Oswalds Restaurant with Rooms

General Manager Peter Szymansky oversaw a three year long refurbishment program, and then appointed of one of North Yorkshire's top six chefs, Kevin Mulaney. He trained in one of London’s top French eateries and spent nearly 30 years in the West End, and holds two AA Rosettes. Now back home up north, he lives with his family in Helmsley and is delivering what he describes as “London food in Yorkshire portions using the best Yorkshire ingredients.”

He brings a relaxed attitude to the dining experience at Oswald's and is keen to encourage customers to come in and eat when they want - for example, the lunch menu is available from 12pm right up to 6.30pm from Tuesday to Saturday, featuring dishes from £5.25 to £12.95

On Sundays, a pianist serenades the diners during lunch service but the stars of the show are the whole roasts which are brought ready to carve to the table (plus all the trimmings of course). They offer a choice of boned and rolled leg of lamb, loin of pork or beef.

The lunch and dinner menus change every day. Depending on what’s in season, there are one or two daily specials. Starters included roast tomato and sweet pepper soup and organic pork, garden herb and pancetta terrine with clove scented pease pudding and asparagus veloute. I chose the Yorkshire Brie wrapped in Parma ham with parmesan crackling and spinach oil puree and my husband (aka ‘The Blond’) opted for twice-baked goat’s cheese and chive soufflé in a spaghetti of vegetables bound with sauce verte.

My very elegant baked Brie was very good, topped by an exceedingly tasty Parmesan wafer. The Blond’s soufflé was light with a pleasing cheesiness and the addition of the julienne vegetables gave a welcome textural contrast.

Choosing a main wasn’t simple, as several dishes sounded worthy of note. Which would you pick from grilled filet of thick cut cod with carrot and cardamom paste, herb oil and pommes Parmentiere; local pheasant supreme with sage scented stuffing, honey Puy lentils and fried thyme sauce; roast butternut squash with watercress and mushroom parfait, spiced chicory, Romesco sauce and game chips; (that sounds like an interesting veggie dish) grilled salmon fillet with sauté king scallops, tomato and basil salad and mussel velute or noisette of pork fillet with belly pork, with honey Puy lentils, apple puree and thyme sauce? You see our dilemma! In the end I choose the salmon fillet, the Blond took the pork.
                     
The presentation of the main courses was thoughtful and stylish - you could see great care had gone into the structure and individual elements of each dish. The juicy fresh mussels and scallops on my plate were all delicious; the coral of the king scallops adding an extra depth of flavour. Even the tiny sliced cherry tomatoes underneath the salmon fillet were noticeably flavoursome. The fish was perfectly cooked and the skin beautifully crispy, however there was too much salt on the skin which I had to remove. Perhaps most diners don’t actually eat the skin...but I love it when it is so well crisped. It was my only niggle with a lovely plate of food. [NB:Kevin, the chef said that in his opinion the skin shouldn’t be eaten and the salt is supposed to infuse through the skin to add flavour but then be discarded on the plate].

The belly pork on my husband’s plate was meltingly soft - the fat on belly pork always gives it the edge over other cuts of pork in my opinion. Scrumptious sides of roast potatoes and nicely cooked chunks of carrot and swede were served in clay flowerpots.

Just one dessert was ordered as I threw in the towel and left my companion to soldier on alone. The dessert menu had Bailey’s crème brûlée with Yorkshire shortcake compote individual sherry trifle vanilla panna cotta, Chantilly cream, hedgerow berry coulis, Kevin’s glazed lemon tart with boozy prune jam and clotted cream and slate of local cheeses and provisions.

A piece of Kevin’s lemon tart won the fight. Kevin can plainly put out good desserts as well as savoury dishes as his pastry was fine and crisp. The spoonful of sweet sticky prunes with a hint of booze went well with the piquant lemon and the thick rich cream, but the swirl of berry coulis seemed a bit superfluous. It wasn’t mentioned on the dish’s description so perhaps it was just intended as a colourful garnish.

Church Farm is now a long way from cow sheds and pig sties (where the real James Herriot used to be the local vet) and soon a farm shop and winery will be opening next to the Restaurant.

Before I forget, jazz aficionados should check out the regular live jazz and swing evenings at Oswalds - just pop in for a drink and enjoy the music, or have a 4 course meal as well.

Since the beginning of March, 2010 we have a new and exciting head chef,  Kevin Mulraney. While at Pinchinthorpe Hall Kevin held 3 AA Rosette awards consecutively and is considered one of the top six master chefs in Yorkshire.

Before joining Oswalds, Kevin was classically French trained at the Naval and Military club Piccadilly and has 23yrs of experience in London's West End, notably in the Ivy restaurant in Covent Garden and Lindsey House Soho.

His contemporary style of cooking has been the subject of a number of rave reviews in publications such as Yorkshire Life. It's obvious that Kevin Mulraney is passionate about food but he also has strong views on the importance of using local produce.

Strawberries in the winter or perfect tomatoes from Holland  may be commonplace in your local supermarket but they have no place in Kevin's kitchen.

With these strong views in mind, Kevin has created menus to suit the environment and also support local traders and farmers alike.
 
Our new farm shop with its own butchery department, deli and winery opens at the end of April, selling locally produced provisions, speciality hams, sausage, select cuts of meat as well as bakery and delicatessen. Fresh bread will be baked daily on the premises as well as home made cakes. Local and continental cheeses and meats, speciality pickles, jams and marmalades etc will all be on sale.

The delicatessen section will include a coffee shop. The winery will stock a substantial selection of wines, beers and champagnes and everyone is welcome.
 
New opening times from April onwards, will be; lunch and afternoon tea served 12noon to 6.30pm, dinner 6pm to 9pm. closed Monday lunch.

The bar now open to non residents. The restaurant opens to the public on Saturday and Sunday 8am to 10.30am for a delicious Yorkshire breakfast, £7.95.
 
Special lunch time offer, any main course + glass of house wine+ coffee £9.95!!