The Hotel Review: The Pheasant Hotel, Harome, North Yorkshire, UK
Review: Mike Jones
This traditional country-style hotel sits in the quaint North Yorkshire village of Harome, overlooking the very cute duck pond. The Pheasant Hotel is also a foodie paradise with its’ award-winning restaurant building up a stellar reputation largely by word of mouth and deservedly scooping the top spot for the much coveted ‘Best Restaurant 2017’ at the Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards, with head chef, Peter Neville, at the helm.
This 16 room hotel was once a blacksmiths shop and most definitely holds its’ original rustic charm. The laid-back, friendly atmosphere invites with an open fire and comfy sofas and there is also an indoor heated swimming pool. You won’t be short of places to visit nearby with the North Yorkshire Moors being close at hand, and traditional market towns to while away the day, and the great city of York is a short drive away.
The hotel has a license for weddings and civil ceremonies, and for a traditional ceremony, Saint Saviour’s church is located just across the road which makes this a super sweet wedding destination all round and can cater for 60-80 guests. The hotel terrace makes the perfect spot to host a drinks reception and the surroundings make for pretty wedding photo backdrops.
Our arrival experience was excellent; we were met instantly by Liam who showed us around the hotel, and he gave us the same great personal service throughout our stay. Liam talked us through the facilities and showed us to our room. We were staying in The Farndale room which features a four-poster bed which held pride of place in the centre of the room. There are plentiful country-style fabrics, furnishing and scattered cushions in chintzy florals and plaid, which really gave this room a homely and cosy feel. The bathroom was modern, shower and complementary toiletries; selection of bath soaps, shampoo and shower gel. We liked the fact that separate pool towels were also provided together with the luxurious robes and slippers. There are several room types available here including family/ dog friendly rooms, duck pond view rooms, the duplex Pheasant suite and the romantic Plum cottage.
The Pheasant restaurant offers a seasonal a la carte menu and a Tasting menu which is also available with a wine flight match (£55), and is open to both hotel and non-hotel guests. Head Chef Peter Neville (previously of The Star at Harome and Hibiscus in London), is a largely self-taught Chef, and says he cooks what he likes to to eat himself, which is clearly a winning approach noted by the numerous foodie awards this dining destination has accrued. Service from the staff was professional, attentive and polite where there was an air of fine dining formality but with a non-stuffy atmosphere.
We had a glass of champagne recommended by the Restaurant Manager while we chose dishes from the seasonal a la Carte menu. With a selection of enticing plates including starters of ballotine of wild rabbit, with foie gras, and riesling jelly served with rye bread along with the lobster dish of lobster bisque, pickled melon and lobster toast. For mains the venison wellington (for two) teamed with celeriac mash, wild mushrooms and elderberries and the Rievault partridge, choux farci, roasted quince and vegetable presse were strong contenders for us and you’ll be deliberating for a while before you order. The food was utterly superb and our highlight had to be the pig cheek and squid, slowly braised for 18 hours in a squid and tomato sauce – which was a dish we wouldn’t usually go for but it came highly recommended so thought we would give it a go – and we’re so glad we did! Desserts here should also not be missed, the garden plum bakewell and Sicilian lemon and polenta cake with lemon thyme ice cream and Blackberry parfait, honeycomb, honeyed apple and mead jelly were divine. There is also an excellent farmhouse cheeseboard option where you can select some fantastic choices from the trolley.
After a relaxing nights’ sleep in our four poster haven, we selected a full English breakfast from the al a Carte menu, there was also a good selection of choices from the buffet which was well-presented in the conservatory. The service standard throughout our stay was impeccable, welcoming, and most of all friendly. We set off home feeling pretty smug to have discovered one of the finest gems in Yorkshire’s culinary crown
The Pheasant Hotel | Main Street | Harome | YO62 5JG
Doubles from £155 per night, including breakfast.