The Garden @ Wensleydale Heifer in Richmondshire

Food, service, venue, second to none.

Excellent stay. All was first class and would highly recommend.

A very special place, the staff were lovely, the food was superb, the location is amazing. Not a lot else to say.

Excellent themed rooms, great food with friendly staff.

Second time we have been to this wonderful establishment in 2 year's. It truly is beautiful.... Not just the food but the breathtaking Dale's surrounding it !! One of the loveliest places to eat/drink anywhere. Worth the 4.5 hour's drive from Dunstable... We stayed in Aysgarth for a week which is equally as beautiful a location. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Can't wait to go again some day.

It was such a nice touch to meet the owners David and his dad Lewis. Vince front of house manager was absolutely outstanding. It was obvious from the start how passionate he is about his job and his wine knowledge was incredible. Such a lovely,friendly, caring guy. Graham the chef again friendly,approachable,he delivered an amazing cuisine. Top chef. The waiters,waitress(Adrienne)again friendly and attentive. The rooms were spotless. We had the best 3 days stay. We were sad to say goodbye and I have never felt like this before. My husband and I dine out frequently and I have to say food and price wise they beat some mitchelin star restaurants. We will be back. THANK YOU to the team. You are amazing!

We ate here rather than staying in the hotel. A great place on the edge of the dales.

Was looking for a place to have a nice meal. This was perfect. The food was amazing and service was brilliant. It was pricey but I think worth the price if you’re looking for a nice meal/experience I had the surf and turf and shared a side of the sweet chilli cauliflower. Both dishes where very tasty and perfectly cooked The staff were a little more attentive to the people they knew however this didn’t take away from my own experience.

Great Food, great staff, great experience!!!

We had dinner here for my mum's birthday. The staff were lovely.

Excellent food, we booked again after our first visit. Recommended.

We stayed in the Heifer Hideaway, which was superb. The food at the Heifer is always first class prepared by head chef Craig and his team. I cannot fault anything about the Wensleydale Heifer and would thoroughly recommend it. Five stars all round

Wish I could have spent more than one night at the WH where there was a warm welcome on arrival and our dining arrangements confirmed. Some care is needed accessing the first floor accommodation, with a narrow, steep staircase but assistance is readily available, if needed. Had a warm and cosy room to the rear of the building, with ample wardrobe and drawer space. Bathroom had a walk-in shower, rather than a bath, but that better meets my needs; spotlessly clean throughout and everything worked as it should. In the restaurant, which was busy on the Bank Holiday Monday evening, excellent service where the quality and presentation of all the dishes was exceptional. In similar vein, at breakfast, a wide selection of varied dishes to suit most tastes, from Continental through to their "Full on" Yorkshire. Again, staff were helpful, efficient and not intrusive. Departure was straightforward and the only shame was having to leave so soon for a longish trip home ... Hope to return for a longer stay, should opportunity permit.

Superb team, fabulous food. Once again a great experience and lovely Sunday lunch

Stayed just one night, en route from a trip North. The staff were really lovely. Dinner was amazing, starting with Oysters and the most amazing steaks. No room for dessert this time but they looked really good. The room was very clean, the bathroom and amenities were excellent. We stayed in the Hiefer room which had a starlight ceiling which we kept on all night. The breakfast was really good. All in all, this was the first but most definitely not the last time we will stay here. We're already planning the next excuse to travel up. A must stay or evening meal in the Dales. Beautiful.

Didnt stay here but meals and service were excellent. Not much onsite parking.

We really enjoyed our stay and dinner at The Heifer. Our dog was also well looked after with a bed, treat and sausage at breakfast which was a lovely touch. The seafood and steak we tried were some of the best we’ve had, just wish i had room for the amazing looking puddings! We will be back!

Lunchtime visit, my word what a fabulous place to eat. The food was excellent as were the staff and the setting. What a find.

