Meet the chef behind Harrogate’s new fine dining restaurant ahead of today’s launch

According to chef Adam Degg, ‘the best parties happen in the kitchen’.

Perhaps that feels like a relatively light-hearted concept to use as a foundation for a restaurant in one of Yorkshire’s most prestigious hotels – but tell that to the team behind Rudding Park’s Fifty Two.

The brand-new restaurant will open today, Thursday, May 16, and ahead of the first service, the Stray Ferret spoke to head chef Adam Degg, to find out more about the immersive dining experience.

From happy accident to successful career

Telford-born Adam’s first experience in a commercial kitchen was less of a planned occasion and more of a chance encounter; a missed bus meant that at age 16 he found himself washing dishes in a friend’s family restaurant until they could give him a lift home.

He said:

“I guess you could say it all started there. I got to witness first-hand the way a kitchen operates behind the scenes, and I loved the whole experience and the buzz.”

The hustle and bustle of restaurant life stayed with Adam, and he went onto pursue a career in food, first studying at University College Birmingham before taking up a job at a hotel. He then made the move to London where he worked at Anthony Demetre’s Wild Honey.

After a stint at Chiltern Firehouse, he joined Tom Kerridge’s kitchen at The Hand and Flowers, the only pub in the UK with two Michelin stars. He was then part of the hospitality team that was awarded a Michelin star at The Coach in Marlow.

(Image: Rudding Park)

When he moved to Yorkshire with his then-fiancé, now wife, and young son, he joined Rudding Park, as head chef of its restaurant Horto, which with Adam at the helm, was recognised with 3 AA Rosette awards and a Michelin Green star for sustainability.

This year saw him reunited with his former boss, albeit in a different setting – Adam was a contestant on the BBC One show Great British Menu, on which Tom Kerridge is part of the judging panel.

Speaking about his time on the show, Adam said:

“Great British Menu is the chef’s programme – I know a lot of us watch to see what’s new, what innovations the chefs can bring, and how they can push concepts to make them different.

“I might not have done as well as I’d have liked but it was amazing and intense. Without doubt, it’s the single most exciting and terrifying experience of my career to date.”

A new concept

Rudding Park boasts an impressive kitchen garden from which Horto already takes inspiration, but Adam wanted to take this one step further and incorporate the garden as an interactive part of the whole dining experience.

So named after the 52 raised oak beds growing herbs, vegetables and other produce in Rudding Park’s grounds, the name is a good indication of the restaurant’s commitment to the ‘farm to fork’ concept that has become increasingly popular in the culinary world.

Adam explained:

“From concept to launch, it’s been about a year-and-a-half in the making and has been a massive team effort. There’s been lots of discussions about how to bring the vision to life.

“Guests will enter the kitchen garden first, get to mingle with drinks and food and be amongst the produce that could have inspired their meal, before heading through to the restaurant.”

The theme of an interconnecting inside-outside space is carried through the venue which comprises of five shipping containers, with a large, open-plan dining area and a seven-foot kitchen island that diners can be seated at.

(Image: Rudding Park)

The 10-course menu will change depending on the ingredients available, with an emphasis on locally sourced produce and unique dishes, led by seasonal trends. Aside from dietary requirement requests, guests won’t know what they’re being served ahead of time.

Adam explained:

“For example, I’ve got a contact for fresh fish who will tell me every morning what’s been caught, and we’ll create a dish from that. It’s exciting and keeps our offering dynamic and interesting.”

Adam and the team are keen for Fifty Two to retain the same sense of flexibility and imagination in their service and ambience of the restaurant. Instead of a place of ‘reverence for the food’, they’re instead striving for a buzzing atmosphere, akin to ‘a dinner party with friends’.

He explained:

“We always say, the best parties happen in the kitchen. We don’t want it to be a temple of gastronomy that’s silent – it should be a celebration of food. We want a raucous, lively atmosphere.”

‘Putting their trust in us to deliver a dining experience’

Given Adam’s track record, it’s natural to assume that he’ll be aiming high with Fifty Two and pushing for the prestigious awards that he’s achieved in the past. And while he doesn’t deny that professional recognition wouldn’t go amiss, he’s determined that he and team don’t become too single-minded about garnering only industry accolades.

“Any chef who says they don’t even think about the possibility of awards are lying to themselves. And of course, it’s amazing to achieve industry recognition – but we’re still doing it for the customers.

