YORKSHIRE HISTORIC HEART OF NORTHERN ENGLAND
UP HILL & DOWN DALE
Beautiful York
Iconic landscapes of the national parks
Cobbled streets and afternoon teas
MEDIEVAL ABBEYS& MAGNIFICENT CASTLES A SUPPLEMENT TO BRITAIN – THE OFFICIAL M AGAZINE
Explore walking, running and world-class bike trails in stunning surroundings. Try out Go Ape, self-led trails and activity centre adventures! You can enjoy play areas, picnic sites, cafes and BBQ spots. There’s also a visitor centre and on-site bike hire. For more information visit: T: 01751 460295 dalbyforestfc @dalby_forest forestryengland.uk/dalbyforest
contents
Welcome
Stunning landscapes and old-world villages. Ruined abbeys and craggy castles. Quaint tearooms and fish and chips by the sea. These are just some of the draws of Yorkshire, England’s largest historic county. Those famous dales and moors, beloved of the Brontës and still exerting a romantic pull, are a fine place to start, and man-made monuments only enhance their natural beauty. The rolling hills are dotted with stately homes, majestic castles and ruined abbeys, legacy of the lucrative medieval wool trade. Finally, you can’t visit this part of the country without stopping at York, a medieval jewel of astonishing beauty. Little wonder that, outside London, it’s England’s most visited city. Over the next 32 pages, we cherry-pick Yorkshire’s highlights, but if you can, stay awhile and discover some of your own. “God’s Own Country” – as the locals like to call it – is full of surprises.
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POWER & GLORY Explore Yorkshire's magnificent castles and abbeys
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A YORK ITINERARY Take a tour of one of Britain's bestpreserved medieval cities
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COMPETITION
NATASHA FOGES, Editor
Your chance to win a luxury break for two in historic York
YORKSHIRE
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MOORS & DALES
PHOTO: © EYE35.PIX/ALAMY/JOHN POTTER
HISTORIC HEART OF NORTHERN ENGLAND
Travel up hill and down dale in search of Yorkshire's most picturesque corners
UP HILL AND DOWN DALE
Beautiful York
Iconic landscapes of the national parks
Cobbled streets and afternoon teas
MEDIEVAL ABBEYS& MAGNIFICENT CASTLES A SUPPLEMENT TO BRITAIN – THE OFFICIAL M AGAZINE OFC_Supplement.indd 1
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Cover image: Vale of York © K7 Photography/Alamy
BRITAIN is the official magazine of VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. BRITAIN is published by The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ Tel: 020 7349 3700 Fax: 020 7901 3701 Email: info@britain-magazine.com
www.britain-magazine.com
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18 Editor Natasha Foges Art Editor Clare White Deputy Editor Zara Gaspar Publisher Steve Pill Managing Director Paul Dobson Head of Market James Davis Sales Team Paul Beckham, Jamie Smith Printed in England by William Gibbons Production All Points Media
YORKSHIRE FOR FOODIES Our pick of the county's best food experiences
© The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2019 All rights reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers.
The information contained in this supplement has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. However, where appropriate, you are strongly advised to check opening times, dates, etc, before making final arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information contained within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by contributors to BRITAIN are not necessarily those of the publisher or VisitBritain.
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castles & abbeys
Power & GLORY
The medieval era was a profitable time to be a builder in the North of England, for castles and abbeys were required at an alarming rate. Most of the latter are now ruins (thanks to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century) but they are all the more romantic for it. Here, we highlight the best castles and abbeys to visit.
