Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

What are the makings of a perfect day out?

Everyone has their own idea of what this looks like but for me a perfect day out would start with a sunny day, being outdoors and close to nature, a spot of idyllic shopping, discovering new ideas and having access to stressless parking, great food and drink.

This experience is what Yolk farm, Minskip farm shop and the farm kitchen have to offer to everyone. Yolk farm, which claims to be the world’s first egg restaurant on a real egg farm, is the perfect location for children’s day out where they can feed the pigs and goats and hang out with alpacas before heading in for a bite.

The kitchen offers a lovely, welcoming space and employees who serve you with a smile whilst paying attention to the details. From the egg crates that have been repurposed as the perfect light fixtures to the swinging chairs that take you back to eating on park swings, there’s a lot to desire.

Freshly laid eggs from the farm are used in the kitchen and sold in the farm shop; with eggs collected twice a day, you can’t get fresher than what they have to offer.

After a brief wander in the farm shop we went into the farm kitchen for a bite to eat working our way through three of their amazing dishes. The banoffee buttermilk pancake topped with fresh bananas, candied nuts, whipped cream and toffee sauce was delicious and perfect for banana lovers.

The Get Fresh featuring one of my favourite ingredients, sweetcorn, was sweetcorn fritters seasoned with lime and coriander topped with poached eggs, red pepper, sweetcorn and courgette salsa and a salsa verde that smacked you in the face with the right amount of sharpness. This was topped with ribbons of courgette noodles and a herb salad which brought extra freshness to the dish. With the fritter held together by the barest amount of batter, it felt like ‘health on a plate’ earning the well deserved name – ‘Get Fresh’.

The dish I was obsessing over finally came out and it is their signature ‘what came first – chicken or egg?’ dish. The description of the dish reads like a food poem – crispy fried chicken, hot sauce hollandaise, smoked bacon, maple syrup, house pickles and fried eggs.

The chicken was crispy without being oily and the chicken had the softness, juiciness and melt in the mouth quality of sous vide chicken. Intrigued by how chef Iain Wilkinson (@igwhospitality) got the chicken to be so tender, he shared a few tips with me which included the chicken being marinaded in butter milk and other ingredients for 24 hours as part of the cooking process.

Every bite was unique as it depends on what makes it on to your fork. From crispy fried onions, crispy bacon, chicken, fried eggs, tangy pickles, maple syrup and hot sauce hollandaise, there was no end to customising each bite. The pancakes were the perfect base to carry all the other flavours.

I don’t know what came first but I am definitely glad that both the chicken and the egg ended up on the same plate in their signature dish. I enjoyed the glowing goddess tea – hibiscus, orange and fenugreek – with my food.

I finished my visit with shopping for some of the finest Yorkshire produces you can imagine. The farm shop offers Christmas and bespoke  hampers and gift vouchers to use in the shop, kitchen or for their alpaca experience.

Yolk farm is the vision of people who have a passion for people of all ages to enjoy a revitalising and enjoyable day out.

Nathan George, the general manager was hands-on, pulling out all the stops to make sure all diners had a great experience.

Be sure to try their signature dish when you go and prepare to stock up on the best ingredients and produces.

Thanks for reading my food story; the next one will be on Lavender tea room in Knaresborough.

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• Yemi’s Food Stories: Cooking the perfect steak
• Yemi’s Food Stories: My slow love for avocado

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

A reader suggested I visit Six Poor Folk restaurant in Knaresborough so I went there with a friend. As it was a lovely day, we decided to sit in their outdoor garden.

Service was prompt as the waiters came within minutes to take our orders but we needed a few minutes to make our choices. We chose the beef burger cooked medium and the chicken-chorizo burger both served with fries.

The beef burger arrived with the beef cooked medium as expected and came with sautéed mushrooms, cooked onions and cheese (see below). The chips were crunchy and lightly seasoned; the salad had a light and delicious dressing of balsamic vinegar and it didn’t feel oily or over-dressed.

With my chicken burger, I didn’t know whether to expect a ‘bird’s eye’ type chicken burger, a chicken escalope or schnitzel.

Escalope is beaten, flattened and breaded meat that can be fried or baked in an oven; schnitzel is a version of escalope that is fried.

Many nations have their own version of breaded meat from a Southern American favourite chicken-fried steaks, German chicken schnitzel, chicken katsu that is made from ‘unflattened’ breaded chicken to the Veal schnitzel which is Austria’s national dish but may have originated from Northern Italy as costoletta alla Milanese.

As I waited for my burger, I imagined what it could be so when it came, I quickly lifted the ciabatta bun to see sliced roasted chicken and chorizo on top of grilled ciabatta bread, and some spiced mayo which reminded me of piri-piri seasoned mayo (see main image) . It was delicious but nothing like what I thought it would be; a burger always makes me think there will be a ‘pattie’, breaded or shaped and grilled minced meat.