Amazing.. Superb food, great gluten free options, dog friendly. Top service.. Have rebooked

We went to the Wensleydale Heifer for dinner 4 years ago and the fish pancake was amazing. Managed to go back today, this time with our dog, my mother in law and our 14 month old daughter. I had the fish pie pancake again and it was as delicious as always. Everyone was really welcoming to both the dog and our toddler and didn’t mind her wandering around. Fabulous place

Recently stayed over at the Wensleydale Heifer & loved it. Firstly, all the staff were lovely, friendly & couldn't do enough for you. The evening meal was fantastic, particularly the seafood pancake & the breakfast was great too. We stayed in the Chocolate room which has as much chocolate as you can eat which suited my wife! 😉...all round great time & highly recommend 👌

We enjoyed a wonderful, tasty meal at the Wensleydale Heifer for my Dad’s birthday. From the moment we arrived and throughout the meal the staff were friendly, welcoming & accommodating - overhearing that it was Dad’s birthday and bringing out a birthday balloon, card and a little present! The food was lovely with a good mixture of options to suit the vegetarian in our party and the remaining meat-eaters. Everything was wonderful and I am grateful to the staff for the excellent customer service and for going above and beyond to make my Dad’s day feel special - thank you so much!

We had the most delightful birthday lunch today. Our table had been set with a balloon, birthday card and notebook - how lovely. The food was amazing, so much choice including gluten free options and the service was so special. The food packed an amazing taste punch and was presented beautifully...we were so full we skipped the fabulous looking puddings, but have resolved to return for Round II !!! Thank you.

Stayed in the Hideaway for 2 nights in February with our dog. Such amazing service from all of the staff and the food was exceptional. We will definitely be back!

We were very impressed with the Sunday lunch, service was friendly and very helpful. Veggie choice was good, very tasty & hubby's roast beef was best Sunday lunch he's ever had! We have already recommended to family & friends!! The ambience is very relaxing making a special place to eat.

Another amazing meal at this lovely restaurant. We always try to visit whenever we're up from London staying with family . . Shame there's nothing like it where we live 😪

Stayed in Chocolate Heaven room which was cosy and tasty with plenty of chocolate treats to eat. Dinner was faultless from the welcoming attentive staff, to the excellent service and the food was top class! We ate the famous fish and chips and the lobster and we were fully satisfied. Breakfast was nice. Only slight negative was slightly thin walls and hearing traffic passing by.

We had a two night stay last week with bed and breakfast, and ate in the restaurant for one of the nights. Quality of food and drink, as well as the service, were outstanding, and we are already looking forward to our next visit! Thank you!

We've stayed a few times over the years, and it's always a lovely experience. Food excellent and service wonderful.

We have always fancied eating here but never managed to get booked, but luckily we managed to get a table on Bank Holiday Monday and we are so glad we did the meal was absolutely fantastic and the kids were made to feel very special too, which is always a plus for us as they are always with us, will be back again soon !

Sat here with our drinks before going in for our evening meal.lovely fresh air and birds singing in the trees.Very pleasant and good conversation, especially with people new to the area.It is amazing how little some people from the South know about the North of England.Just hope the don,t get to like it too much.What also amazes these people is the quality of the food we serve here,and the Heifer is obviously one example.

La comida era muy agradable y bien presentado. Servicio eficiente y discreto. Se lo recomendaría a otros y felizmente regresaría si en la zona.

aves temprano comida muy buena selección estupenda. Muy bueno para grupos personal amable. Hemos comido allí antes y volveré cuando en Wensledale.

Me gusta la comida de mar mejor que Nueva York restaurante ja ja sí fue la comida de mar era irritable fui con mi esposa nos encanta allí

Had lunch superb food, service staff so friendly. There was teddy bear and balloon can't wait to go back next year. Excellent well done.

We both had a wonderful meal and overall experience.Setting, service, food, ambiance all help to make a special visit. Only gripe us the 10%service charge automatically added to the bill.We would have left a yip but do not appreciate being told hiw much! Woukd not stop us going again.