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Magnificent castles and abbeys conjure up the romance of the Yorkshire countryside, says Laura Silverman
castles & abbeys
PHOTOS: Š ANDREW BARKER/ALAMY/ANDREW BUTLER/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES
Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey, founded in 1132, was one of the largest Cistercian monasteries in England. The Cistercians followed a strict lifestyle, and the isolation meant they could concentrate on a life of prayer. The monks, however, were entrepreneurial sorts, and soon began mining, rearing sheep and selling wool. The Abbey became wealthy. That’s until the Scots attacked and the labourers succumbed to the Black Death. But it flourished again in the late 15th century under the abbacy of Marmaduke Huby, who built a 160-foot tower, showing his hopes for the future. That was before the Dissolution. Today, you can still see the remains of the nave, cloister and refectory, and wander around the larger estate, Studley Royal Park, with its Georgian water gardens. www.nationaltrust.org.uk BRITAIN | YORKSHIRE
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castles & abbeys
Dating from the late 14th century, Bolton Castle was built for Sir Richard le Scrope, who became Lord Chancellor – and it’s still owned by a descendant. It was also damaged during the English Civil War, but a lot of the rooms are in good shape, including the kitchens, the nursery and the bedroom used by Mary, Queen of Scots when she was imprisoned here in the 16th century. Prison life doesn’t sound too bad: her apartments were decorated with tapestries, and she still had staff of 30, including a hairdresser. www.boltoncastle.co.uk
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PHOTOS: © IAM LAMOND/IAN HUBBALL/MARTIN PICK/ALAMY ENGLISH HERITAGE PHOTO LIBRARY
Bolton Castle
castles & abbeys
Rievaulx Abbey Founded in 1132, Rievaulx (pronounced reev-o) was one of the first Cistercian monasteries to be founded in England and quickly became wealthy. It initially followed a similar path to Fountains: enterprise followed by disaster, culminating in the Black Death. The abbey recovered, but then came the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the place was turned into an ironworks, before being sold off. The setting, however, remained, and the description of Rievaulx by its most famous abbot, Aelred, still holds true: “everywhere peace, everywhere serenity”. www.english-heritage.org.uk
Conisbrough Castle Sir Walter Scott loved this castle so much that he put it in his 1819 novel Ivanhoe. What a setting. The 92-foot-high, four-storey keep, built by Hamelin Plantagenet, the illegitimate son of Henry II in the 12th century, is perfect novel fodder, and happens to be unique in England (it’s more like the French donjons of the time.) The castle was more of a ruin when Sir Walter saw it (it was such a state even two centuries earlier that it was deemed useless in the Civil War), but today it has been restored. Fragments of the Norman structure survive, although most of the ruins, including the Great Hall, are medieval. www.english-heritage.org.uk BRITAIN | YORKSHIRE
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castles & abbeys
Skipton Castle Byland Abbey Byland Abbey had nomadic beginnings. The community was founded in 1135 but moved five times before it settled into its long-term home. It too became successful, before suffering from, yes, Scottish raids, the Black Death and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It then passed through different hands, with buildings crumbling through neglect. Yet work has been done and, as ruins go, these are quite something. You can still see parts of the tiled floor in the Great Church (itself bigger than many cathedrals of the time), as well as the rim of its huge rose window (the inspiration for the one at York Minster). www.english-heritage.org.uk
PHOTOS: © ENGLISH HERITAGE PHOTO LIBRARY
If you were called Robert de Romille, you too would want a castle – and in 1090, the Norman baron chose this spot for his. Norman fragments survive, although much of the rest is medieval – the watchtower, for example, was a 13th-century security measure. A tranche of buildings was added in Tudor times, all set around a courtyard. In the centre is a yew tree, said to have been planted by Lady Anne Clifford, who repaired the castle after it was damaged during the English Civil War. The tree – as well as the castle – is still standing and is looking good for its age. www.skiptoncastle.co.uk
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castles & abbeys
Jervaulx Abbey Jervaulx Abbey (pronounced jair-vo), established in 1156, was a bit of a find for the Burdon family, who bought nearby Jervaulx Hall in the Seventies as a family home and discovered that the ruins were part of the deal. It’s still in the family, although visitors are welcome, both to the abbey and the tearoom (serving home-made cake). The church might have been razed during the Dissolution, but substantial remains of the cloisters and other buildings survive. You can even still see the staircase – known as the Night Stairs – that led from the monks’ upstairs dormitory to the church for services held when most of us would be asleep. www.jervaulxabbey.com
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york
A York Itinerary
Natasha Foges takes a whistle-stop tour of one of Britain’s best-preserved medieval cities, whose cobbled streets are packed with fascinating history
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PHOTOS: © JON ARNOLD IMAGES LTD/IONUT DAVID/ALAMY
ith medieval alleyways, the remains of a Roman barracks and a treasure trove of Viking artefacts, few cities in Britain can rival York for the incredible breadth of history at your fingertips. Founded as Eboracum by the Romans, called Jorvik by the Vikings and renamed York by the Normans, the city was the most powerful in northern England during the Middle Ages. We’ve put together a full day’s itinerary so that you can make the most of every minute in this beautiful city, from a morning in the Minster to an afternoon amble down the Shambles to an evening pint in York’s most haunted pub.
