Crown Inn glory
The Crown Inn, Great Ouseburn.
OK, so the headline is a bit of a cliché!
Guilty as charged. But on this occasion, it’s actually true – The Crown Inn at Great Ouseburn has been voted the best pub in the region in the UK’s biggest tourism awards.
Following rave reviews on TripAdvisor and being shortlisted in both the Newcomer Of The Year and Food Pub Of The Year categories in The Publican Awards 2011, this quaint country hostelry fought off stiff competition from more than 90 other venues to claim the coveted Yorkshire Pub of the Year title in Welcome to Yorkshire’s prestigious White Rose Awards. Husband and wife Paul and Liz Jackson will now go on to represent the county at the National Visit England Awards for Excellence in 2012.
Not bad for an establishment that only reopened its doors 18 months ago with a new team at its helm.
I took little convincing, therefore, to pay a visit to this much-praised pub to see for myself what all the fuss was about!
The rather unpretentious exterior of this 18th century building gives little indication of the cosy delights that lie inside. But from the moment you step through the front door, you’re greeted with the sort of warmth and charm that instantly takes the chill off even the coldest of blustery autumnal days.
Paul and Liz have really worked their magic on this place, transforming the entire décor from the dark drabness that pervaded every corner of this historic building only a couple of years ago into a light, bright yet sympathetic country style pub with a modern twist.
There’s so many little nooks and crannies to explore, with plenty of individual rooms to cater for intimate private dining to large parties, and everything in between. It’s a cunning business move, and quite obviously appeals to a broad spectrum of guests, the cute little deli – open during business hours – adding a real touch of class to this well planned establishment.
And then there’s the food! Boy, the food! I’ve been lucky to dine in some of the top restaurants and hotels in Yorkshire and beyond, and few could hold a candle to the culinary skills on display at The Crown Inn. Avoiding the all-too-regular trap of creating a menu that runs to the average length of a Harry Potter novel, Paul and Liz have plumped for a classic selection of seasonal favourites interspersed with more imaginative dishes, simple yet stunning and all sourced from produce that can be found on their doorstep. It’s something the couple are justifiably proud of, and the reduction in food miles is something to be applauded, particularly when they use these super fresh ingredients to such incredible effect.
Pears came from an orchard across the road, and some of the salad stuffs are even grown on the roof terrace. The Meet The Suppliers booklet is testimony to this shop local ethos, which has clearly paid off with some fabulous raw ingredients.
I genuinely found it a perplexing task to chose just a single dish for each course, such were the mouth-watering morsels on the menu, which included a tantalising selection of daily specials as well. We eventually plumped for our starters, which consisted of a warming butternut squash and ginger soup and pan-seared king scallops with black pudding and roasted shallots, beetroot puree and French onion and cognac jus.
My scallops came presented on nothing short of a serving tray, which almost required a table of its own! That’s not to say quantity triumphed over quality here – the artistic arrangement of the food was appealing to the eye, with some subtle tastes to match.
With one eye firmly fixed on the indulgent list of sweets, my wife was adamant she would only enjoy a little taste of her mini tureen of soup, but she was soon slumping back in her seat with a satisfied smile having promptly polished the lot off! And who could blame her. The little taste I was begrudgingly granted confirmed this was a dish to warm the cockles – pure comfort food.
Having toyed with Thirsk rare breed pork, Yorkshire Kirkby Malzeard farm-reared rump with a slice of Yorkshire blue cheese and North Yorkshire wild rabbit ‘three ways’, I accepted the recommendation of our extremely efficient and friendly waiter Joe and settled on Holme Farm Thorpe Underwood venison fillet (pink) with roast fennel, red wine jus, crackling salad, fondant potato and blackberry coulis.
And I wasn’t disappointed!
The venison cut like butter; it really was cooked to perfection. The crackling salad offered a rather strange juxtaposition to a hot dish, but it acted as a refreshing palette-cleanser. The fondant potato was the only little let-down, poorly seasoned and lacking in any real flavour. But that really would be picking hairs in an otherwise highly accomplished plate of food, beautifully complemented by a large glass of a fruity Shiraz Rosedale (Barossa Valley, Australia). The black cherry fruits were a perfect match for the blackberries in this meal.
My wife opted for the sea bream with leek and saffron risotto. It was a stunning looking meal, and the fish was wonderfully delicate, flaking away with ease. The risotto, rather surprisingly, was lacking in seasoning and tasted a little watery, but even that failed to take the shine off an otherwise tasty dish.
The beauty of this choice, as my wife had cunningly sussed, was it proved to be light enough to allow for a raid on the dessert menu! And this is a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. She was going in for the kill, honing in on her prey … well, she’d narrowed it down to one of four!
Again, a quick consultation with the ever-dependable Joe bore fruit … well, there were pears on the custard tart. That counts as one of your five a day, surely?! Served in its own little copper pan, it was a monster portion that had us both beaten. But then I was working my way methodically through The Crown cheese board, featuring three Yorkshire cheeses, biscuits, homemade bread, red onion marmalade, honey and the chef’s piccalilli speciality. And all washed down with a cheeky glass of port. It was nothing short of a feast in itself, wonderfully presented with the accompaniments in little shot glasses.
Wedged firmly into our chairs, there was a sneaky loosening of a button or two on our trousers to accommodate our bulging bellies! We’d certainly gorged ourselves on this wonderful local fare, but the emphasis here is very much on quality rather than quantity. This is refined dining, which given the pub setting is quite a rare find … and a discovery we’ll be returning to time and time again. Well, we never got to the sticky toffee pudding, did we? It would be rude not to!
* Top tip: Our meal wasn’t cheap, coming in at a cool £78.55. I truly believe it was worth every penny, and included teas and coffees. But if this is a little too rich for your pocket, why not take advantage of the fantastic lunchtime or early dining (5 to 7.30pm Thursday, 5 to 6.30pm Friday and Saturday) offers, with two courses £13.50 and three for £16.50. Sunday lunch also represents great value. There really is something to suit everyone’s wallet!
* Located in the beautiful village of Great Ouseburn in the Vale of York, the quirky 18th century Crown Inn is at the heart of the tranquil North Yorkshire countryside but within easy reach of the A1, the nearby market towns of Boroughbridge and Knaresborough, and a short drive from the spa town of Harrogate and the magnificent city of York. Log-on to www.thecrown-inn.com or call 01423 330430/330013 for further information or to make reservations.
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Weather for Selby
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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