The roast chicken was tender and juicy and the mayonnaise melted into the bun to create a decent bite. It was more like eating a good roast chicken sandwich than eating a chicken burger.

I enjoyed dipping my chips into the Hellman’s mayonnaise that was on the table which is one of my indulgences. Overall it was a good lunch at a reasonable price and would make for a nice day out. Its closeness to Knaresborough castle and the high street means you can head out for some sight seeing after your meal.

Here’s my take on a chicken burger:

Step 1 – make chicken Kiev filled with wild garlic butter, chopped parsley and some Korean (Gochugaru) or Kashmiri chilli flakes. The chilli is for colour and not heat. Beat and flatten the chicken, place the flavoured butter in the middle before folding the edges and rolling until the butter is fully encased by the chicken.

Chill to set before breading it by first rolling in seasoned flour, then in beaten eggs before a final roll in panko bread crumps. Chill again before deep frying for 2 – 3 minutes (190°C) until golden; finish in a preheated oven (180°C) for 12 – 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked through or until internal temperature of the chicken is 65C°.  Be careful when you check it with a probe as you don’t want undo your hard work by letting the butter ooze out.

Step 2 – make your own spiced mayonnaise to go with the chips, a food processor will make an easy job of this

Step 3 – Grill your Ciabatta or sliced sourdough bread. I will use a crunchy bread so it can absorb and hold the melted butter without falling apart

Step 4 – lightly dress some fresh salad. This is the one time you can get away with an undressed salad as the melted butter is already packed full of flavour.

Step 5 – Assemble your burger with the salad, topped with the chicken and another layer of salad. I usually have pickled vegetables so I would add a bit for some extra tanginess.

Enjoy with several napkins as you will definitely need them to wipe the oozing wild garlic butter from your chin and any left over drips on the plate would be perfect for mopping with your chips.

This weekend, I am at the BBC Good Food show in Birmingham. I am next at the Harrogate Food Festival on the 24 June so hope to see you there.

Read More: 

• Yemi’s Food Stories: Café at The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

I have lived in Yorkshire for ten years, and I am still pleasantly surprised when I discover places on my doorstep that I didn’t know existed. Growing up in Nigeria, my mum took my brother and I to look at sculptures and my love for the Arts was born.

So, when a reader, Margaret Smith, suggested I visit the Himalayan Gardens near Ripon to check out the sculptures and the café, I knew I had to go. A chance to be outdoors, get close to nature, see an array of plants was topped off with a promise of a ‘cherry on top’ visit to the café.

Yorkshire weather was on its best behaviour when I visited the Himalayan Gardens, it was sunny without being too hot and cool without being too breezy; sky had the best shade of blue and it was the perfect day to take in the breath-taking beauty of the Garden.

It was a welcome assault on four of my five senses with the array of colourful flowers, buzzing bees, the singing birds, sweet smells and different textured plants. It was lovely to come across loads of locals and tourists and crack a joke with a few.

I couldn’t resist taking a lot of pictures as everywhere I turned, there was beauty waiting to be captured. With 45 acres of woodlands to cover, there were much needed places to sit and catch a breath, enjoy a drink and picnic or perhaps meditate.

My sense of taste had to wait until I was at the café. After three and half hours of exploring, I was ready to join a queue of people at the café to try the highly recommended food.

There was a good selection to choose from including four options of panini, five sandwich options, Gardener’s platter including pork pie and cheese, soup, four options of warm tarts, steak ciabatta, and lamb kofta.

I opted for the Himalayan Space bowl which included Himalayan spiced vegetables, with coconut and lime chicken and naan bread. It was either that or the lentil and chickpea dhal also served with a naan bread.

Poke is traditionally Hawaiian which along with the Korean and Japanese versions tend to include raw fish. The Buddha bowl is usually vegan or vegetarian with a warm or cold base. Most bowls have a base of rice or grains, topped with pulses, a sauce, crunch nuts, some raw or cooked protein and lots of vegetables.

The first time I had a ‘poke bowl’ type dish was at the Wild Plum in Harrogate and I couldn’t wait to get back home to recreate some of the elements.

What I love about poke bowls is the amount of varieties of ingredients and the consequent experience of flavours and textures from sweet, salty, umami, bitter, crunchy, and soft, to spicy and sour notes. With every bite, you can alter your taste bud experience as you mix and match the different elements.

One of my personal rules when I eat out is to never order something I regularly cook or can cook so it was easy to give the dhal a miss even though it sounded delicious.