MORNING Prime Minster
Start the day in the city’s crown jewel, York Minster: the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe. Built between 1220 and 1472, its central tower is visible for miles and, at 72m, so high you could comfortably fit Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa inside it. The Minster houses more than half of England’s medieval stained glass in its 128 windows, with the stunning Great East Window being the largest expanse of such glass in the country. Also of note are the Five Sisters Window, dedicated to the women of the British Empire who lost their lives in the First World War; the exquisitely carved
Left: The ceiling of the Minster's Chapter House This image: York Minster rises above the city
Chapter House; and the Undercroft, where the remains of the Roman fortress can still be seen. Before you leave, climb the 275 steps to the top of the belltower for stunning views. yorkminster.org
Walk the walls To explore the city’s medieval past, take to the
streets. No visit is complete without walking the City Walls. A 3.4km trail takes you around the perimeter of the old city, passing some of the original gateways, known as ‘bars’. The circuit dates back to the Roman era, though much of the remaining walls were built in the 13th and 14th centuries. www.yorkwalls.org.uk BRITAIN | YORKSHIRE
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york sandwiches are on the menu – take away and enjoy amid the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey. www.burrcoffee.co.uk
AFTERNOON Step back in time
Head across the city centre to York Castle Museum. Set on the former site of the castle, it offers a social history of the city through a series of interactive exhibits – the most famous being the cobbled Kirkgate Victorian Street. Built on the former exercise yard of the prison once situated here, it is a faithful recreation of a Victorian street. You can also visit the cells of the 18th-century prison, one of which housed notorious highwayman Dick Turpin. Next door, Clifford’s Tower is almost all that remains of the 13th-century castle. Sweeping views await from the castle’s open-air ‘wall walk’ – the ideal spot to take in the glories of York Minster. www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk; www.english-heritage.org.uk
Meet the Vikings The city’s Viking past is told at the Jorvik Viking Centre, built on the site of the Coppergate dig, an archaeological excavation that unearthed some astonishing discoveries in the 1970s. Slick galleries showcase 1,000-year-old artefacts, and a recreated Viking village allows you to travel back in time and experience the sights (and smells) of 10th-century York. www.jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk
Shambles and snickelways
A short walk away is Museum Gardens, home to a Roman tower, the medieval remains of St Mary’s Abbey and the Yorkshire Museum. Opened in 1830, this is the perfect place to get a feel for York’s ancient history. A vast number of locally found artefacts are on display, from a Roman woman’s lock of hair to the Anglian York Helmet. www.yorkshiremuseum.org.uk
Lunch in the Gardens Stop for lunch at Burr Coffee, an independent café opposite the Gardens. Tasty salads and generous sourdough
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Time for tea Legendary Yorkshire tearoom Betty’s, celebrating its centenary this year, is a must-visit. With stately interiors inspired by the Queen Mary ocean liner, the tearoom makes a fine setting for afternoon tea. www.bettys.co.uk
EVENING Ghost town
York is said to be the most haunted city in Europe. To discover more, go on a ghost walking tour and overhear ghoulish tales from Roman times up to the present day. Prize for most haunted pub goes to Ye Olde Starre Inne, on an alley off Stonegate. York’s oldest licensed inn (1644), its resident ghosts are said to include an elderly lady and her two black cats. During the Civil War, the cellar is believed to have been used as a mortuary, so it’s perhaps not surprising that spooky tales abound. www.theoriginalghostwalkofyork.co.uk; www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk
PHOTOS: © PETER RICHARDSON/ENGLISH HERITAGE TRUST/BRITAIN ON VIEW/ VISIT BRITAIN/EYE35.PIX/TOMMY LOUTH/CHRIS DORNEY/ALAMY
Explore ancient York
York’s most famous street is The Shambles, a cobbled road of timber-framed buildings that was once home to medieval butcher’s shops. It’s so narrow in places that it is said two people in buildings across the street can lean across and shake hands. After the obligatory Shambles photo, head to Stonegate, a few minutes’ stroll away, where each building tells its own story. Keep looking up, for example, and you’ll spot a little red devil on the wall at number 33: the traditional sign of a printer’s shop. Be sure to peek down the alleyways, or ‘snickelways’ as they are called in York – for glimpses of ancient pubs and medieval townhouses.
