In Hovingham, a pretty village outside York with a river running through it, the chef-patron Joshua Overington has transformed the 19th-century country pub into a classy restaurant with rooms. Dining is focused on Yorkshire produce, but with Noma undertones, and is so good that Myse was awarded a Michelin star within six months of its first service. The style may be Scandi minimalism, but portions are maximalist. Expect 16-course tasting menus featuring dishes such as charcoal pie filled with raw roe deer and smoked caviar. Don’t worry — it’s delicious and, afterwards, the trio of bedrooms are as light and lovely as whipped cream.
Overall score 9/10
Main photo: one of the airy bedrooms at Myse
Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
Climb the stairs to an inviting communal chill-out space with a mid-century vibe and inspiring coffee-table tomes about nature and the environment. Off the lounge area are three cocooning bedrooms. All are a triumph of low-key luxe, with earthy colour schemes and hygge highlights such as wonky wooden bowls, woolly fabric chairs, chunky knit cushions and artfully arranged vases of goat willow. They escape any suggestion of vanilla anonymity thanks to original features such as exposed stone, feature fireplaces, airy sash windows and restored beams. This is a restaurant with rooms, so the bedside nibbles are a cut above, including home-cured charcuterie and Yorkshire parkin wrapped in wax paper. Spacious wet rooms have aromatherapy-inspired Chapter Organics products.
Food and drink
Score 9/10
Dinner starts in the small, sheepskin-strewn sitting room with intriguing canapés such as the summer field biscuit, which is as intricately carved as an Indian temple door. One of the knowledgeable waiting team will then lead you through to the pared-back restaurant dominated by an open kitchen where chefs work with an intensity worthy of an operating theatre. If you’re lucky Overington’s signature dish — hand-dived Orkney scallop baked in its shell with sea-urchin butter — will be on the menu but every plate is presented with Picasso-like perfection, from the delicate wild halibut with Lindisfarne oyster and leeks to the gutsy duck and walnut wine broth with liver crumpet. For the sweet-toothed, desserts may include a tangy citrus marigold ice cream with plum kernel oil and candied oak church raspberries — but nothing beats the sugar high of day-old bread, soaked in custard, caramelised and served with pots of sweet jams. Breakfast is another series of tempting dishes, with every detail considered, including instructions on how to use its boiled egg topper.
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What else is there?
Score n/a
The focus here is firmly on the food, so don’t expect any further facilities.
Where is it?
Score 9/10
The extraordinary Castle Howard which, depending on your age, you will think of as Sebastian Flyte’s home in the TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited or the Duke of Hastings’s mansion in the Netflix drama Bridgerton, is ten minutes’ drive away and the 18th-century stately home and its 8,000-plus acres are a joy to wander. The Howardian Hills and the North Yorkshire National Park are on your doorstep, while York is a 30-minute drive away.
Susan d’Arcy was a guest of Myse
Price B&B doubles with dinner from £470
Restaurant set tasting menu £125
Family-friendly N
Dog-friendly Y
Accessible N
restaurantmyse.co.uk
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