Ate here last night ,had a lovely meal ,with very attentive staff. The steak is highly recommended and the food was beautifully presented .Will be coming back soon !

We went here to celebrate my sisters birthday with Sunday lunch. The whole experience is one of friendly quality. The food is fantastic with a great choice, and the service is wonderful. The toilets are also worth a visit, really quirky and fun. We would definately return and would recomend to anyone.

We visited this establishment last Monday for lunch. Friendly greeting from a member of staff. We were quite hungry as it was already 1.30 p.m. We both scrutinised the menu and both decided on Fish & Chips. When it arrived we were both shocked at the size of the fish and the excellent presentation. ( We were told the fish was by no means what they considered large) Although we both enjoy our food it was too much for us and regrettably we had to leave some on the plate. This was an injustice to the chef as the meal was delicious. Leaving ourselves a little time for our stomach's to recover we looked at the dessert menu. My wife chose the "Lemon selection" consisting of 4 different types of sweet on one plate. I went for the "Raspberry Cheesecake". The presentation of both dishes was amazing. (5 Star) Michelin standard. The meal was excellent, the service was excellent. Not the cheapest place to eat but now and again treat yourself and be assured of an excellent meal at this establishment.

What can I say the food is gorgeous . There are 2 areas the fish bar and the main restaurant but both serve the same menu, so it made me laugh when someone complained that they had booked the main restaurant and didn't want to eat in the fish bar????. The fish bar is not as swanky and the main restaurant but who cares when you are eating food not the decor.

Visited for a lovely lunch while on holiday in Yorkshire. Have been to the Wesleydale Heifer on a number of occasion before. So too stayed at this lovely hotel. Glorious quirky rooms very comfortable As always food was delicious, staff excellent and a most enjoyable afternoon. The fish was excellent can't recommend the Seafood Pie enough . Was delighted to find an un-oaked Chardonnay from Franshoek on the very quirky and highly entertaining wine list well worth a read. Do go out of your way to find this gemstone.

Stopped here for lunch on the way home from the dales to Sheffield. Hadn't booked but not a problem. Both had sandwich and chips with the intention of having a pud but, due to the deliciousness of the main course we were too full! Lovely friendly staff, brilliant food and basked in the march sunshine. This is what a breaks about.

Had a tremendous evening meal, our starters of posh prawn cocktail, followed by Irish oysters, then whole Dover sole and a trio of lobster were excellent. Not cheap, about £110 incl tips and a bottle of wine, but well worth it for that special occasion.

This was our second visit to the Heifer and we weren't disappointed. The name and decor are something which could easily put you off but looks can be deceiving- the food is great! Good quality home cooked food with great service. The bonus being dogs are permitted- hoorah! The fish and chips are amazing- the pile of 5 chips don't look like much but some of the best, most flavoursome and filling chips I've ever eaten-OMG! There aren't many other places in the area as lovely as this. If you like good food and friendly service go here!

Great character-ful country pub serving excellent food, stunningly quirky boutique rooms and a very warm Yorkshire welcome. Cannot praise this hotel/pub highly enough.

I visited this restaurant a few years ago and ate meat despite the fact that it is a seafood restaurant. It was very good and I promised myself that I would return and try the fish for which it had made its name. I took my mother for an evening meal recently and was very pleased with our experience. The reception was very good - knowledgable staff. The seating a tables were comfortable although a too little close to each for my liking. We both opted for starters followed by fish dishes (their famous fish and chips and lobster three ways). Very happy with our choices. Couldn't find any room for dessert but looking at and listening to people sat around us I would suggest that they are as good as the rest of the menu.I will be back.

