A taste of the best in the Wolds!
MASTERCHEF’S EDDIE SCOTT HELPS RELAUNCH UNIQUE YORKSHIRE WOLDS RETREAT WITH HIS SIGNATURE DISH
A POPULAR East Yorkshire cookery school and holiday base is celebrating a new name and identity.
Yorkshire Wolds Cookery School and Highfield Farm Guest Accommodation has changed its title to the shorter Wold Escapes, to better reflect its offering in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds countryside. A launch event was held to mark the change, with nibbles and taster workshops provided by Yorkshire chef Stephanie Moon and lunch served by Beverley’s Eddie Scott, the former Humber pilot, who claimed the BBC Masterchef trophy in 2022.
Eddie cooked up his famous lamb biryani of Hyderabad, his signature dish on the hit cooking show. He spoke to the audience of invited guests, including the new High Sheriff of the East Riding, fellow chef Tina Cerutti, about his time on Masterchef, as well as working alongside James Mackenzie at the Michelin-starred Pipe & Glass, at South Dalton, and at the three-star Michelin restaurant, Gordon Ramsey in London.
Georgina Renfrew, manager at Wold Escapes, said: “We are incredibly pleased to share this little part of the Yorkshire Wolds with more people through Wold Escapes. It is so beautiful down here, whether you are staying with us in one of our glamping cabins or in one of our bed and breakfast rooms, holding a private function or participating in one of the classes at our cookery school.”
Based just outside the village of Southburn, near Driffield, the cookery school with bed and breakfast rooms first opened in 2010 and added glamping cabins in 2021, just after lockdown was lifted. A fifth, larger cabin was introduced last September and Wold Escapes has just announced that all nine of its bed and breakfast rooms in the main farmhouse, along with the cookery school’s kitchen, are to be bookable for private hire.
“We think it will appeal to such as family groups, birthday or hen parties and maybe walking or cycling groups, as we are on the Way of the Roses route and not far from the start of the Wolds Way,” said Georgina. “The rooms and kitchen can be hired out as one and could be ideal for a Christmas gathering, for example.”
The success of the glamping cabins, with more and more people coming to enjoy the area, led to the decision to rebrand to Wold Escapes, a place where guests can come to relax, learn new skills and enjoy the countryside on foot or by bike.
Georgina said: “There are quite a lot of footpaths around us, with lovely views, that are not open to the public and that our guests can enjoy, which is a big selling point for us.”
The launch event included a celebration cake depicting all aspects of Wold Escapes, designed, made and decorated by Rachel Kirkwood, a long-standing tutor at the cookery school. Local artist Peter Watson also exhibited some of his paintings of the area, as well as
demonstrating live painting, in one of the cabins that was set up as a gallery for the day.
For more information, visit woldescapes.co.uk or @wold escapesyorkshire on Instagram or @woldescapes on Facebook.