PHOTOS: © CHRIS CHERRINGTON/GR AHAM HARRIS
york
Dine in style
Boutique sleeps
For a special meal, head to Melton’s, an intimate fine-dining restaurant run by a husband-and-wife team and serving up impeccably presented, refined cuisine. Mains might include venison with bitter chocolate, or guinea fowl with wild garlic. For a more casual meal, try the excellent Café No. 8, a cosy little bistro with a garden area adjoining the city walls. The menu specialises in tempting British dishes such as slow-cooked Yorkshire lamb shoulder and baked plaice fillet with leek and fennel fricassee. www.meltonsrestaurant.co.uk; cafeno8.co.uk
Stay at the Guy Fawkes Inn to experience the city’s history first-hand. It was here, in the shadow of the Minster, that the notorious Gunpowder plotter Guido Fawkes was born in 1570. The hotel’s restaurant is still lit by candles and gaslights for an authentically Elizabethan atmosphere. Grays Court York also has an impressive historic pedigree, and is the only privately owned building in York with direct access to the city walls. The rooms are sumptuously furnished and there’s a delightful walled garden to relax in. www.guyfawkesinnyork.com; www.grayscourtyork.com
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Clockwise from this image: The Shambles; Guy Fawkes Inn; afternoon tea at Bettys; York Castle Museum; York Minster; Cllifford's Tower
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Inspirational home of the Brontë family Set against the stunning Yorkshire moors, the Brontë Parsonage Museum houses the world’s largest collection of Brontë manuscripts, furniture and personal possessions. The museum runs an exciting programme of events, exhibitions and family activities throughout the year.
Celebrating the life and work of Patrick Brontë throughout 2019
Visit www.bronte.org.uk for details Open daily November-March 10am-5pm, April-October 10am-5.30pm. Closed during January. Last tickets sold 30 minutes before closing. President: Dame Judi Dench Reg Charity: 529952 Reg Company: 73855
Haworth, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD22 8DR 01535 642323 www.bronte.org.uk
Yorkshire Day Trips & Private Tours with an experienced local guide Steam Trains, Whitby & the Moors Yorkshire Dales & Fountains Abbey Great Yorkshire Abbeys The Castles & Coastline of Northumberland The Yorkshire Countryside: the Ultimate Driving Tour Castle Howard…and much more Visit www.GrandYorkshire.com to book online, or call (0044) 7773975299. 16 BRITAIN | YORKSHIRE
For a flexible, bespoke chauffeur experience, you’d have to go a long way to find a more distinctive service than the Yorkshire Chauffeur Company. We offer a completely bespoke service supported by a trusted range of vehicles. Specialists in tailor-made tours, transfers for rail and airport transfers as well as corporate travel. For further details, please contact +44 1937 831114 or info@theyorkshirechauffeurcompany.co.uk
www.theyorkshirechauffeurcompany.co.uk
COMPETITION
W IN G
A LUXURY BREAK IN HISTORIC YORK
rays Court is the ultimate hidden gem in the heart of York: it’s the only privately owned residence in the city with direct access to the city walls, and is the oldest inhabited house in the city. The house was originally built towards the end of the 11th century by Thomas of Bayeux’s Treasurer. The Treasurer acted as Guest Master for visiting dignitaries, and played host to royalty. As well as being an important residence, the house provided home and sanctuary to the illustrious Gray family for two hundred years. One lucky winner and their guest will be treated to a two-night stay at this very special hotel, with a sumptuous breakfast each morning and a gourmet dinner one evening in The Bow Room, the hotel’s 2AA Rosettewinning restaurant.
