The secrets of fine dining at Hazlewood Castle

Today was the day we'd booked our foodie experience at Hazlewood Castle, about 12 miles down the road at Tadcaster. The temperature overnight had reached -8C, but once off the side roads near the B&B the main roads were clear by the time we were setting out.

Although we'd allowed ourselves plenty of time, what we hadn't bargained for was that once at the castle gates, the driveway leading to the main entrance, which seemed to go on for ever, was thick with snow - not ideal when you're in a car which hasn't exactly proved itself good on ice! Fortunately there were no cars coming in the opposite direction and we eventually found the ice-sheet of a car park, bang on time.

As it happens we were only the second couple to arrive and there were three other parties still to make it through the snow, so we relaxed in the restaurant with coffee and biscuits while we waited.

First on the agenda was a tour of the castle, and our guide for the tour certainly knew his stuff as he explained the history of the place through numerous stories going back to the 12th century. A hall at Hazlewood was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, listed as belonging to Sir Mauger the Vavasour. (Vavasour is derived form vassal, or tenant, and meant a tenant of a tenant: Mauger was the tenant of Duke of Northumberland who was a tenant or vassal of the King).

As a Saxon, Mauger didn't have a surname, but as Norman customs became established, the name Vavasour became the family name.

By 1290, the Vavasours were granted permission by the King to convert the hall into a fortified castle, and as a result their title was upgraded to Baron, as only Barons were permitted to live in castles.

The Vavasours stayed at Hazlewood for nearly 900 years until 1908, when large mortgage debts forced the family to sell up and emigrate to New Zealand, where their descendants developed a vineyard now best known for a fine Pinot Noir. Since then the castle has been a maternity hospital, a monastery and finally, in 1997, a luxury hotel.

It was clear during our tour that the owners in the last 100 years had an eccentric eye for a bargain, so most of the architecture and fittings throughout have at some point been reclaimed from other halls and mansions rather than being original to the castle. This included the wallpaper in some of the rooms (salvaged after the Great Exhibition), a Tudor ceiling and a panelled wall that originated in Belgium.


After the tour, we enjoyed a fine two course lunch before heading down to the kitchens to learn how the dishes are made. The class was thoroughly enjoyable with some seemingly easy dishes explained to us, plus a demonstration of sugar spinning to finish where we could have a go ourselves if we wanted to (it proved harder than it seemed, so this was one we declined).

The day thoroughly enjoyable, the only slight disappointment was that the regular head chef wasn't there, and his stand in was very nervous and a little forgetful.