March 28, 2024

Horto at Rudding Park receives recognition in the Good Food Guide 2018

Horto at leading luxury Harrogate hotel Rudding Park is delighted to have received recognition in the Good Food Guide 2018, an annual compilation of the best UK restaurants and chefs showcasing outstanding talent and commitment to excellence. Newcomer Horto, which received an overall cooking score of 5, topping other Harrogate based restaurants included in the guide, was praised for its kitchen garden inspired concept with mature and confident dishes marked by contrasting textures and original combinations.

Horto, meaning kitchen garden in Latin, originally launched as a pop up-concept at the hotel’s Golf Club in 2016 and proved an instant hit with guests, locals and critics. The focus of the restaurant is on fresh and forward-thinking dishes inspired by the kitchen garden at Rudding Park, which produces over 100 different types of fruit, vegetables and herbs under Head Kitchen Gardener Adrian Reeve’s expert cultivation; allowing Horto Head Chef Murray Wilson to create innovative menus derived from a plot to plate concept.

Now with a permanent home at the hotel’s new spa, which opened in May 2017, Horto has upped the ante. Described by the Good Food Guide as “elegant and contemporary”, the stylish setting features a sleek bar for a herbal infused cocktail or two, before guests make their way to the cool white restaurant space enlivened with original art works and seating providing vibrant pops of colour.

By night, Horto Restaurant offers an a la carte menu featuring the likes of local Whitby Crab, Wetherby Hogget and a home-grown Yorkshire strawberry dessert. The piece de resistance is an ever-evolving seven or nine-course tasting menu, which is best kept a surprise, taking diners on an immersive culinary journey bursting with both flavour and flair and can be complemented by a drinks pairing menu.

Stand out dishes for the Good Food Guide reviewer included Chef Murray Wilson’s Kitchen Garden Salad, described as a “winning collation of leaves and herbs served with bacon, millet and a dinky bread role with an intense herb butter”, whilst a course of Whitby crab was praised for its flavour and accompanying garden-fermented kombucha, later followed by a “tiny cornet of sorbet bursting with sorrel and tarragon”.  Other dishes receiving special recognition included a pot of smoked eel, millet grains and buttermilk and a dish of whipped mozzarella cheese with a caramelised tomato and an intensely flavoured ‘tomato water’.

Peter Banks, Managing Director at Rudding Park commented on the Good Food Guide recognition: “For us to achieve a score of 5 is outstanding when you consider the Michelin star Yorke Arms in Ramsgill and The Star at Harome achieved a score of 6 and this fantastic achievement is a testament to the dedication and skill of the Kitchen Garden and Kitchen teams.” 

By night, Horto Restaurant offers a three-course a la carte menu priced at £54 per person and a seven-course tasting menu available Sunday to Thursday is £64 per person with an optional drinks pairing at an additional cost. On Friday and Saturday, Horto Restaurant offers a nine-course tasting menu priced at £69 with optional drinks pairing at additional cost. Menus are seasonally inspired and therefore change on a regular basis. Both residents and non-residents are warmly welcomed to Horto at Rudding Park.

For further information and reservations, please visit www.ruddingpark.co.uk, call 01423 871350 and follow on Twitter @RuddingPark @RuddingParkSpa @HortoatRP, Instagram @RuddingParkHotel @hortorestaurant and Facebook (Rudding Park Hotel).