Grays Court, voted Visit York Hotel of the Year 2018, is intimate and inviting, with 12 luxurious bedrooms. Each has been individually designed, from the Willoughby, with its William IV four-poster, to the Mortimer, with a close-up view of York Minster. Dinner is a memorable occasion, with beautifully executed dishes served in elegant surroundings. Fresh produce comes from the hotel’s own kitchen garden or from highquality local suppliers. The hotel is ideally placed for visiting York’s many sights on foot – here, you are in the hub of ancient York, within strolling distance of the cathedral, but it’s easy to retreat to the peace and seclusion of the hotel garden, bounded by the ancient city walls. Your perfect home from home in York. www.grayscourtyork.com
HOW TO ENTER For your chance to win this fantastic prize go to www.britain-magazine. com/competitions/yorkcomp or fill in the coupon below with the answer to the following question: Q: What is a Minster? a) A clergyman b) A book c) A church TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Closing date for entries is 12pm GMT 5 September 2019. The prize is valid until 5 September 2020 and is subject to availability. Travel to the hotel is not included. The prize is nontransferable. Travel not included. For full terms and conditions, go to www.britain-magazine.com/competitions/yorkcomp
ENTRY FORM SEND YOUR COUPON TO: US readers – York Competition, C/O Circulation Specialists, 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton, CT 06484 UK and Rest of World readers – York Competition, BRITAIN magazine, The Chelsea Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ , UK
PHOTOS: © JIM VARNEY
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landscapes
Moors & Dales
Helen Ochyra goes up hill and down dale in search of Yorkshire’s most scenic corners
The Yorkshire Dales National Park
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landscapes
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Above: Keighley railway station Right: Steam train on the North Yorkshire Moors line
PHOTOS: © NADIA ISAKOVA/JOHN POTTER/ALAMY
I
t was in the 1950s that England first began creating national parks. By the end of that decade the country had seven – and two of those were in Yorkshire. No doubt the locals were unsurprised. Because this northern county has long claimed to be England’s greatest beauty – and it has the breathtaking scenery to back it up. In Yorkshire’s west are the limestone hills and bucolic valleys of the Yorkshire Dales, inaugurated as a national park in 1954. This is the heart of the Pennines, the ‘backbone of England’, and there is no better place to begin exploring this ruggedly beautiful county. More than 20 main dales make up the national park, but most visitors head straight for Wharfedale, easily reached from the south and Skipton (or “sheep town” in the old Anglo Saxon). Here you’ll find Bolton Abbey, a gorgeous stone-built village set around a Priory dating back to the 12th century. The ruins are atmospheric, a vast, towering arched window in one wall framing a view of the nave and the sky beyond, transporting you utterly out of the 21st century. There are plenty of places to sit awhile by the picturesque river here, and the adventurous can cross the waters via the famous stepping stones, a run of 60 of them. There is also a bridge for those who want to watch others hopping across the waters, and on the northern side a large beach area offers the chance to paddle, or to simply relax and take in the view. From the Priory it’s a short amble into the village for a proper pot of English breakfast overlooking the ruins at the Tea Cottage, but if you’re feeling energetic there are also several lovely woodland paths winding their way through Strid Wood and along the banks of the scenic River Wharfe. This is an ancient oak woodland – home to woodpeckers, kingfishers, herons and even otters – but
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PHOTOS: © CHRIS CHERRINGTON/GR AHAM HARRIS
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the paths have been made suitable for wheelchairs and it’s just two miles, or around an hour, to the Strid, an arresting section of pounding white water where the river has been forced through a narrow gorge. Back in the car, it’s worth heading further north, to the more undiscovered Swaledale. Here you’ll find a patchwork of jade and emerald hills, dotted with stone barns and whitewashed cottages and divided by drystone walls. The area is known for its flowering hay meadows and colourful wildflowers, easily seen from the road, and it’s worth the drive into nearby Cotterdale too, a valley in miniature and one of the last places in England to be home to the rare red squirrel. The Swale river flows down through Swaledale towards the medieval market town of Richmond, its large, cobbled market square still hosting a weekly market every Saturday. At its heart is Richmond Castle, one of the oldest and greatest Norman stone fortresses in Britain, presided over by a wonderfully preserved 12th-century keep. This makes for the perfect vantage point over the surrounding countryside and is an ideal last stop before heading for Yorkshire’s other national park. The North York Moors, designated a national park in 1952, stands out as one of England’s most beautiful
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Above: Purple heather on the North York Moors
landscapes, all wild moorland, warm purple heather and steep green valleys. Here views can stretch for miles and it’s worth making your first stop Sutton Bank viewpoint, reached on the main road from Thirsk – which climbs some 500 feet in just half a mile. Up here the landscape unfurls in every direction and on a clear day the Pennines are visible on the far horizon across the Vale of York. One of the easiest and best ways to see the moors is to take a ride on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The line was completed in 1835 by George Stephenson and today offers the chance to step back in time, boarding a steam train to puff and whistle your way through untouched English landscapes that recall bygone days. Board at Pickering in the south, where the station is 1930s in style, and head northwards through the national park, passing through densely wooded valleys, across rivers and beneath viaducts. Alight at Goathland for tea in the 1922 goods shed and you’ll delight any Harry Potter fans in your family – the station stood in for Hogsmeade in the first film. Don’t miss exploring Grosmont station too. This is the railway’s 1950s-style operating hub and is home to the engine sheds where the steam engines are restored and maintained. The heritage railway ends here but trains continue on to Whitby, an atmospheric town on Yorkshire’s coast,
PHOTO: © THOMAS HEATON/VISIT BRITAIN
landscapes
Victoria Quarter Š Giles Rocholl
More than a city break!
