The White Swan Inn

Stylish, uncluttered, and yet cosily traditional, the White Swan - a 16th-century coaching inn in a lovely market town on the fringes of the North York Moors - is one of those places that gets everything right. It is a real food inn that has not forsaken its pub roots, and has been run with hands-on flair by the same family for nigh-on 30 years. You're guaranteed a warm greeting from young staff with a 'can do' attitude; there's a cosy bar with well-kept real ale, and a country-chic lounge with squashy sofas and blazing log fire. In the classy restaurant, the glow of a log fire on ruby red walls, stone floors, and candlelit bare wooden tables makes a romantic setting for unfussy contemporary dishes built on a solid backbone of fine Yorkshire materials - local meat and game, and fish from Whitby. Pan-fried scallops with creamed artichokes, sage and garlic butter and capers, is a well-balanced starter, followed by thyme-roasted chicken, smoked dauphinoise potatoes, spinach, tarragon velouté and mushrooms.