2024: a year in review

This is, above all things, a food blog and so the year in review has to primarily about food. But it is inescapable (for me, at least) that 2024 was the year I lost my Minx Cat. I miss her every single day. We have Millie now, of course, who has brought a great deal of joy, but Minx was a great love. D got me a photo book for Christmas of every single picture he had of her, and I must admit, I cried buckets as I looked through it. She was my girl and I will always, always feel the lack of her.

And now I've made myself cry again so let us all move on and talk about good eats in 2024. Looking back over our year - we went to Mull twice which was wonderful. Barcelona in June - now, that was a foodie trip - and a cheeky long weekend in Vienna. We've also had some fabulous ad hoc meals, including our first trip to L'Enclume since it gained its third Michelin star and fish in a shack on the beach in December.

I'm trying to remember highlights, and it is hard, especially since my memory is appalling. D fell in love with the food of Kiln in the summer, and, I have to admit, I still think about the soy glazed chicken thigh. Returning to Cail Bruich was a pleasure and a privilege; the Isle of Wight tomato with smoked crowdie, basil and elderflower was a blinder of a dish. I had possibly the best beef tartare of my life at The Hare in Scawton - and I've eaten a lot of tartares. And I definitely seem to have rediscovered my sweet tooth this year, although Brett's warm chocolate mousse did nearly finish me off.

Chocolate!

Tomato!

In terms of home cooking, I think that the focaccia that I made for our Easter Sunday feast was one of my proudest achievements of the year - and the credit lies entirely with the recipe. We cooked a Murakami inspired menu for my brother - I am now officially obsessed with Japanese rolled omelettes - and introduced our good friends A&K to the wonder that is D's mussel and saffron soup. Scrolling back through our meal planning spreadsheet, I suspect that the most consumed dish was D's mushroom sauce - served with chicken and pork respectively, always to great acclaim. 

And now onwards to 2025. As I write this, snow lies thick on the ground, the sky is entirely devoid of colour and I could very much do with a nap despite it being only 11am. January, as a month, is a shocker. But I am full of positivity and optimism for the year ahead, once this initial hump has been - well, humped. Happy New Year to everyone.

Restaurant Myse, Hovingham

Myse is the latest project from chef Josh Overington and his partner, who up until a couple of years ago, ran a fine dining restaurant in York called Le Cochon Aveugle. We loved LCA and we loved Josh’s food so we’ve been excited to go to Myse for some time now. 

It was certainly an atmospheric journey, the way passing as it does through the grounds of Castle Howard. As soon as we turned off the A-road, or so it seemed, a fog descended. Rising up ahead, looming into the sky, a great obelisk (which I subsequently discovered was a monument to the 7th Earl of Carlisle). It was just the sort of thing to get you in the mood for a cosy snug and a crackling fire, which, happily, Myse provided as soon as we got through the front door. Then it was off to the large, beautifully appointed room for a quick rest before dinner.

Before I go any further, I must say that there was a lot to like about Myse. Despite a small brigade, and an even smaller front of house team, service throughout dinner ran like a well choreographed ballet (all tables are served the same meal more or less simultaneously). Some of the food was very nice indeed. And let's start with some highlights shall we? For example, serving the fabulous sourdough bread, made every day onsite, with a bowl of chicken dripping (as well as a seeded butter) was a stroke of delicious genius.

A "snack" of braised ox cheek, dipped in Yorkshire pudding batter and then deep fried and served with fermented cucumber gel was as wonderful as it sounds: soft, sticky, rich and then with a last minute sparkle of pickle across the tongue.

Three different dishes of mallard made up the main course proper, all of which were lovely, but the star was undoubtedly a sourdough crumpet topped with liver parfait and mallard ham. Crumpets appear to be having a moment (at the moment) and I am all for it. We should be putting more things on crumpet. And eating more mallard which is all that is good about duck with an extra shot of iron-rich oomph.

A small cup of apple juice, made from fruit from the Harewood estate, was served before the dessert courses. Reader, this has ruined all apple juice for me forever. Crisp, sharp-sweet, it was sensational.

So yes, much to like. But, elsewhere, D and I found ourselves referring to some of the food as "clever" or "interesting" rather than delicious. And while there is nothing wrong with clever and interesting, if it isn't quite hitting the delicious mark as well, then I think that's a shame. The team here are obviously very, very interested in foraging for local and unusual ingredients and in preserving them in innovative ways, and also in being creative in the way in which they employ different cooking techniques, but some of what was served just didn't quite come off - purely for our tastes. 

Also worth noting again that the front of house staff is tiny - and this meant that bar service either side of the meal was not as smooth or slick as it could have been. It's a small detail but, of course, when you're paying a substantial sum of money for an experience, such small details do niggle. Again, though, throughout the meal, the staff were wonderful and that they managed all those covers with the limited number of hands without issue and remaining calm and friendly and engaged was a true testament to their professionalism.

The trouble is, there are so many great restaurants with rooms in Yorkshire and the North East now that if you asked me for a recommendation, Myse would not be the first, or even the second or third that would spring to mind. But I'd be fascinated to go back, maybe for the lunch tasting (which I think is slightly shorter) at a different time of year to see how the cooking style shifts with the seasons - I have a feeling that come the height of summer you'd be experiencing an extremely different type of food.

Restaurant Myse

Main Street

Hovingham

York

YO26 4LF