Dining Out: The New Inn, Cropton, near Pickering

The New Inn, tucked away on the edge of the national park, is probably best known for the quality of its ales, and its own Great Yorkshire Brewery.
The New Inn, CroptonThe New Inn, Cropton
The New Inn, Cropton

But one Sunday recently we discovered just how good its food offering was.

It was, in fact, Mother’s Day, and a phone call the previous day revealed that lunchtime at the New Inn was fully booked, but we had no trouble later on.

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On arriving, we chose not to sit in the separate restaurant, which was empty and seemed cut off from the hubbub of the pub, and picked a delightful comfy corner just off the bar.

The main bar area was inviting; warm, cosy, a great atmosphere and the perfect shelter from the biting cold outside. And the beer is superb !

So, too, were our chosen meals. And especially excellent was the service – the bubbly waitress was friendly and attentive without

being pushy, and nothing was too much trouble.

The menu was fairly sparse – which is no bad thing, meaning that what they offer they source and cook with great care.

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Of the five starters, my son chose the homemade Yorkshire pud – fluffy, light, not too large, and accompanied by lashings of beef gravy.

There were nine mains options plus, from the grill, two steaks and two burgers, and two of our party of five, including me, went for the steak and ale pie.

I’m a fan of steak pie in a comfy, homely pub, and this one ticked every box going! As in the photo, the pie came separately, with a serving of handcut chips, and another of seasonal veg. The pie’s pastry was crunchy, the meat tender and succulent. And when more gravy was required it was speedily brought.

Son’s beer battered fish and chips included a hearty piece of tasty haddock in a crispy batter. That dish, and my wife’s whopping plate of scampi, came with a tangy homemade tartare sauce that perfectly complemented the seafood.

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My father-in-law was tempted by the Sag Aloo curry and a decent serving of the potato curry, wild rice and naan bread duly arrived. He hadn’t a hope of finishing it so, in the

interests of research, I helped out. It was all delicious – and the tandoori chicken that came as an addition simply fell off the fork.

All the mains came in just the right portion sizes – not too filling, and not too rich, leaving room for pud.

We chose three. The scrumptious salted caramel and cream in the

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banoffee pie didn’t overpower the banana taste, and the baked rice pudding was spot on – soft rice in a delicious cream, although it was supposed to have a brown sugar glaze but came without it (we carried on regardless!). A trio of local ice creams in a brandysnap basket was equally tasty.

Good food, and beer, in a lovely rural pub. Happy Mother’s Day!