Join the 29 million visitors experiencing the architectural splendour of Leeds’ Victorian arcades.
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landscapes
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This image: The stunning North Yorkshire coast near Flamborough Above: The view over Whitby Harbour
PHOTOS: © RICH J JONES/VISIT ENGLAND/LEE BEEL/VISIT BRITAIN
known for its world-beating fish and chips. The harbourfront Magpie Café has some of the best, so call in for lunch here before setting off on the Dracula Trail, a 4.5-mile walk around the landmarks that inspired Bram Stoker to set his famous novel here. A section runs along the clifftop, for panoramic views across the North Sea, while the streets of Whitby form much of the rest, with the highlights the house on the West Cliff where Stoker stayed (now marked with a blue plaque) and the 7th-century Abbey (both also accessible by car). The Abbey was founded as a monastery in 657, and its Gothic ruins rise as fluted columns and soaring arches from the grassy slopes above the town, forming what is surely the most photogenic ancient site in Yorkshire. A new interactive guide and revamped museum tell the Abbey’s stories – that this was where the timing of Easter was set in 664 and that it inspired Caedmon, the first named English poet – and there are lovely views out over the town and the North York Moors’ coastline. This is a dramatic, wild coast, its rugged cliffs backing sandy beaches and smugglers’ coves. Offshore, seabirds such as oystercatchers and cormorants wheel above the crashing North Sea waves, and in summer there are boat trips out to spot minke and humpback whales. This is a coastline that is breathtaking in every sense of the word, and one that may just have you agreeing with the locals – perhaps Yorkshire really is England’s greatest beauty.
Visit Ripon Cathedral Free entry - a great day out whatever the weather. Experience the oldest cathedral crypt in the country and step back in history, exploring faith Explore the cathedral together, using our free trails and app Find the carvings that sparked the imagination of Lewis Carroll to write “Alice in Wonderland” Discover a wide range of special services, concerts, festivals, fairs and exhibitions See all of our events at www.riponcathedral.org.uk
Ripon Cathedral @riponcathedral riponcathedral
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Cream tea with Champagne on the second day Accommodation and breakfast for two nights.
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food and drink
Yorkshire for foodies
Michelin-starred restaurants, food festivals galore and specialities ranging from rhubarb to Yorkshire pudding: Zara Gaspar picks Yorkshire's best food experiences
DINE OUT IN STYLE
Yorkshire has more Michelin-starred restaurants than anywhere else in the UK, outside of London. Five restaurants hold the prestigious accolade, making the county the perfect destination for a gourmet getaway. The family-run Black Swan at Oldstead offers just one menu: a tasting menu using quality produce from local farms. In the city, The Man Behind The Curtain, known for its artfully presented dishes, is the fi rst restaurant in Leeds in a decade to be awarded a Michelin star; the city’s food scene has exploded since it opened. Other Michelin-starred restaurants include: The Star Inn, a delightful 14thcentury thatched gastrobpub in Harome; former coaching inn the Pipe and Glass in
South Dalton and the 18th-century Yorke Arms in the Nidderdale Valley.
GET A TASTE OF THE WILD One of the best ways of sampling the county’s food is by going on a foraging course. Taste the Wild hold one- and two-day foraging courses, in the woodland around the Vale of York in North Yorkshire and along the coast, so you can discover the best of Yorkshire’s wild food and how to gather and cook everything from flowers, herbs and berries to seaweed and shellfish. www.tastethewild.co.uk
SUPERIOR SEAFOOD Whether you’re buying fish from Grimsby Fish Market, eating the best fish and chips in the country in Whitby or indulging in BRITAIN | YORKSHIRE
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food and drink
crab and lobster at Bridlington Seafood Festival, seafood lovers will be spoilt for choice on the coast. www.grimsbyfishmarket.co.uk
YORKSHIRE’S FINEST The humble Yorkshire pudding might just be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Yorkshire. This delicious Sunday lunch staple made from a batter of flour, eggs and milk was originally served as a replacement for meat when there was not enough to go around, but now accompanies the meat instead. Head to one of the county’s local pubs for a traditional roast, try one of the new spins on the classic pud (Yorkshire pudding sandwiches, wraps or pizza), or simply mark British Yorkshire Pudding Day (first Sunday in February) with a slap-up roast dinner.
