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The grandest of stately homes, a Benedictine Abbey orchard and a strikingly restored walled garden are all part of this tour of the lovely and peaceful Howardian Hills. It skirts the North York Moors and takes in one of Yorkshire’s best market towns.
On the way you can stock up at a classy farm shop, sample brown bread ice cream and chilli flavoured chocolate. You could lunch at the famous Star at Harome, take tea in Coxwold, before exploring the delights of Crayke and Easingwold, with the chance of a blow-out meal at Byland Abbey, the gastropub that uniquely, is owned by English Heritage.
 A magnificent Palladian mansion, one of the grandest houses in Britain, and perfectly cast as Brideshead. Castle Howard , and its landscaped grounds deserve a day on their own, but the dedicated food lover will target the state of the art deli/farm shop for estate-reared beef, heritage potatoes, Yorkshire jams and pickles, luxury takeaway meals, cakes, cheeses and an elite selection of wines. The impressive old stable block also houses a boutique chocolatier and an upmarket café. On the edge of the estate are the offices of Inntravel, the award-winning travel company who have cleverly installed a quality café in their offices. Browse the travel books and brochures and enjoy light lunch or coffee. Not far from Castle Howard, you can visit Yorkshire Lavender, where you can enjoy freshly baked lavender scones and locally made lavender ice-cream whilst lookig out over stunning Yorkshire vistas.  Between April and October you can detour to 17th Century Scampston Hall and its contemporary walled garden. While its innovative modern layout is sure to impress, so will the garden café run by the team from the renowned Star Inn at Harome which serves meals and light snacks to the Star’s high standards as well as a series of food and garden related courses.
 As well as the handsome Hovingham Hall, the childhood home of the Duchess of Kent, there are other good reasons to stop in Hovingham. Lunch at the Worsley Arms and shop virtuously at McConnellThomas an organic, pesticide-free, natural, minimally packaged, fairly traded store selling fresh local produce. Self-caterers can order a healthy holiday box.
 Helmsley, where the Hambleton and Howardian Hills graduate to the North York Moors, has powerful attractions in its 12th Century castle and Duncombe Park, the local stately home but enjoy the market square first with Hunters of Helmsley an established grocer and deli with regional specialities and, adjacent, the new arrival Perns of Helmsley a butcher and deli, another venture by the feted Star Inn at Harome. Tucked away by the church is Ryeburns of Helmsley who make heavenly chocolate and ice cream. Experiment from the ioe cream range with brown bread or bubble gum, gin and lavender, or toffee apple. The chocolate is equally eclectic. Chilli or cappuccino? Shoe fetishists can’t resist a white chocolate stiletto with milk chocolate spots or the macho milk chocolate brogue. More sedately, the Helmsley Walled Garden (open April-October) is the 18th Century vegetable garden for Duncombe Park. Lovingly restored by dedicated enthusiasts, it now operates as a place for horticultural therapy as well as a lovely place to wander and picnic. The Vinehouse Café serves vegetarian dishes, tea, coffee and cakes.
 A picture postcard village is the location for the Star Inn the Michelin starred gastropub run by Andrew and Jacquie Pern. Restaurant tables in the whitewashed thatched crook cottage can be booked up months in advance, but the classic old bar, with the same menu, has a first-come first-served policy. Andrew defines his menu as seasonal British ‘with a twist’ and it’s unmissable. Try local fillet steak with bone marrow butter, served with chips and a Blue Wensleydale and watercress salad. Follow up with ginger parkin, spiced syrup and rhubarb ripple ice cream. If you can’t get in, drop in at the Corner Shop, yet another Pern enterprise, for a gourmet picnic or quality takeaways, also jams, pickles and sauces from the Star’s kitchen, fresh fruit and vegetables and lots more.
 It needs good luck and good timing to visit Ampleforth Abbey’s lovely orchard. The apple harvest runs between August and December and the orchard only opens to the public on Monday, Thursday or Friday afternoons. But if you are in the area and the time is right, do visit this unique orchard, the most northerly in Britain and home to some 40 varieties of apple. Brother Rainer, one of the Abbey’s Benedictine monks, has the engaging title of Keeper of Apples and helps produce Ampleforth cider and cider brandy. There are apples to taste and bags of obscure varieties to buy. Easter eggs and chocolate truffles are also made outside the apple season, but must be ordered in advance by phone 01439 766899.
 A picturesque Yorkshire village with a wide open high street flanked by lovely sandstone houses and Shandy Hall, once the home of author Laurence Sterne who was vicar of Coxwold. Shandy Hall is well worth a visit in summer, (open May to September Wed and Sun afternoon) and its pretty gardens make an elegant setting for a picnic (open every day except Sat) . A fine spot for tea and cakes is the Coxwold Schoolhouse and Tearooms, where on fine days, tables are set out in a lovely English garden. Close by at Byland Abbey there is more serious dining to be had at the Abbey Inn, the only pub owned and run by English Heritage. Dine in the shadow of the lovely 12th Century ruin or down a pint of Byland Brew in the Abbey’s garden.
 The charming village of Crayke with its castle and its quaint cottages, has the Durham Ox serving British, seasonal dishes in bar and restaurant. Farmhouse Preserves are a father and daughter enterprise producing quality jam and chutney from a quaint old farmhouse where you can see the jam being stirred before sampling it in the café or shop. For an enjoyable and inspiring day out, Crayke Kitchen runs cookery courses hosted by the talented food writer and cook Gilli Cliff.
 Easingwold’s Friday market huddles round the Buttercross. There are only a handful of food stalls but Easingwold Country Market , also held on Friday in the Parish Rooms, sells beautifully packaged homemade cakes and buns, jams and chutneys all made by local members. Dive into Tee Hee’s delicatessen and coffee shop for quality cheeses and excellent tea, coffee and cakes. Penny Hodgson rears cute little Dexter cattle at Thornhill Farm. This fabulous award-winning beef is available in local shops or direct from the farm.
 For final refuelling before heading back to York, there is always well-sourced local meat among a selection of other good dishes, on the dining room menu at the Blackwell Ox at Sutton on the Forest. They open for lunch and dinner every day and on Sunday usefully serve right through from 12.00 noon until 7.30pm. |