years and is now offering seven Michelin starred restaurants out of the 40 Yorkshire restaurants featured in the guide. For travellers who haven’t visited yet, Yorkshire is a grand county of dales, moors and shores dotted with sheep and quaint villages. The abundance of green space and the access to the sea allows for the production of some of the country’s finest food — from the uniquely creamy and crumbly Wensleydale cheese to the infamous forced rhubarb, without forgetting the freshest crab and the finest lamb.

The Michelin Guide recently released their restaurant selections for 2021, I have selected some of my favourite picks for you to try when you next visit.

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall. Photo credit: Rob Whitrow

1. Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall

Shaun Rankin’s excellent reputation precedes him. Originally from Yorkshire, Rankin started his career at the Mayfair Hotel in London before moving to Jersey in 2003, where he would spend most of his career - earning his first Michelin Star in 2005.

In 2021, Rankin returned to his roots to open Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, which was awarded their first Michelin Star - the first for the town of Ripon. This exceptional restaurant showcases handpicked ingredients sourced from a 20-mile radius, with herbs and vegetables from their own kitchen garden. You can get a taste of the best North Yorkshire has to offer on The Taste of Home menu, with dishes such as ‘Chestnut, Chocolate, Mushroom’ and ‘Scallop, Cauliflower, Nut Crust’, the simplicity from the names allow the natural tastes and textures to shine through. The dishes themselves, sometimes finished at the table, deliver subtle complexity and depth of flavour.

The Taste of Home menu comes to £110 with wine pairing starting at £75.

Grantley Hall, Ripon HG4 3ET grantleyhall.co.uk booking essential

2. Pipe and Glass

Earning their first Michelin star less than four years after taking over the venerable Pipe and Glass country pub in 2006, James and Kate Mckenzie have passionately turned this 17th century institution into a destination dining inn.

Head chef James’ passion for Yorkshire is reflected in his dishes where he uses products handpicked from the local area complemented by the seasonal products from his garden and herbarium.

The varied menus offer a variety of dishes from Mature cheddar rarebit on toast with tomato chutney, and, a ‘Proper’ ploughman’s, a selection of cheese, cold and cured meats, pickles, chutney and salad, at the bar. To the full Michelin-star experience, with a complete vegetarian and vegan menu that includes dishes like Seared Yorkshire asparagus and broccoli,and Risotto of sage and onion with Yorkshire blue cheese and pickled red onion.

Pipe and Glass, W End, South Dalton, Beverley HU17 7PN pipeandglass.co.uk tables are available in both the restaurant and the bar on a pre-booked basis only.

Black Swan Photo credit: Michelin Guide

3. Black Swan

The Black Swan has an impressive reputation - it has won countless awards, including The Best Restaurant in the UK in 2018 by The Food and Travel Magazine, and a Michelin Green Star for gastronomy and sustainability in 2021 to accompany their other Michelin star. In addition to all of that, chef Tommy Banks, was Britain’s youngest Michelin starred chef in 2013.

The Black Swan is a family business. The Banks family have been farming around Oldstead for generations, and this tradition continues, with most of the products supplied by the family farm. Banks and the team at the Black Swan showcase the ingredients grown and foraged around Oldstead in their modern tasting menu with dishes like seabass with trompettes and sea buckthorn, and lobster with green strawberries.

The tasting menu starts at £125 with a £19 supplement for the cheese course and a choice of drinks packages from £75

Black Swan, Oldstead, York YO61 4BL blackswanoldstead.co.uk Booking essential

Photo credit:Stuzzi

4. Stuzzi

Although Italian food may not be your first go-to when planning your trip to Yorkshire, Stuzzi is not your traditional Italian restaurant. Located in the heart of Harrogate, with a branch in Leeds, this restaurant serves dishes inspired by its namesake - Stuzzichini. These are little plates traditionally served in small osterias and bars throughout Italy, much like the Spanish Tapas.

The menu offers an appealing assortment of traditional and modern Italian cuisine merged with street food essentials such as fritelle di merluzzo (a deep fried fresh cod & pea fritters, bound in a smoked cod’s roe bechamel) or the traditional Sicilian arancini with a twist, to allow us a glimpse of what would be on offer beyond the tourist traps in Italy.

With homemade pasta, and all sweets and bakery products made in house, the dishes are served as the chef intended, shared around the table.

Stuzzi Harrogate, 46B Kings Road, HG1 5JW, and, Stuzzi Leeds, 7 Merrion Street, LS1 6PQ stuzzi.co.uk

Photo credit: Prashad

5. Prashad

Yorkshire is home to a large South-Asian population, the town of Bradford in West Yorkshire was crowned Britain’s Curry Capital six years in a row. So, a trip to Yorkshire is not complete without sampling one of its many Asian restaurants.

Prashad is the only Michelin Bib Gourmand Indian restaurant in Yorkshire, offering finely-crafted Gujurati tastes infused with finesse, innovation and modernity from their family-run kitchen. For the traditional element on the menu, the kopra pethisa is a Prashad institution, a balance of sweet fresh coconut with a soothing potato exterior and an aromatic coconut centre, with a backdrop of garlic and spice. The innovation shines in dishes such as the sanku, a re-imagined samosa, bringing fine dining and seasonality to an Indian culinary classic.

The menu consists of only Vegetarian dishes, with meal deals available from £17.25pp, the ingredients are sourced locally wherever possible.

Prashad, 137 Whitehall Road, Drighlington, BD11 1AT prashad.co.uk

About the author: Sarah Rainey is a Swiss freelance writer and content creator for the food and luxury sector. Her passion for food and travel has taken her to over 20 countries across the world, most visited before the age of 25. She lived in Australia for over eight years before settling in the UK in 2018. In 2021 Sarah launched her own marketing company to house her copywriting and content creation services. Her areas of expertise are food, travel, and luxury marketing.

This article is the work of Le Cordon Bleu Online Learning 10-Week Food Writing for Publication course participant. Le Cordon Bleu is not responsible for the content. The opinion and views are those of the author.