Hidden Yorkshire Gem
Location: Sedbergh, Yorkshire Dales, UK
Style: Modern British with Japanese twist
Budget: ££
Tucked away in the sleepy Yorkshire town of Sedbergh lies the Three Hares Cafe, serving up fresh seasonal fare with a twist, and boasting some of the best local produce the region has to offer. Hidden away from the well-frequented and touristy tracks of the Lake District this gem provides great food both during the day and evening, and is well worth a hop over into Yorkshire to discover.
Discovering The Three Hares in Sedbergh
The town of Sedbergh is well known as England’s official ‘book town’, due to its high density of independent book shops, that are well worth a browse for an old classic. Situated on the ‘main street’ the Three Hares Cafe operates as a bakery during the day and transforms into a wonderful eatery during the evening. Owned and run by a lovely couple, James and Nina, the atmosphere is cosy and the few tables sought after.
With Nina charged with the kitchen, the cooking and baking is influenced heavily by her background growing up in Germany with Japanese parents, who at one point ran a bakery in Dusseldorf. James manages front of house and runs a slick operation, with an obvious passion for both the ingredients they source together (majority from within 20 miles of the restaurant) and the wine he serves alongside it.
Dining at The Three Hares
The fare served at The Three Hares in Sedbergh is a great celebration of the wonderful local produce, but also with very interesting twists, inspired by Nina’s Japanese heritage. If you are lucky to visit during the game season you are likely to find some of the grouse or pheasant which Yorkshire is famed for.
Of course, what else would you expect to kick off your meal but some delicious freshly baked bread – naturally being in Nina’s blood, it was perfection. Alongside this, we enjoyed a few appetisers including cured beef and scallop roe taramasalata. The beef is sourced from the seldom featured White breed, and the cure is wonderfully light contrasted with delectably sharp pickled onions.
With our fish course we experienced the first Japanese twist of the meal, enjoying mackerel fillet with lotus root, miso and soy. The fish was cooked perfectly with great crispy skin. Whilst we would usually be unsure of mackerel given its quite strong fish flavours, the soy and miso cut through it well to create a delightful dish.
Alongside this we tried one of our favourite seafood dishes, and also one which can be difficult to cook, octopus. Served chargrilled, with a typical black ink sauce, the octopus at the Three Hares is accompanied by sharp blood orange which offsets the rich ink sauce perfectly.
For the showpiece of the meal, we enjoyed one of Yorkshire’s great game meats, venison, with turnip and sprout tops, served with some classic fruity flavours of sloe and juniper to cut through the rich game. The meat itself was excellently prepared, with a seared loin cooked rare and a confit haunch, which added a superb tender richness.
The second main of guinea fowl, served three ways in the breast, leg and the heart (a great addition which many might shy away from!) The meat was juicy and cooked medium rare (as it should be), and the rich iron kick from the heart boosting the relatively mild flavours immensely.
The sweets, as with all the other dishes, were centred around two locally sourced fruits, pumpkin and rhubarb. The former served as a meringue pie with caramel, mulled pear, hazelnut and a liquorice ice cream. As neither of us are massive fans of liquorice, the flavours clashed slightly for us, but the rest of the dish was still delicious and I’m sure for liquorice lovers it would have been perfect.
The latter was served in the typical fashion (poached) alongside orange, baked egg custard and gingerbread. Providing a real mix of flavours that balanced each other very well. With the sweetness of the rhubarb and custard, the tang of the orange and the slight spice from the gingerbread, it was a wonderfully fresh end to our meal.
Wine at The Three Hares
James is a self taught wine aficionado and his passion in pairings is obvious when serving. We enjoyed some really good wines throughout our pairing, that matched the delicious food superbly but also which introduced us to some wines we’ve not found elsewhere.
Some of our favourite pairings included a Riesling to go with the octopus and a wonderful Tokaji alongside the Pumpkin dessert. Most interestingly of all, to go with the Guinea Fowl we tried a Brazilian Cabernet Franc. Whilst its neighbours are exceptionally well known for their wines, Brazil has not been a big exporter of wine to the UK and this was the first time we have tried one of their wines – with lovely black fruit and pepper it was a great match for the fowl.
Our final thoughts on... The Three Hares
When we hear of a restaurant being described as serving ‘honest fare’, we immediately assume a simple focus on amazing ingredients but with a lack of certain finesse on the execution. The Three Hares Sedbergh is a great example of a restaurant that truly celebrates superb local ingredients with ‘honest food’, as well as serving dishes with that artistic finish and, a couple of intriguing twists to keep you on your toes. Alongside a great cosy atmosphere and excellent service, The Three Hares Cafe is well worth a detour into the Dales to seek out.
Find Out More…
The Three Hares – http://www.threeharescafe.co.uk
Looking for somewhere to stay nearby, check into The Malabar for a luxurious and tranquil escape.
Many thanks to The Three Hares for hosting our meal during our time in Cumbria. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely our own, we wouldn’t recommend something if we didn’t love it!