“They’re putting their trust in us to deliver a dining experience, and that’s exactly what we want to do.”

Head chef Adam Degg and sous chef Adam Jones

More immediately however, Adam is focused on the imminent opening night of Fifty Two.

He added:

“We’ve got a fantastic and talented team here. My sous chef Adam Jones is great and I’m grateful to have him – I always joke that good sous chefs are hard to keep because they’re so good that they move on to become head chef somewhere else – as they should. So, you’re lucky to have them for as long as you can.

“We’re all excited to get started and to see where we can go with Fifty Two.”

Fifty Two at Rudding Park Hotel will open on Thursday, May 16.

Our food columnist Yemi will be reviewing Fifty Two soon. Keep an eye out for her feature, which is published every Saturday.

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Rural schools raise thousands of pounds in Harrogate charity concert

Eleven local rural primary schools took part in a charity concert in Harrogate.

The schools aimed to raise in excess of £6,500 for The Harrogate Robert Ogden Centre and Lauren Doherty Road Safety.

Over 250 pupils took to the stage for the annual concert, which has been held since 2015, with the exception of the covid years.

The finale saw all the children sing together on stage conducted by Helen Potter.

Sarah Bassitt, the organiser of the event who retired as Killinghall Church of England Primary School headteacher last year, said that she wanted the legacy of the concert to live on.

The Federation of Ripley, Beckwithshaw and Kettlesing Schools will now lead the annual event.

Executive headteacher Victoria Kirkman said:

“We are delighted to be leading this event moving forward and hope to significantly raise the profile of North Yorkshire small, rural schools.

“This event not only raises vital funds for key charities, but shows the world the outstanding standard of musical performance and talent that can come out of the smallest schools.”

The schools involved in the concert were:

The show includes choirs, instrumentalists and dancers and will be extended to more schools next year.

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Peter Banks: the man withdrawing from Rudding ParkRipon’s replica tank goes on tour ahead of D-Day anniversary

Following its official unveiling at the end of last month, ‘Ripon’s remarkable replica tank is now on a tour of locations in and around the city.

From the lawns at Ripon Inn, where a large crowd gathered to see it unveiled on April 30 by Lt Col. Perry Bishop, commanding officer of the 21 Engineer Regiment of the Royal Engineers, the life-size model is now relocated and attracting a lot of attention at Tate’s Garden Centre on Studley Road.

It will remain in situ there until May 23, before being moved to Fountains Abbey, where it will be in place from May 24 to June 4.

The life-size model measuring 24-foot long, nine-foot wide and seven-foot high will then be transported by Ripon Farm Services on a low loader trailer to the piazza at Ripon Cathedral on June 5, in time for the D-Day 80th anniversary concert on the evening of June 6 featuring Ripon City Band, The Duchy Belles, The Dishforth Military Wives Choir
and Charlotte Potter.

The event will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Royal Engineers being granted freedom of the city and, following the concert at 9.15pm, a D-Day 80th anniversary beacon will be lit on the piazza by Jack Churchill, the great grandson of wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill.

Created from wool and wood by the non-stop knitters of Ripon Community Poppy Project in conjunction with Richard Thomson and Gordon Woods – members of Ripon Men’s Shed, the tank is the stunning centrepiece of Ripon’s D-Day commemoration and celebration events.

The tank builders pictured at the Ripon inn, from the left: Carol Dunkley, Hazel Barker and Stuart Martin of Ripon Community Poppy Project, with Richard Thomson and Gordon Woods of Ripon Men’s Shed

Stuart Martin, who co-founded the project in 2017 with Hazel Barker, said:

“We have asked for and received help from individuals, businesses – including Tate’s Garden Centre and Ripon Farm Services – and organisations across the city and all have given their time, materials, labour and logistical advice free of charge.

“It has been a magnificent community-wide project collectively involving almost 100,000 hours of volunteer input and has been made possible because of the generosity of the city’s organisations and businesses.”

Main picture: The ‘on tour’ tank, which can now be seen at Tate’s Garden Centre

 

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Now council changes ‘Avenue’ to ‘Ave’ on Harrogate road sign

First North Yorkshire Council eliminated apostrophes from road signs; now it has started abbreviating them.

Local cyclist Kim Pearson contacted the Stray Ferret after noticing a sign on Harlow Avenue had been replaced by one sating Harlow Ave.

To make matters worse, an older sign opposite it still says Harlow Avenue, which means the two nearby signs for the same street have different lettering.

