FIFTYTWO at Rudding Park: 'I ate at one of Yorkshire's newest Michelin-starred restaurants - it was sublime'

No, I was not watching football or golf; that is his domain.

I was watching this year’s UK and Ireland Michelin star awards live on my laptop, and I was overjoyed to see not one but two new stars for the county.

I have yet to visit the lovely Jöro Restaurant in Oughtibridge Mill, but it is high on my list.

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The second was FIFTYTWO at Rudding Park, Harrogate, a well-deserved accolade, and the town’s first-ever star.

I reviewed FIFTYTWO just after it opened, and despite my slight scepticism about its promise of an immersive experience - an overused word guaranteed to bring out the sceptic in me - I loved it.

I believe I even said it was sublime, and you don’t hear me say that too often. There were a few niggles, but given this accolade, I can only assume the kinks have been smoothed out.

Before I head too far into this review, I should point out that whatever I ate may not be on the menu if you go.

FIFTYTWO works closely with the stunning garden at Rudding Park, with head gardener Emma Pugh and her team collaborating with head chef Adam Degg to supply the restaurant with herbs, vegetables, fruits and edible flowers from the 500-plus varieties all grown in 52 raised beds – hence the name.

Daily, Adam will use whatever is available, in season or what he fancies for his menu; hence the constant change.

However, it is this creative approach that I feel keeps it vibrant and excitingly unknown, though the work behind it must be relentless.

One notable change from my first visit was a new glass-enclosed deck, which keeps inclement weather out while preserving the lovely view and access to the garden, where, in better weather, the pre-dinner drink and canapés are served.

An unexpected little early-evening spring sunshine on our visit meant my friend Jayne and I managed a brief but lovely walk in the garden, and it was a joy to see how much produce there already was, and peeping out, the promise of much, much more to come.

I love the theatre-style approach here. I am/was, after all, a chef, and there’s nothing I like better than watching a talented team in action.

What makes FIFTYTWO so special is that all is on show; there’s nowhere to hide here. We watch in admiration as this tiny team of five expertly dance around each other.

One minute they are checking guests in and handing out nibbles; the next, tweezers in hand, centred and mindfully placing garnish on tiny tarts; basting beef fillet and rhythmically turning it on a hibachi grill over hot binchōtan coals; lifting trays of steaming freshly baked bread from the oven, and on and on.

They are like a well-rehearsed orchestra, with Adam Degg the conductor.

Jayne and I are delighted with the tiny tarts to start with. There’s Yorkshire Pecorino and garden alliums, so delicate they look more like a Philip Treacy hat at Ascot.

An apple blini, smoked roe, nasturtium, and our joint favourite, juniper croustade, with duck liver parfait, madeira, spring onion and buckwheat, and we ponder how something so small could taste so punchy.

I warn Jayne about the moreishness of the fermented potato bread, served with sunflower-seed, satiny-smooth homemade cultured butter and greenhouse herbs.

It has taken me years to pull back on the bread course, and this one puts up a good fight and I can’t blame her for wanting to eat it all.

I am worried the mushroom tartlet of lion’s mane, shiitake, wild garlic and ricotta may be overpowered by the winter truffle, which can be so dominating.

How silly of me; I should have known better. The subtlety of each ingredient is perfectly balanced in Adam’s hand.

I declare the line-caught cod, nestled into a smoked eel sauce with kohlrabi and Oscietra caviar, cannot be bettered; it is a sublime - there’s that word again - dish.

It was almost beaten by the excellent salt-aged Waterford farm beef fillet and its cute oxtail bun, bone marrow and mustard.

Jayne finds her absolute favourite in a tiny bowl of milk ice cream topped with last year’s beetroot - a regular at FIFTYTWO, it is so good - and a blackcurrant wood, which tastes so much better than it sounds.

I totally understood why she loved this; it looks so simple, but it is far from it.

I am mesmerised by the precision with which Adam cuts what he calls a signature dish here: a brown-butter custard tart with rhubarb and sorrel.

It is a work of art, with its perfectly baked pastry and faintest wobble of the warm, buttery egg filling. Finally, this exquisite dinner ended with fresh-from-the-oven madeleines.

There’s still a little of the immersion element here, but it has, seemingly, taken a back seat to the food.

Tables are still shared but comfortably sized and gently curved, so you can choose to have a conversation or not—Jayne and I did a bit of both.

They still do the jukebox, but even the music played is not as intrusive as I remember.

The service here is excellent; the team deliver every aspect, including drinks. We didn’t choose a drinks flight, it being mid-week, but many tables did and it looked interesting.

There a lovely atmosphere, encouraged mainly by the openness and friendliness of the staff, and pretension is clearly off the menu, thankfully.

What they have achieved here is something so special. Hats off to the whole team - we are so lucky to have FIFTYTWO here in Yorkshire.

Any success they have garnered is not just in the kitchen or the service.

A huge thank you must also go to the Mackaness family, Rudding’s owners, for trusting in this unique project, and to Emma Pugh and her team for that unbelievably beautiful garden.

Welcome 5/5

Food 5/5

Atmosphere 5/5

Prices 5/5

FIFTYTWO at Rudding Park, Rudding Lane, Follifoot, Harrogate, HG3 1JH

From 1st June – Wed & Thurs - One sitting 7pm 10 servings, 5 drinks pairings, £135 per person / £65 per person drinks pairing (optional)

Fri & Sat - One sitting 7pm, 10 servings, 5 drinks pairings, £200 per person