Black Swan, Oldstead (revisit) #OneMichelinStar

Described as "hideous" and a "creation of the devil” due to his disfigurements, for much of the story, the title character in Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, is kept hidden away in the cathedral’s tower.

At the family owned Black Swan, charming older brother James Banks conducts the warmly welcoming and entirely unpretentious front of house operation whilst his younger sibling Tommy Banks is largely kept hidden in the kitchen.

This is not due to his resemblance to Quasimodo – Tommy happens to be a very handsome chap; his appearance on Great British Menu have left many swooning – it’s down to the fact that he’s an enormously talented young chef. His Michelin star is a testament to this (his talent that is, they don’t give out stars for good looks).

I last visited The Black Swan in October 2013 (here), since then they have invested heavily (financially, conceptually and passionately) in their growing operation – heritage variety crops, herbs, root vegetables, leafy greens and edible flowers are all in the garden and on the menus. Preservation techniques including pickling, fermenting and clamping all play a key role too.

The bread has improved a lot too… their sourdough, paired with a sour, cultured butter is one of the best bread and butter pairings I’ve enjoyed.

Another highlight was the fabulous scallop dish – baked in its shell with a smoked spruce butter and served with pickled spruce tips, celeriac purée and an intensely zingy brambly apple jus (picked and processed at the end of Autumn).  

Smoked Eel and Apple

Mussel with Oyster Leaf

Langoustine with Caramelised Whey

Ox Cheek with Chive

Sour Bread and Sour Butter

Raw Red Deer

Crapaudine Beetroot cooked slowly in Beef Fat

Scallop with Pickled Spruce

Cheviot Lamb with Turnip & Mint

Brown Butter and Rhubarb

Sheep's Milk with Douglas Fir Oil

Cake made from Artichoke, Chicory Root and Thyme

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The Box Tree, Ilkley - May 2015 #MichelinStar

They say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” – for fifty plus years, The Box Tree in Ilkley have been doing what they do and doing it well… what they do well is skilfully cook contemporary light interpretations of classical French inspired dishes, using premium ingredients.

Although still under the directorship of chef / proprietor Simon Gueller, one thing that has changed since my last visit (here) is the departure of Head Chef Dan Birk (who has moved to Jason Atherton’s Michelin starred Social Eating House) and the arrival of Chef Lawrence Yates (previously at Midsummer House, Mark Poynton’s Alimentum, Whatley Manor and the Connaught).

What Michelin say, ‘An iconic restaurant set in two charming sandstone cottages, with a plush, antique-furnished lounge and two luxurious dining rooms; it celebrated 50 years in 2012. Cooking is refined and skilful, with a classical French base, and dishes are light and delicate. Only the best ingredients are used.’

We visited for Sunday Lunch – dishes at lunch are perhaps a little less elaborate than dinner or those on the testing menu but at £35 for three (plus) courses they offer exceptional value for Michelin starred cuisine. It’s important to remember that a visit to The Box Tree is more than about having a value for money lunch; the whole package from the ambience and staffs’ passion for hospitality is second to none. 

Salmon Ballotine with Braeburn apple purée – a Box Tree favourite the salmon ballotine is all about the quality of the fish buoyed by the vibrancy of the fresh herbs and sweet acidity from the apple purée. My wife orders this every time.

Undecided between the Crispy Hens Egg with textures of shallot and the Yorkshire Suckling Pig Terrine with fig chutney & toasted sourdough, knowing me too well, @BoxTreeManager suggested I had both. I didn’t argue.

Encased in crisp, golden potato threads, the delightfully cooked egg was a joyous thing but the terrine was my pick of my two starters. All the good bits of the pig had been combined into a slice of porcine perfection.

Aged Sirloin of Beef with Yorkshire pudding & red wine sauce – I’ve said before how I am all too often disappointed by the state of Yorkshire puddings served in Yorkshire, the quality of the meat more than made up for any Yorkie shortcomings. My wife would have happily drank a carafe of that red wine sauce. 

Tranche of Halibut with Mayan Gold potatoes & asparagus – as Michelin say in their red guide, “Only the best ingredients are used” Here, they were cooked with splendid skill and precision with a respectful simplicity. Sublime.