(L) the newly abbreviated sign and an existing sign just opposite (R).

Ms Pearson said:

“Who decided to use this shortened version of avenue? All to save a few letters on a road sign? It looks awful.

“This road signage could be around for a 100-plus years and we will be judged on our road sign legacy by future generations.

“Not only that but the standards of written and spoken English need to be maintained in our younger children.”

Ms Pearson also cited Eddy Grant’s 1982 number one hit Electric Avenue to reinforce her case:

“Eddy Grant did not rock down to ‘Electric Ave’, did he?”

The move comes after the Stray Ferret revealed last month the council had decided to abolish apostrophes from road signs.

Our story upset the grammar police and was picked up by national media including the BBC and the Guardian but also the New York Times. It even featured on Have I got News For You last Friday night.

One grammar guerrilla even took matters into their own hands by taping an apostrophe onto the sign.

Ms Pearson told the Stray Ferret that abbreviating signs was “even worse”.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council if the new format was introduced to save money and whether it will be adopted on other signs.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“The Harlow Avenue street sign and wooden posts were beyond repair and needed replacing. We have no policy on abbreviations, and this was not a cost-saving exercise.

“The purpose was to provide a like-for-like replacement and was done in good faith. The new sign does not change its meaning.”

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Banking giant bids for almost 800 solar panels at Harrogate offices

Mastercard has applied to North Yorkshire Council to erect 779 solar panels at offices in Cardale Park in Harrogate.

The company owns payment systems provider Vocalink which has a base at the business park off Otley Road.

The building houses Mastercard’s Harrogate data centre, which the company said in planning documents processes data for companies in the financial services sector.

The nature of its operations means that it is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In the planning application, the firm said solar-powered green energy could generate around 25% of all the electricity used on the site if approved.

The solar panels would be placed adjacent to the offices and the council had asked that a ‘glint and glare’ assessment be provided to assess the potential impact on the surroundings.

This report concluded that throughout the year, car drivers at Cardale Park and nearby residents would be subjected to “minor to moderate” distressful conditions from the solar panels.

It said the glare can be avoided with the help of mitigation measures including planting hedgerows.

A design and access statement attached to the application said:

“The PV (photovoltaics) panels will be used to generate green energy to power the data centre housed within 4 Cardale Park. Mastercard are intending to reduce the emissions generated through their operations onsite and in conjunction with the existing PV panels on the roof of the site, a significant amount of green energy can be produced.

“The fence proposed will secure the field where the PV panels will be sited and be 2.4m in height and green coloured. The colour of the fence will blend in with the planning proposed but will largely be screened from view as a result of the proposed planting.”

North Yorkshire Council will decide on the plans at a later date.

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Autism school in Harrogate delayed until 2025

North Yorkshire Council has confirmed that the planned opening date for a new school in Harrogate for children with autism has been pushed back until 2025.

The council’s Conservative-run executive approved the creation of the school last year which will be at the former Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton.

It had pledged the new school would be open in time for the September 2024 term however in an update this morning, a council spokesperson said this will no longer be possible.

They did not give a reason for the delay but said the authority is committed to securing more special educational needs (SEN) provision in Harrogate.

Since 2016, the number of children in North Yorkshire with identified special educational needs and disability and a legally-binding education, health and care plan has increased by more than 110%, leading to a shortage of special school places and numerous children being taught by independent providers.

Independent day sector placements typically cost the public purse up to £70,000 annually and the average cost of a special school placement is about £23,000.

The results of a consultation revealed considerable support for the creation of the school in Harrogate with 86% of 105 responses in favour.

The council has pledged a £3.5 million investment into creating the school.

Amanda Newbold, the council’s assistant director for education and skills, said:

“We are committed to securing more special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in North Yorkshire. The target opening date has been revised to next year.”

Cllr Paul Haslam (Independent, Bilton and Nidd Gorge) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was monitoring developments at the new school.

Woodfield school, which closed in 2022, had large playing fields and Cllr Haslam is urging the council to make it available to the public once the new school is created.

He added:

“I’ve put in a proposal for dual access to sports grounds so it can be used by the local community. That would be a good use of space.”

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Police seek man after woman assaulted in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has launched an appeal to find a man after a woman was assaulted in Harrogate.

Michael Craggs, 27, is wanted in connection with burglary and criminal damage as well as assault.