We ate in the restaurant and actually stayed on the premises. It is beautiflly kept and furnished the staff were excellant and the meals throughout mouthwartering and the atmosphere so welcoming with anything taken into consideration

We booked a table with our son to celebrate him going off to university and to round off the end of a very pleasant holiday. We were greeted by friendly staff and shown to our table after perusing the menu. The first course arrived quickly and was delicious, the main course quickly followed and again all meals were very nice. My son had the controversial lobster salad and pronounced it delicious. The restaurant was beginning to now get quite busy but the staff serving were efficient in bringing the dessert menu unfortunately that's were the service went down hill. Though the staff were very busy I eventually had to ask the waitress to take our desert order after 20mins. She was very apologetic a quickly took our orders. My son had fancied to chocolate fondant but as it was a 20min wait for it, decided against it having already had timely wait for our order to be taken, The desserts arrived after nearly 25mins (he might as well have gone for it after that wait and was disappointed in his chocolate brownie sundae and described it as distinctly average).After having dined in this restaurant before, I was very disappointed in the service we received this time around/The food its self was lovely but pricey and II'm sorry but if I'm paying good money I want good service as well as good food!

Had lunch consisting if a lobster baguette and a turf and surf baguette , with fries . Both fantastic , albeit about £15 each !! Service was good , as we're surroundings and ambience !! No problems with vinegar spillage for us !!!Try it .. But take your big wallet !!!

On the hot bank holiday Monday eight of us (4 between the ages of 36 and 40) and 4 over 58 and one little girl of ten months old booked a table at this AA 5 star restaurant with high expectations.To start I had a prawn cocktail and fish and chips as a main with ice cream to finish. I asked for a lightly battered fish which came as requested.Food was tasty and original with nothing but compliments. The food was slightly over priced £24.99 for 3 courses. The service was nice and gentle, not in your face but friendly and attentive at the right moments.

We visited years ago when it wasn't such a highly appreciated establishment and the food on that occasion was absolutely first class but it now seems that fame has impacted the overall dining experience. Whilst the staff are friendly they appeared to focus on "punters" that were spending and as such the service was as fast as a tortoise on valium. Speaking of which that's pretty much what we had off the menu. An average starter followed by the "Famous Fish and Chips" that when it finally turned up wasn't worth the wait. The fish to be fair was tendure and moist, the batter crispy, the posh peas non existent and chips - hang on it's that tortoise again! "Goosefatted" to an inch of their life. Ambience, expectation all gone - The "Heifer" thrives on reputation but a "5 star Gastro extravaganza? Most definitely not!

Why five stars? It was one of the best meals I have had in a restaurant this year. The cost at around £ 50 per head was worth it. No starters as we had our eyes on the puds. I had the lobster three ways which was very good. If I had my time again I would just go for the fish pie element which was just fantastic. My partner went for ‘Banana Leaf’ Baked Sea Bass Fillets, Whitby White Crab, Thai ‘Kakaeng Kari’ Yellow Curry Coconut Cream, Cardamon & Star Anise Buttered Rice, Cucumber Riata done to perfection. We had the taster platter to share for pudding. Service was attentive but not intrusive.It was very busy on a Saturday night so booking is essential.

This is my first review on trip advisor and feel it necessary after an extremely bad experience.My wife and I were in Yorkshire for a week and following recommendations and Internet browsing we decided to make our last night of holiday special by coming to the Wensleydale Heifer for our final night.Unfortunately what was supposed to be the best meal of our holiday turned out to be a large disappointment. We arrived at 6pm for the 3 course menu and when the bread rolls were brought to our table outside the vinegar jug was spilled all over my shirt and shorts by the waitress carrying it. This was an honest mistake and an apology was offered so I have no issue with her. With fellow guests laughing at the situation to my embarrassment I was offered kitchen drying towels and a small bowl of water to try and wash out the vinegar from my soaked shorts. The smell was as you can imagine awful and off putting for the rest of the meal and following this one waitress asked if everything was alright. We carried on as I didn't want to leave for my wife's sake as she had looked forward to the meal. At the end of the meal I went to the bar and was to my horror presented a bill for the full cost of the meal plus the 10% service fee. I had to explain the situation to the gentleman at the bar within full earshot of the dining guests again leading to embarrassment before he offered to take off the service charge from my bill. I then had to explain that I felt this to be wholly unacceptable and that I would hope that a restaurant of 5 stars in so many categories would look after me following this situation. He then agreed to take my main course from the bill.I should not have had to explain my situation at the bar as this should have been made aware to save me explaining the situation again in a room full of dining guests. I also feel that a lot of restaurants of such a claimed standard would not offer an excuse of being "too busy" to not know of my situation as the excuse I was offered. I also would expect to have one of the staff if not the manager to come and apologise and offer dry cleaning for the clothes I was wearing and at the end of the meal check they were ok. I finally would not expect to have to ask twice for my bill to be reviewed.The owner has now replied to this complaint by saying he feels they dealt with the situation satisfactorily and apologised. No questions of my clothes, how it was handled or any real interest.I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone following my experience.

