survey result

Summary

£85
 ££££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“We were sad when the Rattle Owl closed in York, but delighted when the chef and front-of-house team opened this venue in Helmsley” – Tom Heywood & Laurissa Cook opened this small venue with just six tables fed by an open kitchen with a strong emphasis on “using as much local produce as possible and minimal wastage”. There’s a four-course tasting menu for £55 per person or an eight-course option for £95 per person, both providing cooking that’s somewhat “different from the usual”. In particular “the drinks pairings are superb”, and incorporate some “lovely, well-chosen wines”.

For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Pignut?

12 Bridge Street, Helmsley, YO62 5DX

What the Newspaper Critics are saying

The Times

Charlotte Ivers was spellbound by a meal of “magical touches” in a converted terraced house in a North Yorkshire market town, where young founders Tom Heywood and Laurissa Cook focus on local produce.

“It all tastes as if it was dug up moments ago, as if the deer was strolling past when it met its maker and our plates,” while beef tartare from Castle Howard flavoured with Yorkshire blue cheese was “remarkable: pungent yet delicate”. 

The father figure of the burgeoning food scene in this part of North Yorkshire, Charlotte suggested, is Andrew Pern of the famous Star Inn at Harome, the village next door. Laurissa worked there, as did Josh Overington of Mýse, just down the road.

Charlotte Ivers - 2025-04-13
12 Bridge Street, Helmsley, YO62 5DX
Opening hours
Not Set

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