A North Yorkshire restaurant has received a ‘Very Good’ overall rating in the Good Food Guide.
The Pignut & the Hare, located in the village of Scawton near Helmsley, has received the recognition just six months after opening.
The nationally recognised dining guide described the restaurant as “a dazzling culinary adventure in a remote Yorkshire inn”, and gave exceptional scores for both uniqueness and deliciousness, alongside very strong ratings for warmth and strength of recommendation.
It was praised for its originality, technical confidence and sense of place.
Reflecting on the recognition, co-owners Tom and Laurissa Heywood said: “We’re incredibly proud to receive a ‘Very Good’ rating from the Good Food Guide, especially after only six months of being open.
“To have our work recognised at this level so early on in our new location means a huge amount to us and the whole team.”
They added: “Moving was a leap of faith, but this review reassures us that we’ve found the right home for what we do. We’re passionate about cooking with the seasons and creating an experience that feels both special and welcoming – and we’re excited to keep building on that.”
The building was formerly a village pub and later operated as a tasting-menu restaurant with rooms before being taken over by Tom and Laurissa in summer 2025.
Following the change of ownership, the Heywoods carried out a light refurbishment, creating what the Guide describes as a “calm, contemporary dining space using muted and neutral tones”.
Pignut & the Hare now operates as a tasting-menu restaurant with rooms, offering a two-tier menu priced at £65 for the half tasting menu and £110 for the full tasting menu, with optional organic and biodynamic wine pairings.
Dishes singled out in the review include trout tartare with fig-leaf emulsion, pork belly cooked over a Konro grill with a sweet cicely-infused barbecue sauce, and a dish of brown butter hollandaise with glazed lion’s mane mushroom. Later courses feature lamb, mussels, hake and venison.
Desserts received particular acclaim, with an “outstanding” penny bun and lion’s mane mushroom ice cream topped with mushroom and coffee crumb, followed by a playful final course, ‘Nan’s cake tin’ — a nostalgic reference to Tom’s childhood, served as a retro tin filled with miniature butterfly buns.
The Good Food Guide also commends the front-of-house team, led by Laurissa, for creating “a warmth and informality that’s sometimes absent from high-end dining.”
The guide concluded that, in this quiet corner of North Yorkshire, the Heywoods have found “the perfect home for Tom’s considerable talent”.
To find out more about the Pignut & the Hare, visit their website here.
