Andy Swinscoe
Andy Swinscoe runs the Courtyard Dairy in Settle with wife Kathy. He studied at Sheffield Hallam University and worked briefly for cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield, hand-delivering orders to customers including Buckingham Palace.
What’s your first Yorkshire memory? My dad is a proud Yorkshireman and I remember visiting Leeds on the train from Appleby (where I grew up) and going to Kirkgate Market. The fresh fish on display always caught my eye (as did the tripe dressers), and still to this day I love walking around the market and admiring the produce. Like my dad did then, I love to scare my children with the ugly-looking monkfish heads. I think getting children into food, buying good produce and cooking early is so important and undervalued in this country. Markets like Kirkgate allow you to really connect to the produce and see real food.
What’s your favourite part of the county and why? I am biased but I love the area around Settle, particularly up and over the tops going either towards Kettlewell or up to Ribblehead. It varies from soft and rolling down by Settle, to bleak going over the tops. The dry-stone walls and barns really frame the landscape and I love the fact that many have been there for hundreds of years, just repaired and tweaked over the centuries.
What’s your idea of a perfect weekend/day out in Yorkshire?
I very rarely get to the coast, so for me it would be a walk along the coast to Staithes or Robin Hood’s Bay with my young children, followed by fish and chips, with a cup of tea. To finish the day, I’d sit in front of the fire with a chunk of blue cheese and a good book.
Do you have a favourite walk, or view? If I get a few hours off I love to take my kids up to Feizor, near the Courtyard Dairy. From there you can walk through the woods to Austwick – it’s secluded and relatively unknown but lovely. The short walk has fabulous views across the countryside; and if you time it right the bluebells and woodland flowers are unbelievable.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what or where would it be? Middlesmoor, up the top of Nidderdale. It’s the road to nowhere, you wouldn’t just stumble into that village and area, but the views down across Gouthwaite Reservoir and its secluded nature are hard to beat.
Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub? Where do you start? The improvements on the Yorkshire food scene in recent years have been tremendous. I really admire and love to eat out at both the Black Swan Oldstead and the Angel at Hetton. Both Tommy Banks (of Black Swan at Oldstead) and Michael Wignall (Angel at Hetton) have, off their own back, really promoted our shop. Another one of my highlights eating out over the last few years would be Skosh in York; what they do there is different and really interesting; every time I go I think it is a fabulous experience.
Do you have a favourite food shop? I have two. Robert’s freezer of plenty (as we call it) is brilliant. It’s not so much a food shop, but a small shack with freezers on the side of the A65. You’ll see the signposts for Hellifield Highland Beef just past Skipton. Robert and his wife Wendy farm beautiful Highland cattle that are grass-fed in this area. The quality of their slow-reared traditional beef is amazing. They operate sales from the farm-door, so if you follow the signs from the A65 and ring the doorbell, Wendy will come out to their little shop and freezer where they sell beef that they rear on their farm. I also love Growing with Grace up at Clapham. I sometimes think we forget just how tasty fruit and vegetables are when they are grown properly; their carrots, tomatoes, even potatoes are a class apart.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner? Sir Patrick Stewart. Many years ago I once was privileged enough to serve his cheesecourse when I worked in fine-dining in Edinburgh and he was performing at
the Fringe. He was a true gent, and his characteristic voice cut across the room as we discussed cheese, and grappa!
His varied career would provide for many great stories.
Which Yorkshire sportsperson, past or present, would you like to take for lunch? I love cricket but am hampered by the fact I really can’t catch. Or throw. Or bat. When I was growing up Darren Gough was the man to admire; I’d love to take him out for lunch and hear his exploits.
Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what? Iamabigfanof Sheffield Wednesday and when I lived in Sheffield used to hold a season ticket. Being a cheesemonger now means that I work every Saturday selling cheese but I still make that special pilgrimage a couple of times a year, with my dad.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? It is a unique county that varies so much from the steel-based cities to the grand old mill towns with their industrial architecture. Away from the cities, the beautiful coast at places like Whitby is contrasted by the starkness of the Moors and lushness of the Dales. With such a wide range of scenery in the countryside and cityscapes, it really has something for everyone; but it seems bound by that Yorkshire personality of pride, coupled with a gruff friendliness.
How do you think Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it? I think one thing that Yorkshire is very good at is not being afraid to change, and at the same time embracing its past and identity – constant reinvention has helped keep it vibrant. Great examples of this are the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Piece Hall in Halifax, both places I truly love to visit.
Who is your favourite Yorkshire author/book/artist/CD/ performer? I love Pulp – Jarvis Cocker’s songs capture an era of the 90s which were fun and exciting. I think they remind me of being young and throwing yourself at life.
If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be? You have to go to Malham and not just visit majestic Malham Cove, but also Gordale Scar and Janet’s Foss. Walking just beyond the limestone pavements at the top, the scenery is truly breathtaking.