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.
I’ve lived in Harrogate for over 10 years, so when I got the invite to join the Yorkshire Appetite Food Tour team on a tour of Harrogate, I was certain we would visit some familiar places – but I was wrong.
There is something to be said about being a tourist in your own town, as you get to see it through a fresh pair of eyes — especially when it’s through the eyes of someone who knows and appreciates the history.
I learnt about Harrogate and enjoyed many stories that Jill, our guide, told us about William Slingsby, the soldier who discovered Harrogate, and why we see street names like ‘Montpellier’ and ‘Parliament’.
The tour started at Starling Beer & Coffee House on Oxford Street. I have walked past this road before but never noticed the venue. It is a popular brunch spot in town that serves pizza throughout the evening, as well as unique dishes like poutine – a Canadian reputed hangover-cure!
Our first dish was eggs florentine. It included locally sourced poached eggs with spinach and mushrooms, served with a hollandaise sauce and micro herbs.
We then had another history lesson on the town centre, including the significance of the war memorial, how the town got its name and even some background into the Harrogate institution that is Bettys.
After this, the tour took us to Yorkshire Tapas. Chef Dane champions local produce and creates tapas-style dishes from Yorkshire staples, such as fish and chips, Yorkshire puddings and roast dinners.
Here we enjoyed a generous portion of Yorkshire pudding with pulled pork, shoestring fries, and crackling powder.
Yemi and her fellow food tour members at Vanilli’s and Yorkshire Tapas (R)
The next stop was Cold Bath Deli where we enjoyed a delicious sausage roll served with a leafy salad and French dressing. The mixed beans and roasted cauliflower were both delicious, and I never thought I’d see the day I would be like Oliver Twist asking for more broccoli!
There were lots of other things to try here, so I must visit again to sample other menu items.
Chocolate ice cream at Vanilli’s
Next up was Vanilli’s – an ice cream parlour on Cold Bath Road that has been running for 12 years.
We tasted a variety of lovely ice creams, including some gluten free ones.
Alex, the owner, is passionate about making great ice cream with no artificial flavourings, and I could certainly taste the difference. I have never ordered a chocolate ice cream but was an instant convert when I tasted Alex’s.
I am heading back for his Christmas flavours, so look out for my post on that – I might even save you a job of looking for a quality dessert.
Before heading to Hales Bar – the final leg of the tour – we ventured through Valley Gardens to learn about the town’s rich spa history. We finished the tour with a drink, a slice of parkin and Farrah’s sweets.
The tour is designed to give insight into Harrogate and its history, as well as enjoying a four-course meal from local businesses. I found it eye-opening and discovered lots of new places I’d like to try.
If you’re like me, you can lose sight of what is around you because you are a creature of habit. It’s time to see our gorgeous town through a fresh pair of eyes and to look at both sides of the road.
We need to walk through doors to see the foodie jewels that are lurking behind them.
I am certainly going to be more present as I continue to explore the vibrant food scene across Harrogate and the rest of Yorkshire.
Read more:
- Yemi’s Food Stories: Let’s ‘mise en place’ this Christmas
- Yemi’s Food Stories: Three’s a Crowd pleaser in Harrogate
Harrogate bar to host Taylor Swift quiz to celebrate UK tour
A Harrogate bar is set to host a Taylor Swift-themed quiz to celebrate the UK leg of her tour.
Starling Harrogate, on Oxford Street, will stage a six-round quiz this Friday (August 18) for ‘Swifties’ to enjoy.
Attendees will need to brush up on their ‘Tay-Lore’ ahead of the event, and will be tested on their knowledge of her music videos, lyrics, her sell-out Eras Tour and more.
Teams will be formed on the evening and the lucky winners will be awarded Swif-tea mugs, while the winner of the best-dressed award will receive a free cocktail.
Organiser and die-hard Taylor Swift fan, Tiffany Snowden, held a release party ahead of her album, ‘Red’, in 2021 and is hoping the quiz will see the same level of success.
The 2021 album release party.
She said:
“We still have a few tickets left and last time was such a success, I’d love for other Harrogate-based Swifties to be able to attend.
“[It is a] pub quiz like no other, centred around the one and only, Taylor Alison Swift (a.k.a. the music industry).”
The quiz will be followed by an after-party featuring the star’s songs on repeat.
A ‘posh’ pizza buffet, including pizza slices and sides, will be also included in the ticket, as well as a complimentary glass of wine on arrival.
The singer, who is the second most listened to artist globally on Spotify, recently announced 13 UK shows as part of her Eras Tour in 2024, including Liverpool, Cardiff, London, and Edinburgh. VIP tickets set fans back over £600, while regular admission ranged from £58 to £172.
The quiz will take place on Friday, August 18, from 7pm – 10pm.
Tickets for the event can be found here.
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- Million pound house draw comes to Harrogate
- Historic Harrogate family business to open for Heritage Open Days
Harrogate M&S manager calls for longer Christmas fayre to bolster town centre
Retailers and a business group have said the Harrogate Christmas Fayre had a significant impact on town centre footfall.
The fayre, which ended on Sunday after 10 days, included about 50 stalls on Cambridge Street and Market Place.
It was operated by Market Place Europe in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate Business Improvement District.
It was part of a wider Christmas offering that also included an ice skating rink, an après ski bar and a 32-metre ferris wheel.
Although the market stalls have been disbanded, the other attractions will continue into January.
Mark Robson, store manager at Harrogate Marks and Spencer, called for the market to be held for longer next year.
He said:
“I am super positive about the impact of the market, we saw a very clear impact on improved footfall into store and spending.
“All of the comments I heard from customers and my store colleagues were about how good it was.
“My view is that we should aim to do the same again in future years, and ideally for a longer period of time. We should also have confidence to go bolder with future marketing if the event.”
The ferris wheel in Harrogate town centre.
Simon Midgley, owner of Starling Bar and Kitchen on Oxford Street, said the market helped to “bolster” business.
He said:
“I think the Christmas market was much better than previous years coupled with the other attractions of the big wheel, ice rink, etc. It made it more of a reason to come into Harrogate from out of town.
“Starling has been nice and busy since reopening four weeks ago and I do believe our business has been bolstered by some trade from those visiting the Christmas market. Bookings in the run up to Christmas look strong for us.”
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Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate Business Improvement District, which was also a partner in the Christmas activities, said:
Sneak Peek: Starling shows off new spacious bar after major renovation“Harrogate’s great all year round offering, plus this year’s fabulous Christmas attractions, has seen town phenomenally busy — and not just at weekends.
“The BID team has been receiving really positive comments, with the general consensus that footfall and spend has been very much up. The manager of one national retailer told me her takings were more than 50% up compared to this time last year, which is fantastic to hear.
“The Christmas fayre has definitely helped with the pull factor, and having it in town for ten days has helped attract shoppers during the earlier part of the week. So too did the BID-funded Candy Cane Express.”
Harrogate’s Starling Independent Bar Cafe and Kitchen has been showing off it’s impressive new space this week following a major renovation.
The restaurant and bar on Oxford Street serves craft beer, hot drinks and pizza, as well as a brunch menu.
The venue, which launched in 2017, now boasts a ground floor three times the size after expanding into the former TSB bank next door.
The refurbishment, which was completed in just three weeks, offers a more fully accessible space and a more vibrant bar atmosphere.
Dan Howard, general manager, said:
“The main idea was we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. We didn’t consider the concept broken. We just wanted to expand on what we were offering already.
“We offer a great service and a great selection of products that people already liked. We definitely didn’t want to break that.
“We wanted to make sure people who come to Starling already would enjoy what we have done with it and that it would attract a new crowd as well.
“During a testing time in hospitality, we’ve managed to push through with the refurb and now it’s onwards and upwards.”
Read more:
- Sneak Peek: The Nelson Inn reopens this week
- Sneak peek: New Harrogate grill and bar opens this weekend
Mr Howard said the increased capacity would also allow the upstairs area to be used more.