Friends brought us after having visited before. Quite frankly I thought that the way they enthused was going to be a TAD over the top but how wrong I was. I tried to be picky but there was simply nothing that I could find wrong. We ordered tapas for 3 and a baguette for our vegetarian consisting of goats cheese, olives and various leaves with a wonderful mayonnaise. Our veggie was well pleased. As for our Tapas, nothing diddly here 6 separate choices and each one a starter sized portion in itself. Olives, chorizo in garlic polenta fat fries prawn cocktail with Jack Daniels sauce. Absolutely wonderful all of it. I washed mine down with as good a pint of Black Sheep as I have tasted, the Ladies quaffed chilled Rose and our driver had the unusual treat of a choice of non-alcoholic beers. All in all a delightful lunch and topped off with proper coffee and real chocolates. Truly faultless.

We have been to this lovely restaurant recently. The food and the service were so excellent, which was out of our expectation. the crab was very fresh and soft and the steak was just beautiful. The staff were very friendly. From outside the building we knew it has long history, and we were told it has been there over 100 years. Wow! trust me it is worth visiting again

Another lovely lunchtime experience at The Heifer today.As usual, we had the choice of all three menus - a la carte, set lunch or snack menus. All three offer well-designed and interesting choices, and making a decision, therefore, is not particularly easy. The only advice that I can give is that you work your way through all three menus over a period of time (it will take months or even years, but what a joy!).Today, we were welcomed and cared for by professional, courteous and friendly staff, who advised us on our choices and demonstrated an interest in the customer and an enthusiasm for the product they were selling.We eventually chose a lovely sharing platter which started with home made bread and dipping oils, and smoked haddock chowder, and was followed by oysters, crab, chicken liver parfait, gravadlax, duck spring rolls, huge crispy prawns and goat cheese fritters amongst other things, all accompanied by truffle butter and delicious sauces.The platter provided an interesting taste experience and we thought we did very well to almost get through it.Too full for dessert, we had coffe and drinks in the lounge up to a roaring fire.Staff, food and ambience combine to make a very pleasant lunchtime experience.

We visited the Heifer on Saturday 20th October, our second visit, the hotel has themed rooms we chose the True Romantics ok if you like pink but beautiful none the less. The hotel is in a stunning location a quiet village close to Aysgarth Falls and you can see Castle Bolton across the valley. The Restaurant specialises in fish but there is plenty of choice for meat eaters. I had Fish Pie with Lobster (extra for this but worth it) got to say it was amazing. The others had steak, lobster salad and hake all beautiful dishes. We shared two sweet selections a taste of all the pudding menu! Once again fantastic.It is very good value for the rooms, food and wine. Will be going again!Make sure you turn left out of the car park on the road to Bedale and you will discover an old fashioned candle maker apx 2 miles from the Heifer, a hidden gem and well worth a visit.

Delicious food with a more gourmet touch. The presentation was excellent even the fish and chips and tasted as good as it looked.The service was good and the atmosphere cosy in a pub with character. Beware you need to book, it is very popular.

