Middle of nowhere, casual dress, Michelin-starred…read more My husband and I went out of our way to eat and stay here. Was it worth the 3 hour journey from London (2-hr train ride, 1-hr by car) to make our reservation from 6-months earlier? Absolutely. Courses are small, but plenty. Staff are immensely courteous and thoughtful (they made a custom menu for our dietary needs and even had the chefs sign it before we left). And the setting couldn't be more idyllic. I'd suggest getting the wine pairing as it really completes the meal. Go ahead and stay the night as breakfast is included the next day. Just make sure to work out your travel from the train station to the restaurant. It really is out in the sticks.

An absolutely fantastic experience enhanced by the charming and beautiful countryside that The…read moreBlack Swan at Oldstead is nestled within - an area that I wouldn't have visited otherwise but am grateful for having done so. Make sure to make a small detour to Kilburn to see The Kilburn White Horse which stands firmly in the hillside. The Black Swan is a beautiful picturesque old pub full of warmth and charm. Upon arrival you are welcomed into the bar area for aperitifs where a log fire crackles and glows. Make sure to notice the Robert Thompson mouse carved into the bar. Great selection of small batch gins - I enjoyed a glass of Sir Robin of Locksley from Sheffield with tonic. Amuse bouche are served here before moving upstairs to the restaurant. The Smoked Eel and Apple Tartlets were light and well balanced in their flavours whilst the Chicken Dumpling was rich, satisfying and would sit well on the finest of dim sum plates in Hong Kong. The restaurant is more modern in decoration with an "open kitchen" where some of the dishes are prepared with a clear artistic love and attention to detail. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Good selection of wines for most palates and wallets. I had the 10 course tasting menu which, at £85, felt like a bargain compared to the price of Michelin starred food in major cities. To start, a Mussel with Oyster Leaf canapé - so perfectly decorated that it felt wrong to eat it, but so tasty. Next up Langoustine with Caramelised Whey, served like a lollipop with a twig to hold it with - lovely textures and cooked to perfection. Venison Tartare followed - a small dish but rich in flavour and beautifully prepared and decorated. Sour Bread and Sour Butter was distinctive and a good filler in preparation for the main courses. The Monkfish with Asparagus and Onion, although delicious, was probably the weakest dish. The sauce tasted like heavy sweet soy sauce and was a bit overpowering in its saltiness for the delicate flavour of the fish. Still very enjoyable though. The Slowly Cooked Crapaudine Beetroot was the star of the menu. Cooked in beef fat (I believe), the beetroot takes on a heavier composition and is chewy and almost glutinous with all of the accompanying decorations providing broad and bold flavours. Absolutely fantastic! Scallop Cured with Rhubarb was another standout with the smoothness of the slightly charred scallops countering the tartness of the rhubarb, all tied together with a rich and balanced sauce. Herb-Fed Chicken with Wild Garlic from this Year and Last was another amazing creation with a blanket over the chicken in the form of a garlic leaf. The chicken was more warm than hot but extremely tasty. The first dessert was ice cream (or iced yoghurt?) Lollipops which were wonderfully innovative with their unique flavours. The Sheep's Milk with Douglas Fir Oil was also an memorable dessert with natural tastes of the season. The final dessert, served with coffee was Cake made from Artichoke, Chicory Root and Thyme. The combination worked well although the chicory root (?) was slightly bitter. A great end to a fantastic meal and experience. For most who visit The Black Swan at Oldstead, a significant journey will be involved but don't let that put you off...It's well worth the effort and will be one of those great food experiences.

Newly added outdoor seating has really added to this great village pub/restaurant. Food is still…read moreprobably the best in any village locally and the fast friendly staff make it an easy choice. Monday is pie night, 15GBP for entrees pies (3) to choose from and that includes a beer or wine. Steak was superb, duck Asian salad was very tasty and a favorite. Mini squid with salt and pepper was tasty but tiny. Nice beer selection which included 2 cask ales. A place for a large party or romantic date, outside seating is now plentiful.

Very good food and service selling traditional British Pub food at a level rarely found in the pub…read moretrade in this day and age. Beautiful rural area surrounded by the River Humber on one side and the heights of Brantingham hills and woodland everywhere else. A great British pub in a beautiful setting and a rarity in today's public houses.

The food was amazing, wonderful service from all of the staff. Love the outlay of the restaurant…read more Highly recommend..

