Harrogate's West Park has given its courtyard and bar a makeover, making it one of the most attractive looking spots for an alfresco lunch in the city.
Diners and drinkers at the former coach house can now make the most of the gorgeous summer weather, thanks to the addition of a new retractable roof and outdoor bar in the courtyard.
It's also introduced some new food and drink menus, which champion local Yorkshire produce at every turn - from fruit and veg to Yorkshire-farmed Warrendale wagyu beef.
In fact, bosses are so committed to growing local that the hotel even has its own kitchen garden in the Walled Gardens of Mount St John, Felixkirk.
The roof here can easily be closed if the weather turns and the hotel also has another trick up its sleeve to keep you warm: heated seats.
Yes, the delicate teal booths conceal heated pads to give you that added boost of warmth if needed. These can be turned on or off at your request.
The new outdoor bar is well stocked with local and international ales, spirits and wines. West Park has also created a brand new cocktail menu, featuring such delights as the rhubarb and wild berry sour.
On the food side, meanwhile, choices range from rump of Yorkshire Warrendale wagyu beef and peppered tuna sashimi, to Indian spiced pulled chicken wrap, and warm goats cheese and roast mediterranean vegetables.
Already famous for its warm Yorkshire welcome, culinary delights, and stunning views of the lush green Harrogate Stray, the hotel now has even more things to recommend it.
Speaking of the refurbishment, a spokesperson for the hotel group said:
‘’The privilege of welcoming back our loyal customers alone is quite something after a turbulent year, but to be able to knock them for six with our eye-popping makeover makes it even better.
"The design is beautiful and the heated seating, heat lamps and retractable roof ensure we can welcome guests come rain or shine.’
‘’The makeover is the result of public demand, with more of our customers seeking out alfresco venues to soak up as much of the sun as they can.
"It’s the perfect setting to unwind and indulge in what I believe to be our most ambitious and mouth-watering food menus to date, especially for those that love their hearty British comfort food, prime steak and seafood.
"We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to The West Park Hotel.’’
Part of the award-winning Provenance Inns Group, the hotel is connected to a string of gastro pubs and boutique hotels located around the North of England. For more information and to book, head to its website.
Eats
A new cocktail and record bar has opened in the former mills at Farsley
There's another new opening in Farsley - this time an incredibly cool listening bar and cocktail bar.
Tucked away in Sunny Bank Mills, Pardon Me is a bar built around 'music, atmosphere, and detail'.
Bartenders here create well-made cocktails and pour natural wines in front of a wall of vinyl records, while a playlist of hip hop, soul, jazz, funk, deep house, and disco soundtracks your evening.
The stylish space features a considered sound system that's been built around Danley speakers.
Pardon Me has opened with the intention of creating a space where 'sound sits at the centre, and everything else supports it'.
It's been launched by Scott Rapson, who grew up in the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with music around the time of the arrival of hip hop in the early 80s.
He then spent time travelling for raves, and visiting venues like Glasgow’s Sub Club and London’s Plastic People, giving Scott an appreciation for how 'music can shape a room, not just fill it'.
Scott and his partner Laurie have then spent the past three years travelling Europe, visiting listening bars across the continent to shape the foundations of Pardon Me.
Inside Pardon Me in FarsleyCocktails at Pardon Me
They say that sound, look, atmosphere, service and style are treated with equal importance.
Whether it's for coffee during the day, or drinks into the evening, they want Pardon Me to be a place to spend time, looking out across Sunny Bank Mills.
Scott says he's built the bar with the support of family and friends, plus Laurie helping to bring the idea to life, already finding a warm welcome within the Farsley community.
Pardon Me is open now at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley.
Posh bakery chain Gail’s is finally coming to Yorkshire
Daisy Jackson
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
Gail's has now confirmed the opening, with a spokesperson saying: "GAIL’s is excited to confirm it is opening a new bakery in Harrogate later this year. The opening will bring GAIL’s craft baking to the community, including creating a number of craft baking, barista, and management roles.
"We will also be donating surplus baked goods through our Neighbourly partnerships. This is part of our ongoing commitment to giving back to the communities we serve and improving access to quality food and drink on the high-street."
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Georgina Pellant -
10th June 2021 