Went for the 1st time after getting married at the weekend. Food was brilliant wine choice superb. Only thing that let it down nobody wished us good evening when we left. However we will return within the next month

Just back from a lovely dinner here. The pub is welcoming and traditional while also being fresh and modern. All of the staff were friendly and the service was quick. We took advantage of the fixed price menu, which was excellent value, and had a starter and a main each. As the fatty at the table I also had a dessert. The food was faultless - and I can particularly recommend the fish and chips. The only things wrong with the place are the toilet doors! It should be 'His' and 'Her's' or 'Him' and 'Her', not 'His' and 'Her'! Grammatical problems aside, a fantastic place that we would visit again.

A splendid restaurant featuring mainly seafood . The food, the ambience of the establishment and the friendy staff and management all make for a great experience. It lives up to it's high rating. You will pay more than you would for "pub grub" but its well worth paying the little extra for the best!!!

Stayed in West Witton, the Heifer had been highly recommended to us by friends. Booked a table ( very advisable ) three of us eating. The service by the staff and the quality of the food was OUTSTANDING. I tried the challenge, this is a GIANT fish and chips meal ( make sure you don't eat lunch that day !) For dessert we had the taster platter which is a miniature of all the desserts on the menu. FAB !No photos added. Go on their website.enjoy!

First time for us but not the daughter. We arrived with her new baby, Great Auntie Gil from USA and us the grandparents. Our daughter and husband had stayed 1 night at the Heifer and raved about it. They had a night in the Chocolate Heaven Room before the baby! Well it more than matched their reviews to us about it! Apart from the sour faced couple in the lovely sitting room who frowned upon our arrival, a perfect place to be on a sunny Yorkshire lunchtime - the food was sublime (a cliche - I know). I ate from the lunch menu but 3 others ate a la carte, so I feel I can say that we experienced a broad range of their whole menu - nobody was disappointed apart from my daughter, her Alaskan King Crab claws got cold because of Ruari. She took him out - didn't want to upset any other diners. Thanks - wonderful staff and food. ps thanks for the Wensleydale Bear

We happened upon the Wensleydale Heifer by chance on a Sunday drive in the Dales and actually stopped just for a drink. However after viewing the menu we decided to have lunch. The food was superb and the fish choices particularly good, that said my wife opted for the roast pork which was cooked to perfection, the service matched the food, and all for under £20 for three courses which represented tremendous value.

These people know what they are doing with a fish.....We had Alaskan crab legs followed by Turbot and Sea Bream. 3 courses with wine £110.00 inc 10% service charge. The food was faultless.However 2 slight drawbacks which they should put right. 1/ You need a teaspoon or similar implement to retrieve the crab from the shell, not a knife and fork. 2/ When serving fish whole on the bone, the chef should tell them to provide a rubbish bowl for the table.

The Wensleydale Heifer has to be the best find we have ever made. As fish lovers and lovers of the Yorkshire Dales, we deliberately chose this venue because of its extensive fish menu and the opportunity to stay in one of the themed bedrooms. Our only difficulty arose when we had to make a choice from the wonderful menu - we wanted everything and should have booked a two week stay to work our way through. In the end we settled for a smoked salmon starter, and oysters. Our main courses were a lobster, king prawn and scallop salad and halibut fillet with crab and brown shrimps. The accompanying vegetables perfectly complemented the fish course - in most of the other restaurants we have visited, this has been a rarity. It was a sad moment when this delicious meal came to an end, but a wide selection of rare malt whiskies to be found in the whisky lounge did console my better half, as did the home made cakes which formed part of our room hospitality tray. The next morning's breakfast, after a refreshing night in our splendidly themed room, rounded off a perfect stay. The kippers were probably amongst the best we had eaten and what a joy - real toast made from real bread, not the usual cheap sliced bread which even the best of hotels nowadays seem to choose. Thank you to the Heifer team!