Raspberry & Champagne foam – I’m not going to write much about this because you can’t talk about ‘pre desserts’ or ‘palate cleansers’ without sounding like a complete numpty. Let’s just say, it did the job.

Morello Cherry Soufflé with black cherry ice cream – another classic, the soufflés at The Box Tree are always a highlight. I particularly enjoyed this one thanks to the natural sour notes of the morello cherries.

A selection on fine cheese with 1998 Krohn Colheita Port

The Box Tree may not meet everyone’s expectations as to what a ‘contemporary’ Michelin starred restaurant should be, but to my mind, along with places like Le Gavroche and The Waterside, it’s one of those special places whose history and love of the classics always make a visit special.  

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Star Inn - Harome, Yorkshire #MichelinStar

As a big fella with a ridiculous beard, I like to think I resemble Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart from two time WWF Tag Team Champions ‘The Hart Foundation’ but in reality I know I look more like Dr. Zaius from Planet Of The Apes.

My beard got a lot of attention in Vietnam – children would giggle and point; men would smile and give the thumbs up and women came up to me to stroke it and rub my belly like a lucky Buddha.

Not only limited to my travels, unwelcome beard attention has also occurred closer to home - on two separate occasions, I have been approached by random strangers and asked to join a historical reenactment group as a Viking.

As much as I like Vikings, the idea of spending my weekends running around in a muddy a field, waving an imitation weapon and being cut down by some banker in a tunic and sandals does not float my longship.

One reason for my Viking liking comes from watching World’s Strongest Man as a kid; I’d often imitate Jón Páll Sigmarsson’s cry of “I am a Viking!” as I slashed at my brother with a plastic sword.

Jogging this memory, it was watching ‘strongman’ this Christmas that I decided I’d finally make the journey to York to visit the excellent Jorvik Centre.

The next decision was where to eat – my first thought was Andrew Pern’s Star Inn the City but it seemed only right to go to the original ‘Star Inn’ which had recently regained a Michelin Star; this meant a bit of a detour up to Harome, which proved to be worth it.

What Michelin say: ‘14C thatched pub with a delightful terrace, a low-ceilinged bar and a brasserie-like restaurant with a chef's table. Dishes have assured flavours and a skilled, classical style; they use the very best of local produce, including veg from the kitchen garden and meats from their own pigs and chickens.’

What I ate:

Haslet of Yorkshire Reared Game – with pickled plums, cinnamon, ginger and roast chestnut brioche. With my mum originally hailing from Lincolnshire, haslet was something I ate regularly when growing up.  The Star’s wasn’t as herby as I recall my mother’s, which was particularly sage laden but I did like the accompaniments, particularly the roast chestnut brioche.

Dressed White North Sea Crab – with crushed hazelnut & fennel salad, lemon verbena mayonnaise, Yorkshire ‘fettle’ and prawn crackers. This was my wife’s choice; she commented to enjoying it but felt the prawn crackers were unnecessary on a plate, which already boasted a number of flavours.

My wife enjoyed her main: Roast Sirloin of Beef – locally reared in the village by Nick Marwoord, with Yorkshire pudding, stump puree, ‘Two Chefs’ ale & root vegetable gravy.

I loved my main: Fricassée of Harome shot Pheasant – with prunes and apples, Ampleforth Cider cream, garden sage mash. Having seen the birds hanging as we arrived, I fancied the pheasant before we even got to see the menu. With tender chunks of pheasant, indulgent cider cream, crunch of apple, subtle sweetness from the prunes, smooth mash and crisp sage leaves, the fricassée proved to be a delightful dish.

First of the season Forced Rhubarb Burnt Cream – with fresh ginger, black treacle and parkin crumb, with a shot of homemade rhubarb schnapps. My wife and I shared the dessert; it looked the part and had great textures and but did not quite deliver on flavour. Early season forced rhubarb does tend to be sweeter than its late spring sibling but the cooking seemed to have removed all but the subtlest of flavours; likewise, for our taste, the molasses flavours could’ve also been turned up a notch or two.

At the end of the meal, we decided to take our coffee in the rickety upstairs, under the thatched roof of the oldest part of the building. This is a great space and we would’ve stayed longer if the Vikings of York had not been calling.

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