A Harrogate restaurant will be celebrating both its reopening and Yorkshire Day with a make-shift beach this Saturday.

To mark its namesake’s day on August 1, as well as the re-launch of its Scran restaurant, The Yorkshire Hotel has created a beach at the front of the building and is offering a free glass of prosecco for those ordering food.

Its sister property, the White Hart Hotel and Fat Badger pub, installed an outdoor beach earlier this month to celebrate hospitality venues being allowed to reopen. Simon Cotton, managing director of HRH Group, said:

“Since we opened two years ago, Scran has been at the heart of Harrogate’s dining and bar scene, but with our new fresh, contemporary look, we are excited to bring a new concept to our loyal and new customers.”

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Dean Sowden and Dario Silviera pictured outside the new restaurant.

The restaurant’s food will be in the hands of head chef Dean Sowden of the former Deano’s, with Harrogate’s barman of the year, Dario Silviera, managing the bar.

Simon added:

“Dean’s food has such a good local reputation that we are delighted he is heading up the kitchen of Scran, and with head barman, Dario at the cocktail helm we have the dream team!”

Screens have been placed around the bar and more space has been created between tables to allow for social distancing. It is recommended that customers pre book.

At the age of 15, Rick Jones was washing pots in Valentino’s and 22 years later he is its owner and looking forward to re-opening the newly-refurbished Italian restaurant in the heart of Ripon.

Rick (pictured) who was born and bred in the city, made a rapid rise from ‘washer up’ to chef, having studied at Harrogate College following his secondary education at Boroughbridge High School.

He has made his mark in the hospitality business at the Water Rat pub and restaurant, on the bank of the River Skell, overlooking Alma Weir and later this year, will be double-handed, when Valentino’s re-opens its doors following a £500,000 restoration that has seen the addition of five en suite rooms.

Valentino’s, located on the corner of Westgate and Blossomgate, was where Rick learnt the Roman style of Italian cooking and cuisine under brothers Fermino and Mario di Silvestro, who opened in Ripon in 1986 after selling the well-known No. 6 Restaurant in Harrogate.

He told The Stray Ferret:

“Fermino and Mario treated me like family and taught me so much. They were perfectionists and always required the very highest standards.”

Inspired by what he had learnt at Valentino’s, Rick took over the Water Rat in February 2007, but the premises were hit by flooding in June of that year.

The coronavirus crisis, has disrupted the latest stage in his hospitality career – as the original plan was to re-open the new-look Valentino’s with its hotel facilities on 30th April and now August is the target date.

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However, in spite of natural disaster and pandemic – with their financial consequences – Rick has remained positive, saying:

“It may appear dark at times, but I know that the sun will always shine again.”

Many of the Water Rat regulars, who he looks on as an extension of his own family, have been using the weekend takeaway pizza, pasta and dessert delivery and collection service that gives them a taste of the Valentino’s menu.

As well as bringing in welcome revenue while the pub remains closed, Rick pointed out that it has helped him and his team to keep in contact with each other and customers, ready for the day when both of his establishments are open again.