Dining Out: The Ham and Cheese, Malton

On arrival, we were taken into the dining room by our smiling and attentive waitress who sat us by the crackling fire.

The pub had a traditional and warm feel, with a lit fire place in the bar and the dining room.

The festive season was also in full swing at The Ham and Cheese with multiple Christmas trees and decorations hanging from the fire place.

The menu has an array of options from pub grub classics like lasagne and a steak and guest ale pie to vegetarian treats like falafel balls and halloumi stuffed peppers. But this only made the decision even harder - there was almost too many options!

To start I chose to indulge with the garlic mushrooms served with a mini loaf (£5.95).

Served in a rich creamy sauce, there was ample mushrooms (and sauce). If I’d been cooking at home it would have been enough for a main meal. It was a great tasty dish to kick start the meal but it was very filling.

Especially since I had an 8oz sirloin steak on the way. Cooked medium rare, the steak was full of flavour and the meat was very tender. I order the blue cheese sauce which complimented the steak well but for me it was a tad rich to eat the whole serving.

The chips and the homemade guest ale battered onion rings were faultless. You could taste the beer in the enormous rings and there was literally a bucket full of tasty chips.

That’s one thing that stuck out with the meal- the quantity was ample but it didn’t fault on the quality of the food.

My cousin is a vegetarian and some places only offer one suitable option - if any. But there were three scrumptious sounding meals on offer.

She decided to go for the falafel balls served with spicy Mediterranean salsa and rice (£8.95) - again she couldn’t fault the dish.

After much deliberation, my aunt decided on the steak and guest ale pie which was tender and the ale was deliciously prominent. Her only criticism was that the pastry was a tad thick for her liking but it was still crispy and flavoursome.

Out of the three of us, only two could even contemplate dessert. Sitting back and unloosening the top button on my jeans I ordered the toffee crunch pie served with ice cream. It was nothing short of delicious. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone heading to the Scagglethorpe pub. The ice cream was lush and creamy and the caramel in the pie was divine.

In summary, The Ham and Cheese is a great quality pub with a friendly atmosphere and quality food perfect for a cold winter’s night.

Starters:

Soup of the Day with Mini Homemade Loaf £4.95

Ginger, Lime & Chilli King Prawns with Salad & Sweet Chilli Sauce £6.95

Mains:

10oz Barnsley Chop Double sided Lamb Chop with Minted Lamb Gravy £13.95

Homemade Lasagne with garlic bread £10.95

Mediterranean Spaghetti (v) served with mozzarella and fresh basil £8.95

Desserts all £4.95:

Toffee Crunch Pie

Sticky toffee pudding