Askham Hall

Food excellent , the Hall and grounds are super , terrific kitchen garden

I went there for a cousins wedding, a great looking place, welcoming and friendly staff, and had a great day. Plenty of parking.

A handbag, pair of glasses and a partially completed crossword sat abandoned before a roaring fire, which was more a scene from Agatha Christies Mousetrap than a location for fine dining. However, respect is due, as we are in Askham Hall where clearly only centuries of history can bring such charm. Our host was pleasant and offered aperitifs before leaving menus and what resembled a carpet sample book, masquerading as the wine list, academic however with wine pairing a given, but provided amusement whilst waiting for our drinks which were dilatory. Amuse bouche arrived with a respectable glass of champagne but a rather amateur tumbler of tonic with a hint of gin. The nibbles were satisfactory. First course was scallop and butternut squash three ways, which was tasty, particularly the fried squash offering good contrasting texture. Second course was a slighty visually dissapointing plate of salad which deceptivly delivered on a surprisingly whole host of excellent flavours. By now we had recognised that the lesser number of courses had been compensated with scale, as a large portion of North sea cod was swimming in a bowl of cream sauce depriving the oyster mushrooms centre stage and a suprisingly still crisp lettuce. The main course was pork but with half an inch of unrendered fat clinging to the side of a tough piece of meat warranting the provided steak knife wasnt pleasant, its accompaniment were not too pleased to be there either and this dish had let the chef down. We rounded off with two interesting and tasty desserts the latter served with an excellent deep red 1928 wine which finished off an excellent night of wine pairing, compliments to the sommelier. Overall whilst pleasant enough there was little to rave over, nothing worthy of photograph and lacked the modern vibe expected in todays fine dining market. The cost was high given we had the cheaper cuts of fish and meat made annoyingly worse by the addition of the water we had turned down on more than one occasion, but we enjoyed a night out.

Really great country house hotel. It feels like you are a house guest rather than a customer. The food is amazing. A great place for a special occasion.