Eat and drink in Richmondshire

With such stunning countryside, you’ll not be surprised to find that Richmondshire is full of farmers’ markets and farm shops, not just responding to the latest fad but continuing a centuries’ old tradition of selling fresh local food.

There are also many award-winning restaurants and cosy pubs and of course countless cafes and tea rooms.

A taste of Richmondshire

Enjoy scrumptious local produce in the comfort of your own home, self catering cottage or tent. The county has a fine choice of gourmet foodstuffs – from award winning cheeses and pickles to hand made chocolate. Why not devise your own tasting tour or plan to take some home as gifts?

• The Northern Dales Farmers Markets are a good starting point to see a variety of local produce from local farmers and food producers. Try Richmond’s Town Square on the 3rd Saturday of the month or Leyburn’s Market Square on the 4th Saturday of the month.
• If you’re in the area for May Day weekend, don’t miss the Dales Festival of Food and Drink in Leyburn, which brings together the region’s finest food producers. 
• Chocoholics should head straight for The Little Chocolate Shop, a working factory on Leyburn Business Park producing 200 different hand made chocolates plus marshmallows and toffee.
• Also in Leyburn,the Westfields Farm Bakery has recently moved to the Market Square, with tables for those wishing to eat, as well as some fine teas and organic coffees. The bakery itself is almost entirely organic and uses locally sourced ingredients where possible to produce mouth watering cakes, biscuits, puddings and speciality continental breads - all really tasty, and some are even healthy too!
• Still in the Leyburn area try White Rose Preserves at Hill Top Farm. Using locally sourced fruit and vegetables where possible, the family farm produces a mouthwatering array of award winning preserves including jams, chutneys and dessert toppings.
• For a taste of something completely different call in at Garden House Pottery in Reeth. As well as the on site pottery, Garden House is Britain’s only commercial producer of damson cheese. It is not a dairy cheese, but a dark fruit preserve that has a dense even texture, which in Victorian times was sliced and eaten with port and cream as a dessert.
• Reeth Bakery on Silver Street prides itself on virtually everything being handmade on the premises, using local butter, milk and free range eggs. Find handmade cakes, speciality breads, freshly cooked pies and Swaledale and Wensleydale cheeses.
• The Gift Shop in Reeth also makes ‘Original Swaledale Ice Cream’ on the premises, including sorbets and take-home tubs.
• Angel Chocolates are made by hand in Reeth with no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. They are available from Fatsheep in Reeth and at the local farmers markets.
• For traditional chutneys, jams, jellies and curds drop into Raydale Preserves at School House Farm, Stalling Busk, near Askrigg. You may get the chance to see the preserves being made if you drop in to the tasting room at the family run farm. You could make a day of it by heading for a local walk using one of the thoughtfully provided laminated sheets, or relax and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a slice of home baked cake. 
• Specialist food needs are also catered for in the area. The Gluten Free Kitchen sells a fine range of Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free and even a small selection of Egg Free products. The range includes cakes, breads, puddings and savouries, and can also be found stocked at several local cafes. Visit them at Wensleydale Business Park in Hawes. 
• The Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes is proud to be the makers of the ‘only Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese in the world’. The multi-award winning cheese is handcrafted to a time honoured recipe, using real Wensleydale milk.
• The Station in Richmond is a real find – behind the seemingly innocuous station doors is a cinema and café as well as a growing number of units where artisan food producers make and sell their produce on site. The display of breads, quiches, terrines, frangipane tarts and cakes at Angel’s Share is mouthwatering. And once you’ve stocked up here, you can wander further along and find Laceys Cheese – a selection of handmade cheeses made from locally sourced produce using traditional methods.  Further along is The Richmond Brewing Company Limited, a new venture set up by two experienced head brewers, to produce tasty ales including Richmond Station Ale and Stump Cross Ale. And finally, take a well deserved rest at Archers Jersey Dairy Ice Cream parlour, where delicious seasonally flavoured ice cream is made, where possible, from local fruit.
• The smell of home cooking greets you at Mainsgill Farm Shop, East Layton near Richmond, where everything is prepared freshly each morning for the tea rooms and farm shop. Phone 01325 718385.