Dear Fox Hole. I have to tell you that in our 21 days visiting in England your food was the best we…read morehad! I can't stop thinking about and wanting your garlic mushrooms in cream sauce! It was heavily! My husband raves about the chicken & brie sandwich he had. The chicken melted in his mouth and was a perfect sandwich. In addition to great food the location and ambience was so pleasant. We wished we could had eaten at the Fox Hole a few more times. It was such a pleasure to discover your quaint and yummy place. Thank you. Debbie

It started with a pre-dinner drink in the drawing room, a high ceilinged chamber with much dark…read morewood and leather furniture. With our drinks the waiter brought a plastic orange tree with actual berry sized oranges (sultanas) that were soaked in Grand Marnier and other magic potions to make them deliciously alcoholic. Soon after, a sommelier joined us in the drawing room to help us choose a wine for the evening. As you walk into the Orangery dining room, one immediately notices a glass skylight ceiling and views of the immaculately groomed grounds. Especially in the evening, the failing sunlight creates great atmosphere throughout the whole restaurant. Perfect ambiance for a fancy dinner. As with many high end restaurants there were pre-courses and courses. Before starters we had an amazing soup that I don't want to insult by getting it wrong, but reminded me of split pea soup. Then starters, all presented like art, followed by our entree. I had the best end of season lamb, and I definitely recommend it! For me, a place like this is as much about the experience as it is the food so I won't delay on just the food. Believe me, whatever you get is probably going to be amazing here! There was a pre-dessert course and it was like a less solid cheesecake with SPOILER ALERT pop rocks. Yes, pop rocks in a 5 star restaurant. Genius is the first word to come to mind. Hope I don't spoil the surprise for you. I liked that I still had another dessert course to go after I finished that! Service is big with me, and this is one of those places where your napkin is placed in your lap for you, so service was exactly the spoiling treatment you hope for at a place like this. So if you want to really splurge (really splurge) and have a truly fine dining adventure, I highly recommend the Orangery.

Kenny Atkinson at The Orangery was an incredible evening. From the moment you walk into Rockliffe…read moreHall you are treated like royalty and throughout our meal the service was outstanding, with very knowledgeable staff and a kitchen/dining system that works very well. They also allow the staff to show a bit of personality which is always endearing in such desirable places.

This was an enjoyable establishment. Didn't start off well as the waitress did not know what mezcal…read morewas and they were out of the mezcal cocktail. I wasn't a fan of the cocktail flight because it was a bit foamy, but I had better luck with the food. Had a steak special that was reasonably priced and cooked well with a side of broccolini. Enjoyed a salad to start off my meal that was light and fresh. I enjoyed the decor of the establishment with a fun bar area and you could watch the food being prepared. We started off with one waitress and finished our dining experience with a different waitress who was in training but she was very sweet. Overall enjoyable dining experience.

Wonderful meal with wonderful service! Everything we had was really good to outstanding. I can't…read morerecommend the King Prawns enough. When it arrived I thought 'hmm shrimp is not as big as I'd have thought' but then I tasted it and the sauce, shrimp, bread and veggies together were one of the best shrimp dishes I've ever had. I even saved the left over sauce (had it put in a ramekin) and put it on my steak. It was that good. My wife got the pork chops special and it was good too but the beans that were served with it were spectacular. Beans??? I didn't know they could be spectacular. Truffle chips (fries) were quality too. The home made black sheep sticky toffee pudding was also a must try. Lastly, Gosia, our waitress, was knowledgeable and took great care of us. When we are in York, we will be back.

Went out for lunch here today. Having passed it many times & always appeared to be busy. The menu…read moreis extensive with a huge specials board. Tons of seating in coves & circular/square tables. A large bar to stand at if required. Vast amount of space for disabled customers. The food was pretty good & we got 2-4-1 so a bargain really. I had heard some good reviews hence the visit. Would return to try some other meals in the future.

Didnt even want to put one star! Where do i start.. The bar staff are bitchy and nose into…read moreeveryones business, the jukebox is never on, they have a wide range of food on the menu but when i asked for a number of things they didnt have them! Also the toilets absolutley stink of sewerage an the manger the rudest woman i've ever met who also works in the kitchen wears an old mucky hat whilst handling food and it looks unclean aswell enviromental health would have a field day in there!

The Durham Ox is located at the post office end of town, which is not too far from the applegarth…read morecar park. The pub has it's own car park at the back, which is pay and display. Also at the back is an outside seating area which is nice (as long as it's not raining too hard) and has umbrellas which protect you from slight rain. The inside of the pub has lots of seating areas, although this is quite a popular pub and is usually quite busy. The range of drinks is average, which is a little disappointing, Another aspect which is disappointing is the service the bartenders always seem like they want to serve you and them immediately move onto the next customer, which would be understandable if they were really busy, but when they served us they weren't.