He has been recalled to prison and a warrant has been issued for his immediate arrest.

Police said the assault and criminal damage happened in Harrogate.

Officers said in a statement:

“He has links with a number of areas of West Yorkshire too, including Ilkley, Bradford and Otley, where he is wanted in connection with a burglary.”

Anyone with information about his current location is urged to call 101. If the sighting is immediate, call 999. Quote reference number 12240052245.

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Harrogate Bus Company apologises for Jennyfields and Bilton cancellations

The Harrogate Bus Company has apologised after a number of bus journeys in the Harrogate area were cancelled this morning.

Passengers in the Jennyfields and Bilton areas faced delays and cancellations, especially around the morning rush hour.

The number 2, Harrogate to Bilton, and number 3, Harrogate to Jennyfield, buses were among those affected.

Sylvia Young got in touch to say she and many others were “sick of the bus service”. Ms Young sent this photo of this morning’s cancellations.

She added:

“It’s not now and again it is nearly every day the buses people need for work are cancelled. Two hours of no buses in or out of Jennyfield. It’s a disgrace.”

The cancellations attracted numerous social media comments, with some people claiming the problems were due to problems with the company’s new electric buses, including charging the batteries.

The Stray Ferret put these claims to the Harrogate Bus Company, which is owned by French firm Transdev.

We also asked if services would continue to be affected.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“We are aware of a small number of journeys to Jennyfield and Bilton which were unable to run this morning due to a vehicle-related issue.

“We apologise to any customers affected and remind our customers that they can track their buses in real time using the free Transdev Go app.”

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Harrogate man jailed for Ripon burglary and ABH

A man who burgled a flat at the YMCA in Ripon and then launched a vicious attack on a woman while on bail has been jailed for 19 months.

Ryan Hopper, 21, broke into the man’s ground floor flat in Water Skellgate after smashing a window and then ransacked the property, York Crown Court heard.

He was arrested and released on bail, but within months attacked a named young woman with whom he had a beef, repeatedly punching and kicking her in the head in a park in Harrogate town centre.

He was arrested again and charged with burglary and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Hopper, from Harrogate but currently of no fixed address, ultimately pleaded guilty to both offences and appeared for sentence today via video link after being remanded in custody.

Prosecutor Brooke Morrison said that Hopper broke into the flat with a named teenager, knowing that the victim would be out as he was working a night shift.

They broke in just after midnight on February 16 last year by smashing the ground-floor window of the property and climbing through the void. After ransacking the flat and causing £221 damage, they left empty-handed and ran off.

Hopper was identified by the victim and staff from CCTV footage at the YMCA. He was brought into custody but exercised his right to silence and was bailed.

Kicked repeatedly in head

On May 14 of that year, a named woman and her male friend were drinking in a park in Harrogate town centre when they were approached by Hopper who “did not get along” with the woman.

Hopper, who had also been drinking, left to get some more alcohol from a local shop but returned 10 minutes later.

Ms Morrison said the woman “doesn’t recall fully” what happened next, “but she does recall that at some point after (Hopper) returned, she was on the floor while being repeatedly attacked by the defendant who was kicking her in the head repeatedly and punching her in the face multiple times”.

As he was attacking the woman, Hopper told her it was because he had been attacked by a “third party” a few weeks beforehand and he blamed her for getting him beat up.

A female witness saw Hopper’s vicious attack on the woman from her back garden and ran up to him telling to stop. She called police and an ambulance and Hopper was duly arrested in the park.

The victim, who suffered bruising to her jaw, eye and forehead, said she didn’t think Hopper would stop.

Following his arrest, Hopper was further charged with assaulting an emergency worker and making threats to kill for which he received an 18-week suspended prison sentence with an alcohol-treatment programme last summer.

14 previous offences

His criminal record comprised 14 previous offences including public disorder, affray, damaging property and carrying an offensive weapon.

Defence barrister Erin Kitson-Parker said the catalyst for Hopper’s offending was drugs and alcohol.

Judge Simon Hickey said it was clear that Hopper had attacked the woman in Harrogate over a “grudge”.

He criticised the defendant for ransacking the man’s flat, leaving it a mess. He added:

“You rifled through his belongings, his drawers were pulled out, his TV was knocked over and glass strewn everywhere from the shattered window.”

Hopper was given a 19-month jail sentence, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.

His co-accused, a youth at the time, received an eight-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay £250 compensation to the burglary victim at a previous hearing.

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