TRY A PIE Every year the Great Yorkshire Pork Pie and
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Sausage competition celebrates the best pies, sausages and black puddings. For more meaty goodness, order a Yorkshire breakfast: a full English with fried bread and black pudding. You might need to skip lunch. www.greatyorkscomp.co.uk
SPICE UP YOUR LIFE Bradford in West Yorkshire is widely recognised as Britain’s curry capital, having won the title six years in a row, and last year the town launched its own Bradford Curry Awards. There are over 200 Asian restaurants to choose from, but popular choices include My Lahore, Akbars and Prashad. www.bradfordcurryawards.co.uk
RAISE A GLASS The UK’s wine industry has been growing in recent years and Yorkshire has three vineyards making award-winning English wines: Ryedale Vineyards and Yorkshire
Heart in North Yorkshire and Leventhorpe Vineyard in Leeds. The county is also known for having some of the best beer in the country, with over 400 pubs and 174 breweries including the renowned Theakston, Black Sheep Brewery and Timothy Taylor. But the drinking scene doesn’t end there. Sligsby gin, Pure North cider and Spirit of Yorkshire whisky are now sold all over the country.
FEAST AT A FESTIVAL With such a lively food scene, it’s no surprise that the Yorkshire calendar is packed with food festivals. The quirkiest is the annual Liquorice Festival (7 July), which celebrates the confectionery once used as medicine and first sweetened in Pontefract. The Great British Food Festival held at Harewood House in May and the Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival in Skipton (20-21 July) are also great days out for food lovers. www.pontefractliquoricefestival.co.uk;
food and drink Clockwise from this image: Wensleydale cheese and rhubarb are Yorkshire staples; asparagus bavarois at The Star Inn; fish and chips in Whitby; the world's oldest sweet shop Previous page: Bettys Tea Room
SAMPLE LOCAL PRODUCE It may be known as God’s Own Country, but Yorkshire should really be called God’s Own Pantry. The Yorkshire Dales, the Moors made famous by the Brontë sisters, and the Yorkshire coastline provide plenty of fertile land, giving the county an abundance of delicious local produce. Yorkshire once produced 90% of the world’s rhubarb, and it’s still a local speciality. The nine-square-mile production area in Wakefield is known as the Rhubarb Triangle, and each February the Festival of Food, Drink & Rhubarb is held in its honour. Yorkshire is also renowned for its asparagus, as
well as lamb and game. Visit a local farm shop to taste some of the local produce. Try Weetons or Fodder in Harrogate, Cannon Hall Farm Shop in Barnsley or Blacker Hall Farm Shop in Wakefield. www.weetons.com; fodder.co.uk; cannonhallfarm.co.uk; www.blackerhallfarmshop.co.uk
confectionery of your youth. Yorkshire is also home to famous sweet brands Bassetts and Rowntree’s. Founded in 1842 in Sheffield by George Bassett, Bassett’s became famous for sweets such as Liquorice Allsorts and Jelly Babies, which were originally called Peace Babies as they launched at the end of the First World War. www.oldestsweetshop.co.uk
SWEET TREATS You can’t visit the Dales without stopping at the world’s oldest sweet shop at Pateley Bridge. The 17th-century store is filled with jar upon jar of traditional sweets, bound to make you nostalgic for the
TEA AND CAKE With brands such as Yorkshire Tea and Tetley’s hailing from the county, Yorkshire has become synonymous not only with tea, but with tea and cake. Bettys Tea Rooms are a must-visit on a trip to Yorkshire. Try local specialities including parkin (a ginger treacle cake) and curd tart, or enjoy a
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PHOTOS: © ISTOCK/BAILEY COOPER PHOTOGRAPHY/CHARLOTTE GALE
greatbritishfoodfestival.com; yorkshiredalesfoodanddrinkfestival.com
food and drink quintessentially British afternoon tea at one of its six cafés. www.bettys.co.uk
York’s Chocolate Trail or spend a day at the York Chocolate Festival, which takes place every year around Easter time. www.yorkschocolatestory.com
MARVELLOUS MALTON In an attempt to revive the struggling market town of Malton, the Food Lovers Festival was set up in 2009. Now, ten years on, Malton is the food capital of Yorkshire and the annual festival attracts over 30,000 visitors every May. There’s also a monthly food market every second Saturday of the month, and lots of independent eateries putting Malton on the map. Want to learn to cook yourself? Book a course at Malton Cookery School. www.visitmalton.com; talbotmalton.co.uk
CHEESE PLEASE First created in the 12th century by Cistercian monks, Wensleydale cheese was only produced on a large scale from 1897. This crumbly, mild cheese is now made at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Visit the creamery to sample the cheese, which pairs well with fruit, or taste one of the 85 other artisan cheeses made in the county. www.wensleydale.co.uk
