As part of our stay at Ox Pasture Hall, we were treated to two meals; dinner in the evening, and breakfast the next morning. We dined in The Courtyard Restaurant, which has been awarded two rosettes for culinary excellence, and is also recommended in the Michelin guide - not bad for a restaurant based just outside Scarborough! Being the food lovers that we are, me and Martin were looking forward to our opportunity to dine in style. The restaurant's menu places heavy emphasis on using local Yorkshire produce, and putting a modern twist on classic dishes; there should be something for everyone to enjoy, and we certainly didn't struggle to find something we liked. In fact, it was quite the opposite; there were so many options that we wanted to try, and I in particular had difficulty choosing just one!




As you would expect from a restaurant that makes it into the Michelin guide, it was beautifully decorated and presented. Crisp white table cloths, sparkling glasses and atmospheric lighting complimented the red furnishings and dark wooden furniture. To me, it felt warm and inviting, unlike some high-end restaurants that can feel too fancy for their own good. There was some music playing in the background throughout our meal, which wasn't to our personal taste but created a very romantic atmosphere, along with the candles placed on each table. It was quite a bit more special than what we're used to, but it is perfect for a special occasion (We celebrated our eight year anniversary that evening, even though it was a good two weeks earlier). If you prefer something a little less formal, there is also the Bistro next door that also incorporates the hotel bar. Those who have brought their dog along for their stay can dine there, as you can eat from the Courtyard Restaurant menu as well as the Bistro menu if you wish.





We were booked in for our evening meal at 6:30pm, and when we arrived we found ourselves a table. I'm not sure if someone was meant to come seat us, but as no one was around we just went for it! However, not long after we had made ourselves comfortable, one of the managers, Alan, came over and brought us the menu. We had decided to sit by one of the bay windows overlooking the front gardens, which was really a very pleasant view. If the weather had been nicer, we could have even sat outside, but it wasn't to be that day. As we were perusing the menu and trying to decide what on earth to go for, we were brought a glass of prosecco to enjoy, which was an unexpected but lovely touch. It meant that we could really celebrate our anniversary, with a glass of bubbly in hand! To drink with our meals, Martin ordered a pint of Boddingtons and I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc - which is very unlike me, as you know I am more of a beer drinker these days. However, having already scoped out the bar earlier in the day, I knew that the beer choice was very limited and not what I like, so a glass of wine it was. It was actually very enjoyable (especially by the second glass!), but it would have been nice to see a better range of beers offered.






To start our meal, we were brought a selection of bread to choose from. All of the options sounded lovely, but we both went for the Cheese and Chive Bread as it is one of our favourites. I am pleased to say that we were not disappointed; still slightly warm from being freshly baked, it turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to what was to come next. A taster of the Tomato and Fennel Soup arrived shortly after, which we both enjoyed immensely. It was very rich, almost sweet and the fennel added an unusual twist to what could have been a very ordinary tomato soup. I personally like fennel in dishes, whereas Martin isn't really a fan but even he enjoyed it - especially with the bread! It didn't take us long to finish that, before we moved on to our starter. Martin surprised me by going for the Goats Cheese Pannacotta with Beetroot and Orange, as he doesn't usually like any of those things! I understood why he had ordered it once it had arrived, though; the pannacotta was so light, smooth and creamy, it almost melted in the mouth. The tangy orange and beetroot provided an interesting contrast, both in texture and taste, and it was easy to pick out the distinctive flavours. As for myself, I went for the Crab Risotto with Shellfish Cream, which was as every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped. It was a lot heavier than Martin's starter, but had a lovely soft texture and the flavour of the crab was just right; not too intense nor too mild. The shellfish cream was a bit stronger, but absolutely delicious and helped to give the risotto that much needed extra moisture. I was sad that I didn't have a spoon so I could finish up every last drop!




We were soon moving onto our mains, which we were very excited to get our teeth into. As mentioned previous, we both struggled with picking just one dish off the menu, as there was so much choice! We were able to choose from both the restaurant and the evening A La Carte menu, which is excellent but only made our decision making even harder. Martin had been eyeing up the Pork and that is exactly what he went for. Comprising of Slow Cooked Pork Belly, Tender Loin of Pork, Homemade Black Pudding, Savoy Cabbage, Sautéed Potato and Red Onion Marmalade, this was a meal that was going to be right up his street. I have to admit that I was a bit jealous when it arrived - as you can see from the image above, it looks utterly sublime. I don't think there was a negative word uttered about his main course; he even exclaimed that the pork belly was one of the best he'd had in some time, as it had been cooked just right. I tried a little and completely agree; I don't tend to choose pork belly as I don't like the fatty layer, but this was cooked so well that it managed to unvoid that unpleasant chewy texture that sets my teeth on edge. The star of the show from Martin's point of view was the black pudding, however; it had such an extraordinary taste that I don't think we've ever come across before, and it was demolished faster than you can say "black pudding"! My main was long debated over, but in the end I went for the Chicken Roulade with Mushroom Risotto. Yes, I enjoyed the risotto in my starter so much, that I went for it again! This was probably a mistake as it was so filling, and the portion was so generous that I couldn't finish it all, but it was a pretty spectacular dish. I've never had chicken roulade before so didn't really know what to expect - it turned out to be wrapped in bacon and stuffed with olives and peppers. The olives in particular were a bit of a surprise, but I can see why they were included; it offered a very characteristic flavour to an otherwise traditional dish, without being overpowering. The chicken was a bit too dry in places, but was made up by the velvety consistency of the risotto. There was a variety of mushrooms within the risotto, which provided little bursts of flavour throughout the dish. The thick cut bacon meant that this already hearty dish was made even more so, but it worked well with the style of the dish.





