Restaurant Details

Located on Silver Street in Masham, Vennell’s is easy to miss with its house-like frontage and modest sign but this really is a restaurant worth seeking out.

Run by Jon Vennell, who was formerly the head chef at Haley's Hotel in Leeds, and his wife Laura, the small restaurant seats about 30 people and has a charming, intimate and relaxed ambience.

Using local produce wherever possible, Jon’s dishes offer a modern slant on traditional English food. Simplicity is the key in both the food and the menu, which offers a modest choice of four starters, four mains and four desserts.

I’m always wary of huge menus – after all, how can you guarantee freshness and quality when you have a lot of dishes on offer? – so this was a reassuring sign.

Also a good indication of things to come was a delicious small cupful of cream of leek soup with truffle oil, which was presented as a chef’s appetiser as diners perused the menu.

The starters on offer were carpaccio of roe deer and foie gras with truffle vinaigrette, shaved parmesan and rocket; risotto of squash and cep with parmesan velouti; warm home smoked sea trout with raisin and caper compote; and tortelloni of langoustine with leeks and bacon and shellfish foam.

I chose the tortelloni, which came invitingly presented. The bacon and leek sauce was packed with flavour and the pasta perfectly cooked but the langoustine was slightly overpowered.

My partner went for the carpaccio, a melt-in-the-mouth dish of earthy flavours which tasted simple and yet luxuriously decadent.

All the main courses cost £19.95 and include a starter, and here the choice was just as tempting.

On offer were salt cod with belly pork confit, aubergine caviar, gribiche sauce and turned potatoes; steak and mushroom suet pudding with braised oxtail, creamed potatoes and vegetables; halibut with Jerusalem artichoke puree, wilted spinach, chick peas and 'meuniire' butter; and roasted breast and leg of duck with potato cake, savoy cabbage, shallot and port sauce.

A vegetarian option is also available.

My choice of halibut was a popular one, according to Laura, and it was easy to see why. The meaty fish was perfectly cooked and very flavoursome, and was well complemented by the chick peas and spinach. And the Jerusalem artichoke was so divine, I could have eaten a whole bowl just on its own. The dish was a good size and felt light but substantial.

My partner’s tasty suet pudding was always going to be filling by its nature, so he was pleased to see the portion wasn’t oversized, although the oxtail was so tender and delicious that he could have done with a little more than one bone.

After such an impressive two courses, the desserts (£5.50) didn’t disappoint either.

I chose the warm chocolate fondant with peanut ice cream, which was lovely soft pudding with a runny centre and fabulous ice cream.

My partner opted for the vanilla and grand marnier panna cotta, a rich and creamy dessert counteracted with a scoop of ice cold zesty lemon sorbet.

Also on offer were a passion fruit trio of souffli, posset, and sorbet with chocolate sauce, and five Yorkshire cheeses with chutney, biscuits and bread.

There is a good selection of wine on offer, including – if you’re feeling really flush – a list called Vennell’s Cellar, offering more expensive bottles, the dearest of which is a Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1985 for £270. I chose a more modest 175ml glass of Pinot Grigio (£4) which was lovely and light with a crisp, fruity taste and a hint of honey. My partner chose the Vergul Du Sud (£3.50), a dry, light and fruity red.

Judging from this evening’s meal, I’m definitely making a date in my diary to return and try their Sunday lunch.