HOLY SMOKE CHOCOLATE HISTORY When you think of chocolate in England, you may think of Cadbury’s fi rst, but York actually has the richest chocolate history, with brands such as Terry’s and Rowntree’s founded in the 19th century. York’s railway transported chocolate all around the country. Visit York’s Chocolate Story to learn all about the history of the sweet stuff, walk
While Yorkshire’s heritage is in bacon, sausage and black pudding, the new trend sweeping the county is charcuterie. Smokehouses for both fi sh and meat are thriving. Try Justin Staal’s for smoked fi sh or Lishman’s of Ilkley, which was awarded three stars at the Great Taste Awards for its chorizo. www.staalsmokehouse.co.uk; www.lishmansbutchers.co.uk This image: Malton Food Lovers Festival Top left: A vintage Rowntree's Smarties poster
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© Ben Harrison photography © Ben Harrison photography
www.visitdoncaster.com
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ou might know Doncaster for its world famous horseracing fixtures The St Leger Festival in September or more recently the family friendly multi award winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park home of England’s only Polar Bears and the recently rescued Brown Bears from Japan, but this is not the full package. Doncaster or the name the Romans used from AD 71 “Danum” that some pronounce as Dan-um or as the locals do Day-numb is a vast Borough of some 200 square miles that is made up of over 70 market towns and villages mostly in rural locations as the borough is two thirds rural. The geography of the area made Doncaster attractive to the Romans being on the Great North road the main route from South to North that until the 1960’s ran through the centre of the town, and the reason why so many wealthy landowners built their Mansions at locations such as Brodsworth, Hooton Pagnell, and Cusworth and that can still be visited. The architecture of the town is a mix of mainly Regency, and Georgian that sits alongside later styles and buildings that you can love or dislike, but one that is truly awe inspiring is the magnificent Grade 1 Mansion House that sits on the high street, built by the great architect James Payne from 1745-49 This building is one of only three Civic Mansion House in England others being York and London, we think we have the best and that offers the most exclusive Afternoon Tea in Yorkshire. Doncaster is not the typical quintessential English town with cobbled streets, quirky alleyways and rows of heritage facades but is reflective of its progress through time. We do however boast one of the finest markets in Britain that has won several awards for the range of fresh produce and food producers having received accolades from many well-known foodies and chefs. Building on this will be the revitalised Wool Market which opened spring 2019 that will offer new
concepts in food, produce and entertainment. Visiting Doncaster is a treasure trail of country houses, ancient wetlands and moors, Norman castles, villages with Mill ponds and a Buttercross, attractions, and accommodation that offers world class experiences. We have built the fastest steam trains in the world, run the world’s oldest classic horseraces since 1766 and was the home of one of the most important of the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 to Provincetown America. The Mayflower story starts in the Doncaster village of Austerfield and Scrooby that is over the border in neighbouring Nottinghamshire and in 2020 Doncaster, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire will be commemorating the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower and the Mayflower Pilgrims. William Bradford was born and baptised in the village of Austerfield, where the original font can still be viewed at St Helena’s Church as is the Manor house where he lived. He became the second governor of the colony for some thirty years and was one of the first signatories of the Mayflower Compact along with his mentor William Brewster. Austerfield is only one of the 7 villages in Doncaster having connection to the Mayflower story that have been identified through research by Sue Allan a renowned author and researcher of the Mayflower separatists, who has featured in ‘The American Genealogist’ publication and written several books and advised on a number of television and films in the UK and the USA. Our connections with America today extend to our twin town of Wilmington in North Carolina and we look forward to welcoming the descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims and other visitors from America to Doncaster in the run up to and beyond the 2020 Mayflower 400 commemoration.
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