I didn’t know what to expect with my pot of Yorkshire tea and I was pleasantly surprised by the deliciously creamy coconut sauce with a generous portion of grilled but succulent chicken pieces. The fluffy naan bread cut into perfect mini circles was topped with the chicken and some crunchy salad including pea shoots, cherry tomatoes and brown rice. I ordered a portion of oven baked wedges which was perfect for dipping into the rich and creamy sauce. The sign of an enjoyed food is an empty plate and my plate was definitely licked clean. My compliments to the chef.

The service was fast which is a good thing considering the queue was relentless and unending. The tomato and cheese toasty was popular as they ran out but there were loads more alternatives on offer including little pots of ice cream and a good selection of cakes and bakes with loads of gluten free options.

The catering manager and wait staffs were welcoming and worked efficiently to get the food out quickly.

I had an amazing day at the Himalayan Gardens and agree with Margaret that the café is well worth a visit.

My next stop will be to Hutton’s butchers in Knaresborough on June 3 followed by the Harrogate Food Festival on June 24.

Read More: 

• Yemi’s Food Stories: Perfect pies in Pateley Bridge
• Yemi’s Food Stories: a porky discovery at Crimple

This story is sponsored by 63rd+1st.

Harrogate’s answer to a Manhattan cocktail bar, 63rd+1st, launched in November last year and has continued to grow in popularity on the town’s dining scene.

We visited after work on a Monday evening and it was a perfect way to start a busy week.

Decked out in trendy dark blue and gold, and featuring lots of greenery, the restaurant, lounge and bar on Albert Street gives off a relaxed and welcoming vibe.

The menu is inspired by Manhattan street food and features small plates to enjoy with a cocktail or mocktail.

The restaurant area.

It includes a signature burger, steaks and seafood, as well as plant-based and vegetarian dishes and loaded fries.

The idea is you choose a few dishes each and order more if you fancy it – like an American-style tapas.

To start, I had seared king scallops, black pudding and pea puree (£12). The scallops were cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth like butter. The pea puree provided a refreshing accompaniment to the saltiness of the black pudding. My partner went for the Maryland crab bon bons and crab mayo (£10), which had a light, crispy coating and were perfect for sharing.

Scallops.

We followed this up with a mozzarella corn dog on a stick – just like you have in New York – and a sirloin steak. I’ll admit, I’ve never had a steak sharing dish before, so I was delighted to be able to pinch a bit of my partner’s sirloin (£14). It was perfectly cooked and came with a tangy chimichurri sauce. You can also choose a topper to add to your steak from options including garlic and chilli prawns, seared scallops and short rib croquettes.

Sirloin steak.

We decided to order loaded fries with chipotle mayo and crispy onions to accompany our dishes (£5). We could have kept going, but decided to save room for a dessert instead.

If there’s one thing Americans know how to do, it’s dessert. And it did not disappoint. We chose a banana taco, which was served with salted candied pecans, caramel and vanilla ice cream . It was essentially like a banana pancake and the salty pecans added the perfect crunchy texture to the dish. Ridiculously good. Other desserts include peanut butter and jelly donuts (£6) and an NYC baked cheesecake (£7).

We also had some fabulous cocktails to accompany our meal from the (very) extensive cocktail menu, including an old fashioned woodford rye (£15).

If you fancy a drink and a few nibbles after work, this is a great place to visit as you can order as much or as little as you want.

There is also a bottomless brunch available on a weekend for just £20 per person down from £35 with a special Stray Ferret voucher offer. Get your voucher now!

A YouTube star with nearly 500,000 subscribers has given glowing verdicts to two takeaways in the Harrogate district.

Danny Malin, the man behind Rate My Takeaway, visited the The Roast Inn, which is a roast dinner food truck at Knaresborough’s St James retail park and Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen in Harrogate last week.

Mr Malin’s reviews can have a significant impact on trade, as occurred when he recently visited Harrogate’s Thug Sandwich.

His video review of The Roast Inn went live on Friday and already has 124,000 views. He gave it a glowing endorsement, describing the food as “a solid 10 … heavenly”.

The food truck, which has been based on the retail park for 17 years, sells roast sandwiches and roast dinners. Mr Malin opted for a turkey and stuffing sandwich and a roast pork loin dinner with a side of pigs in blankets for £14.

Sitting on his signature camping chair, he said:

“If you’re like me and you like a roast dinner, this is spot on. The gravy is beautiful, nice and thick, the pork is cooked to perfection and absolutely gorgeous. The whole dinner is smothered in gravy with bit of apple sauce, just delicious!”

“To me it’s just like eating heaven, my kind of meal.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Hustle & Co for sale as owners hatch new plan
• Harrogate Beer Festival for women returns next month

Moving onto the sandwich, he said the proportion of turkey to sauce and stuffing was “spot on”:

“That’s the one, you know what the thickness of the turkey is bang on, it’s not dry with all those sauces. Oh wow that is spot on, just amazing.”

Giving his final verdict on the Roast Inn, Mr Malin said:

“For me it’s probably one of my favourite takeaways for a while, a solid 10. I’m going to be coming back next time I’m here.”

