Our Inspector's View

Down on the farm on the edge of the North York Moors, is where the Banks family calls home. With foraging forays to supplement the growing of fresh produce, it's a very modern enterprise, which is to say it has taken on many of the attributes of the rural life of 200 years ago. James Banks runs a tight ship out front, while his brother Tommy works wonders in the kitchen. It's worth a wander around the kitchen gardens to get a handle on how your dinner will eventually come together. The tasting menu, which is the standard bill of fare, opens with the customary nibbles, and posts notice of the intent straight away: mussel and wood sorrel; Jerusalem artichoke; a langoustine with caramelised whey. You’re offered sour butter to spread on your sourdough bread, then it’s on to raw Oldstead deer, followed by scallop with razor clam and rhubarb wild ferment. There’s more fermentation in the next dish, celeriac this time, which accompanies monkfish, followed by the signature beetroot, cooked for five hours in beef fat. There’s aged sirloin with onion and lovage, and then cheese, which is optional, before rhubarb and clotted cream, hay and Topaz apples, and a final savoury of root vegetable toast.

Awards, Accolades & welcome Schemes

4 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence