When it comes to fine dining in the northeast, the old cliché about quality and quantity is never more apt. You might not be able to dine in a different Michelin-starred restaurant every night of the week like you can in the southeast and London, but the ones that are here are superb, and well worth more than a single visit. No matter where you find yourself, our restaurant experts will ensure that you have a great dining experience – call us to discuss your next important meal in the northeast or any other region of the country.
Seaham Hall
Lord Byrons Walk, Seaham, County Durham SR7 7AG
County Durham's grandest hotel, Seaham Hall, has plenty of history. Lord Byron married poor Annabella Milbanke here in 1815, and its graceful columns, tall windows and numerous chimneys bespeak another age. The menu also borrows from British history, and will often feature bygone ingredients such as ‘cheek of pork' or ‘ham hock and cabbage'. But don't be taken in by old fashioned appearances: behind the timeless exterior there's an ultra-modern spa hotel thrumming with technology and gadgetry, and the food is cooked by Kenny Atkinson (aka the Star of the North), a man with an up-to-date sensibility as well as a respect for the best of the past. The result is a menu that won him a Michelin star within months of taking up residence in what is now, unequivocally, one of the best restaurants in the north.
Guide price: £40
The Yorke Arms
Ramsgill-in-Nidderdale, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 5RL
Self-taught Frances Atkins, one of only six female Michelin starred holders in the UK, is said to have left Kensington for rural Yorkshire because the former was ‘too poncey'. Small wonder that her smiling face has become such a popular fixture on the local scene, and her food has been delighting her neighbours as much as travelling gastronomes. Yes, it's Michelin-star quality, but there's a distinctly well-grounded Yorkshire solidity to it as well. Exquisitely-flavoured dishes such as Nidderdale lamb pie; braised leg and saddle of Dales hare; shin of Nidderdale veal; and autumn truffle risotto speak of cheer in cold winters and old fashioned warmth. That's not to say that Atkins' food isn't fancy, however: it's all served with flourish and ingenuity. Pies, for example, might be broken down into their constituent parts – ‘like a DIY pie kit', as The Times food critic Giles Coren put it.
Guide price: £40
The Old Vicarage
Ridgeway Moor, Ridgeway, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S12 3XW
Those that don't know Sheffield very well tend to think of industrial blight, steelworks and tower blocks of council flats. That's part of the story, but the other is a green city surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK. The Old Vicarage in Ridgeway, named after the old Roman road that runs through it, is a case in point. Its setting – amid lush green lawns and wooded copses, full of ancient trees and looking out over the beautiful Moss Valley conservation area – is the perfect setting for chef Tessa Bramley. Her warming country cooking takes so many of its cues and inspirations from the seasons of nature – not to mention the raw ingredients that grow in the vicarage gardens. Expect to enjoy dishes such as wild mushroom ravioli, local lamb, Ridgeway hare with spiced herbs, and exquisite desserts made with real English strawberries and garden gooseberries. The ingredients are traditional, but the way dishes are served is highly unusual. When you order ravioli, for instance, you are treated to one huge piece – a pasta package bulging with pine nuts, wilted rocket and garlic velouté.
Guide price: £60 (four-course menu)
Fischer's at Baslow Hall
Baslow Hall, Calver Road, Baslow, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1RR
Baslow Hall is a sandstone country house that stands at the end of a long chestnut tree-lined drive beside the Chatsworth estate. It's a lovely spot, but not at all twee – instead, it's tasteful and just a little bit swish. The kitchens are presided over capably by Gordon Ramsay veteran Rupert Rowley, along with co-owner Max Fischer, whose wife Susan runs front of house. The pairing provides rich, complex food that sparks ‘gastronomic fireworks', as described by Egon Ronay when he put the restaurant in his UK top 25. Look for the six-course ‘Prestige' menu – at £63 per head it's one of the best value Michelin menus you'll find anywhere in the world.
Guide price: £40
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