Rate My Takeaway reviews Starling

On Saturday, his review of Starling went live and by today had 118,000 views. Mr Malin ordered a meat sweats pizza, Philly fries and a Mars bar slice for £22.50.

Mr Malin tucks in at Starling Bar and Kitchen last week.

Starting with the pizza, he said:

“That meatball topping is absolutely quality and the sauce is spot on. I’m getting a proper Italian vibe from those meatballs.

“The only thing is because the base is so thin the toppings can slide off but the flavour, oh my god. I’d describe it as a messy one.”

Whilst sat outside Mr Malin was approached by lots of local fans all keen to know where he’d been to review locally.

The Philly fries, which are skin-on fries topped with pulled pork, gherkins, barbecue sauce and cheese, also won praise:

“Ooh they’re nice them, the chips have got a bit of a crispiness and with the sweet barbecue sauce and the pulled pork its a beautiful flavour buzzing around my mouth.”

Describing the whole meal as “delicious “he gave Starling a 9.5 rating and said it only missed out on the 10 because the toppings fell off.

A YouTuber with nearly 500,000 subscribers returned to Harrogate yesterday to give his verdict on another of the town’s takeaways.

Danny Malin, the man behind Rate My Takeaway, caused a stir when he visited Thug Sandwich Co last month and rated it his “number one takeaway”.

Mr Malin dropped in on Starling Independent Bar Cafe and Kitchen yesterday and, and in his usual style, set up his camping chair and folding table outside on the street to give his review.

The restaurant and bar on Oxford Street serves craft beer, hot drinks and pizza, as well as a brunch menu.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Hustle & Co for sale as owners hatch new plan
• Harrogate Beer Festival for women returns next month

Staff at Starling said Mr Malin rang in the morning to say he’d be coming and when he arrived ordered a meat sweats pizza and Philly fries. His video verdict is expected to be uploaded on Saturday.

Mr Malin’s reviews can have a significant impact on trade. Thug Sandwich’s glowing rating led to a surge in business and staff at Starling said they were preparing for an influx of customers over the weekend and next week.

James Smith, who works at the Oxfam Bookshop over the road from Starling, took the photo of Mr Malin digging into his food outside the JoJo Maman Bébé shop.

The Rate My Takeaway channel has 498,000 Youtube subscribers and each video attracts from 100,000 to 350,000 views.

Stray Foodie reviews are brought to you by Deliveree, and written by Michelin-starred chef Frances Atkins. Frances independently chooses which restaurants she will visit. This month, Frances was impressed with Ripon’s Manchega Tapas Y Vinos.

A chance meeting at a local dinner we were producing resulted in catching up with a colleague I hadn’t seen for years who used to have a delightful small restaurant on Duck Hill in Ripon, of which he achieved great acclaim.

Reminded of past good times my friends and I revisited this part of the city on a dark November evening. We were looking for a tapas bar we had heard great reports of.

A small warm and vibrant frontage presented Manchega Tapas y Vinos. It was such a pleasure to come across a real, authentic Spanish Tapas Bar.

Manchega offers a warm welcome – and the exposed bricks have been signed by previous guests.

Immediately my friends and I felt the warmth of the hospitality offered as we entered. A charming young man greeted us and showed us to our comfortable table upstairs.

Surrounded by different wines, black boards of exciting authentic tapas dishes, bright coloured walls with Spanish hats and spoons on, exposed wall bricks signed by previous happy guests we ordered some great Rioja by the glass.

Read More: 

• Stray Foodie review: The Galphay Inn, Ripon
• Stray Foodie review: Lunch at West Park

A vivacious lady helped us with our choices and talked us through the specials.

One of my friends declared the environment ‘just like being on holiday’, and that indeed was the happy atmosphere.

Frances was impressed with the food on offer, including the paella (pictured right).

The vegetarian sharing platter we chose was a great dish to have in the centre of the table. It included artichoke hearts, grilled peppers, sun dried tomatoes, feta, rocket, olives and bread.

Pigs cheeks, spicy sausage, calamari and gambas were many of the other dishes that kept arriving for us that evening. All the dishes were well defined with the use of quality ingredients and balanced seasoning.

A magnificent paella that tasted just as paella should usually only found in Spain took centre stage!

Having fond memories of my first small restaurant, the effort and work that goes into producing good hospitality and great food is not for the faint hearted!

This small open plan kitchen in this rustic and charming restaurant-bar is an inspiration to what a dedicated family team can achieve, especially in these difficult times.

Star rating: 4.5. Ripon is lucky to have such a joyful place! 

Stray Foodie reviews are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years. Frances now runs Paradise Food at Daleside Nurseries, alongside fellow Michelin-starred chef Roger Olive and front of house manager John Tullett.