Cross Butts Hotel and Restaurant, Whitby (From The Northern Echo)

Farm full of charm

3:14pm Friday 13th January 2012 in Reviews By Nigel Burton

Nigel Burton finds life down on the farm extremely appetising when he visits Cross Butts Stable Restaurant.

IF YOU’RE looking to enjoy a special meal in great surroundings, an old cow shed doesn’t sound like a promising venue.

However, the Cross Butts Stable Restaurant, on the outskirts of Whitby, is no ordinary byre.

The farmhouse buildings date back to 1691, and the stables are thought to be even older. No expense has been spared on bringing them into the 21st Century, from the impressive stained glass window by the entrance, to the magnificent stone staircase which leads up to a lounge area, which commands stunning views of the Esk Valley.

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We arrived on a chilly evening in December so there was precious little of the view to be had, but we could still admire the floodlit thatched roof gazebo from the garden room. Given the nip in the air, it was good to see a well-stocked log burner blazing away as we took our seats.

John Morley, who runs the business with his wife, Sue, was a highly successful Holstein cattle farmer before losing his herd during the footand- mouth epidemic in 2001, even though none of his animals had shown any signs of the disease.

The trauma left John a broken man – his days as a cattle farmer were over – so a new business was needed. As Sue was already running a modest bed-and-breakfast business at the farmhouse, they looked to expand the idea by developing disused stone buildings. With help from the English Rural Development Programme, they created a unique mix of old and new with a menu designed to show off the quality and range of meats produced by farmers in Yorkshire and the North-East.

So much for the potted history – but what of the food?

The menu offers a tempting array of traditional “farmhouse” dishes – pate, steak and ale pie, fish and chips etc – plus a selection of dishes from further afield, like the marinated beef kebabs, the chicken jalfrezi or the beef juttputt, but always with a twist. Everything is freshly prepared by a team of nine chefs (led by a former chef to the royal family of Bahrain) and served promptly by courteous staff.

FOR my starter, I had the beer-glazed ribs, which had been marinated in home-made barbecue sauce, and my wife, Jane, opted for the shredded confit of duck leg, wrapped in light spring rolls and drizzled with plum sauce.

The delightful aroma given off by the ribs had my mouth watering before the plate reached the table. The meat tasted smoky and sweet, just as it should be, and, in combination with the perfect glaze, they made for a true sticky-fingered treat.

The secret to a good confit of duck is preparation.

The meat must be prepared and refrigerated for up to 36 hours prior to cooking, which takes several more hours. Done right, the meat should be so tender as to virtually melt in the mouth, as was the case here. Filling it into spring rolls gave the starter extra substance and the home-made plum sauce was a well-chosen condiment.

On to the main course, and I opted for the Stables Sizzler – strips of chicken breast or beef stir-fried with mixed peppers, onions and chestnut mushrooms, flavoured with a Chinese cocktail sauce and served with oriental noodles.

Jane opted for the beef juttputt – strips of fillet steak cooked in rich tomato, ginger and chilli, served with pilau rice, a salad-filled poppadom and naan bread.

The sizzler certainly lived up to its name, arriving, as it did, on its plate hissing and spitting with indignation. This was a stir-fry to be proud of – lovely seared meats with that wonderful caramelised taste only high temperatures can bring out and a complimentary ginger sauce that made a terrific accompaniment.

If anything the beef juttputt is even hotter – that’ll be the chilli for you – and, as such, isn’t a dish for the faint of heart. Thank goodness the crisp salad- filled poppadom is on hand to calm things down for anyone unwary enough to take a big mouthful of fillet steak. Excellent value for money.

By now we were both feeling very satisfied but I just had enough space for a selection of icecreams (locally made, naturally).

Jane opted out of the dessert and went straight for a cup of herbal tea to wash down her main course.

All in all, our visit to Cross Butts was a memorable occasion. I wasn’t surprised to learn that the business has become a leading venue for weddings (already fully booked for 2012) and that more than 2,000 guests had enjoyed a Christmas party. On Christmas Day, John and his staff even cooked 30 dinners for workers drilling for potash at a nearby mine and delivered them in a van.

Clearly, the Morleys have put as much care and attention to detail into their restaurant as John did into his prize-winning herd of cattle.

Only this time, there’s a much happier ending.

Prices: Stables spare ribs, £5.95; duck spring rolls, £4.95; stables sizzler, £13.95; beef juttputt, £13.95; locally made ice-cream selection, £4.55.