Food & Drink
The choice of quality food and drink available in the Yorkshire Dales is simply - excellent. Here are a few ideas to whet your appetite, along with some videos of delicious recipes from the famous Wensleydale Creamery and Betty's Tea Rooms! Indulge yourself!
Our Personal Recommendations
As part of the Arrival Pack, guests receive a copy of our personal recommendations of where to eat during their stay - be it whilst out and about in the Dales during the day, or at a pub in the evening. We also recommend our favourite restaurants to take that someone special to that special place for a special occasion. We are spoilt for choice here.
Good Quality Pub Food
The Street Head Inn is just 200m from The Byre where you will enjoy great pub food of plentiful portions. Nearby in Aysgarth, the Aysgarth Falls Hotel and George and Dragon offer good quality choices. The Bolton Arms at Redmire has a wide choice of quality food, again with good sized portions, always busy. Further afield, the Punch Bowl Inn at Low Row in Swaledale, or the Fountaine Inn at Linton in Wharfedale are most enjoyable at lunchtime or evening.
Last but not least, then fish and chips is always a great holiday meal - the best two are the Hawes Chippie at Hawes where you can eat in the cafe or takeaway. The second is the fish & chip van which visits West Burton every Tuesday evening. Amazingly the pub on the village green gets busy about each Wednesday! No need to queue for the van!
Fine Dining
The Wensleydale Heifer at West Witton is unrivalled in terms of quality, especially when it comes to seafood. Don't forget to try their dessert for two also! So yummy! The Sandpiper Inn at Leyburn, the Wyvill Arms at Constable Burton, the Blue Lion at East Witton and the Angel Inn at Hetton in Wharfedale always serve such excellent quality food. You will need more than one visit to the Dales to try them all!
Out and About during the day
The Garden Rooms at Tennants in Leyburn is very popular as both the cafe and restaurant provide excellent quality food at great prices with a bonus of seeing the superb displays of future sales. Berry's Farm Shop & Cafe at Swinithwaite - ideal for lunch or just a lite bite, 7 days a week and just a couple of miles from the cottages. Betty's Tearoom - at Northallerton, York, Ilkley and two at Harrogate - in the town centre & alongside RHS Harlow Carr. Indulge yourself for afternoon tea, with a touch of nostalgia and heaps of good service. There is often a queue outside during the summer and at weekends. Go on, you are worth it! Buy some goodies to take home too - their Yorkshire Fruit Cakes, especially their little tinned birthday cake and their infamouse 'Fat Rascals' are a great present for that someone special.
Beer
One of the Yorkshire Dales two biggest exports to the wider world!!! - the other one is cheese of course!
Black Sheep Brewery, Masham - best brewery tour, in our opinion, great bistro for a bite and excellent quality merchandise in the shop.
Theakstons Brewery, Masham - just nearby is the legendary ale that is Theakstons. Only thing peculier is the ale!
Wensleydale Brewery, Bellerby - a local microbrewery that has won local and regional awards. Give it a try!
Copper Dragon Brewery, Skipton - try the fine ale and enjoy a brewery tour whilst visiting the market town of Skipton. Great day out!
Daleside Brewery, Harrogate - available in the Dales and in Harrogate try these draught beers brewed using traditional methods.
Cheese
You cannot visit the Yorkshire Dales, and especially Wensleydale, without visting the Wensleydale Creamery to try the many flavours, or even just the original for the purist, of the real Wensleydale cheese. You may even spot Gromit at the Visitor Centre. You can try all the different cheese flavours before you buy. Given the many flavours, you won't need to stop for lunch thereafter! Even if you are not a cheese lover there are many jams, chutneys and associated local produce, all of excellent quality for you to eat during your visit, take home with you, or as a present for someone special. Do try their Wensleydale butter do - absolute heaven!
During your visit to Campbell's you will see there are other local producers of cheese eg Swaledale Cheese Company to name just one.
Chocolate
Diane is in seventh heaven at Inspired Chocolate in Leyburn (located in the business park adjacent to Tennants). As a chocoholic, she loves the job of ordering the boxes of chocolates that are on the welcome tray for guests arriving at our cottages. Do pop into Inspired Chocolate when you are in Leyburn, and do try their cafe ... you'll be so glad you did! The cakes are just gorgeous!
Ice Cream
You have to try the best ice cream in the world! Our car will not drive past Brymor Ice Cream Parlour, a couple of miles past Jervaulx Abbey. Open 10-6 every day, choose from over 20 flavours. Have you ever tried an ice cream tasting party with friends - we can assure you it is great fun! So very yummy! A little closer is the Wensleydale Ice Cream Parlour at a beautiful barn location just west of Aysgarth, with stunning views in both directions along the Wensleydale. What a super place to enjoy the delights of real Wensleydale Ice Cream.
Cooking at the Cottage
If you would prefer to eat at the cottage, why not try these shops for excellent quality food :
Meats - Hartle Butchers in West Burton or Campbell's in Leyburn provide only the best quality meats, which can also be cut as joints to just how you like them. Do try David Hartle's sausages - a variety of flavours - Pork and Chestnut at Christmas is a favourite! Guests also reserve meat and collect to take them home at the end of their stay.
Fruit & Vegetables - Leyburn market on a Friday is ideal for fresh fruit and vegetables, or any day at Campbell's in Leyburn. Don't forget to try their deli counter too!