He said:
“We are looking at putting football on up there. We already get quite a lot of bookings for functions and we now have the space available to allow those to happen more frequently.”
Starling, which is owned by Simon Midgley, will still offer full table service during the day. This will continue upstairs, however from 3pm the new downstairs area will operate as bar service only.
Mr Howard said:
“We are hoping that will just create a bit more of a social environment. It will just create a bit more of a bar vibe on an evening and really get the place buzzing. We will still be offering the same great service we always have done.
“We have got much more of a presence on the street now and when you look in you can see what we’ve got to offer.”
Starling is also well known for its charity quiz nights, with ‘Dan’s Questionable Quiz’, returning this Sunday.
The quiz raises money for the Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity and will now be held in the downstairs bar area.
Expansion plans for busy Harrogate bar and cafeA popular bar and cafe in central Harrogate is set to expand to offer more space for customers.
Starling on Oxford Street will close its doors on Sunday at 3pm to knock through to the neighbouring unit, tripling the ground floor space it currently has.
Owner Simon Midgley told the Stray Ferret that, despite the current economic uncertainty, he was confident the move was right for the business.
He said:
“We bounced back really strongly after the closures and lockdowns. We know what we do is well thought of and we’ve got a good team delivering it.
“It has been a slow burn to get to this point. We first looked next door at the start of the year and it has taken quite a long time to get to the point we are now.
“The world has changed a bit so it brings more challenges than there were 12 months ago. But I’ve done cash flow models working with our accountants, Wild and Co, and they’re doing a fantastic job to support us.
“We’re just really thrilled it has all come to fruition.”
Work has been taking place in the neighbouring building for around 12 weeks already, with the landlord also converting the upper floors into residential space.
Starling is expected to close for around three weeks while the ground floor is completed.
Read more:
- Sneak Peek: Cheers! New Harrogate craft beer bar opens today
- Cafe-bar and record store plans submitted for Cold Bath Road shop
One of the key reasons for the expansion, as well as extending the ground floor space, is to give a better view of what Starling offers from the street to entice people inside. The bar will be turned around and there will be more seating for customers.
Once it re-opens, more jobs will be created, including full- and part-time front-of-house roles and positions in the kitchen.
Simon said, like many other hospitality businesses, recruiting chefs had proved tricky this year and he was still seeking the right people to deliver the menu of brunches and pizzas to complement the soft and alcoholic drinks on offer.
He said:
“We’re expecting to be significantly busier.
“We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. I’ve got every confidence in the team and the sort of food and drink we offer.
“We aren’t trying to recreate what we are so much as create a better ambience and a more comfortable space in which to do it.”
He added:
Business workshop to take place in Harrogate“There are always challenges. As long as you assess the risk and go at it in a calculated way, when times are hard you’re better showing a bit of spark and attacking that situation than sitting back and being cautious.
“Put your best foot forward.”
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Business workshop to take place in Harrogate
ActionCOACH Harrogate is hosting a free business workshop at Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen next week.
It’s been designed for business owners who want “a more manageable, more profitable business that can work without them.”
Andrew Joy will talk business people through the ActionCOACH “6 Steps” model that’s used by many successful companies around the world.
The free morning of business coaching will include marketing concepts, sales promotion and profit-building systems that can be put into practice straight away.
To register visit here.
Read more:
Nidderdale to host events on how farmers can improve their businesses
Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is hosting a series of events throughout August to help local farmers respond to current challenges.
This includes farmers who have taken on regenerative farming practices, or who have diversified into new enterprises, including artisan cheese production and the development of a Yorkshire barn wedding venue.
Speakers include a regenerative farming consultant, a Nuffield scholar veterinarian, and representatives from the Pasture Fed Livestock Association.
The events are hosted in locations across Nidderdale, including Middlesmoor, Grewelthorpe and Blubberhouses. For more information visit here.
Matthew Trevelyan, farming in protected landscapes officer at Nidderdale AONB, said:
“We want to help farmers respond to current challenges. It is likely that ‘business as usual’ won’t work for many of the AONB’s farmers in the future, especially as the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is withdrawn.”