Last, but by no means least was the desserts menu, which I can never resist. I might have been full to bursting, but I deliberately left a bit of room for pudding! We were given a small taster of the Pineapple Sorbet and Milk Ice Cream before our desserts arrived, which worked well as a palate cleanser. Neither me nor Martin like pineapple as a rule, but with the milk ice cream it was actually quite enjoyable as it took the edge off the sweetness. We have also never tried milk ice cream before, and I don't think it was anything like what we expected. The flavour was on the sweet side yet very delicate, but it was the texture that intrigued us. Regular ice cream is thick and luxurious, yet this had more of a texture akin to a sorbet; it's very difficult to describe, but it almost had a grittiness to it which wasn't unpleasant at all. In fact, I liked it so much that I wanted to try it again, so for my dessert I chose the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and Milk Ice Cream. Let me tell you, by the end of it I really was full! The sticky toffee pudding was moist and very dense, due to the unexpected dates that made up its whole. These were not mentioned on the menu, so it was a bit of a surprise, but it didn't take away from how much I enjoyed it. Martin was happy to steal some of my butterscotch sauce, as I was given a very generous amount, even by my standard! I completely covered the pudding, and then some and there was still half of the jug left. The milk ice cream was the same as before but served on a bed of "sand", in which I could taste cinnamon quite exclusively. For me, whilst I enjoyed my dessert and I would have it again, it lacked that something special that was prevalent in the previous dishes. Martin was giddy with excitement when he spotted the Retro Classics, consisting of Malted Milk Arctic Roll and Milk Chocolate Fudge Cake; he loves malted milk so it was the obvious choice for him. The ultimate in comfort food, Martin was pleased to discover that there were crunchy malt pieces within his arctic roll, and it was just as malty as he'd hoped. The fudge cake was delightfully rich and the small piece was just enough, thanks to the creamy fudge layers in the middle, and icing on top. He only allowed me to try a very small piece of each as he enjoyed it so much, which was probably for the best as I had enough of my own dessert to finish!




We left The Courtyard Restaurant that evening with very full bellies, and took ourselves off to the bar for a nightcap before heading to our suite. A gin and tonic for me, and more Boddingtons for Martin! We ended up staying perhaps for longer than we should have done (oops), but eventually we retired with an ice bucket to enjoy one last drink with. So full were we from our evening meal, that I didn't honestly think that we would be able to manage a cooked breakfast the next morning, but it turns out we did! Breakfast was served again in The Courtyard Restaurant, and we sat at the same table as we had the previous night. We were introduced to the continental breakfast selection when we sat down, which included yoghurt, fruit compotes, bread, cereals, croissants, teas and juices. We decided to go for some croissants to start, before moving onto the cooked breakfast. They were very well done, to the point where they were crumbling everywhere, which made for a very messy table very quickly! They were incredibly crisp on the outside - a bit too crisp for my taste - but lovely and soft in the middle. There was a selection of jams and marmalades, as well as butter, provided on the table for us to work our way through.




Finally, for the last meal of our stay, we indulged in a Full Yorkshire Breakfast each. This was cooked to order, rather than a buffet-style selection but we were still able to omit certain items that we didn't like without a problem. Martin chose to leave out the tomatoes and mushrooms from his, and I left the tomatoes out from mine. In our cooked breakfast was our choice of Free Range Eggs (scrambled for Martin, poached for me), Local Pork Sausage, Grilled Back Bacon, Mushrooms and Black Pudding. The eggs were done just right for both of us; with a runny yolk in my poached egg, and fluffy and light scrambled egg for Martin. The pork sausages were very rich, as was the black pudding - although Martin was disappointed to see that it wasn't the same black pudding from the previous night! The bacon was perfectly tasty but wasn't crispy enough for us, as we like it well and truly cindered - and the mushrooms for me were enjoyable, but it would have been nice to see some variety. All in all, it was a delicious breakfast that prepared us for the day of travelling ahead, and made for a great end to a fantastic stay.