The Blacksmiths Arms — Restaurant in England

I might be a tad biased because my cousin owns the pub now (it changed hands last spring) BUT I can’t not review and post the pictures of our most recent trip up there. I managed to book a table for 6 last minute for Mothers Day Sunday lunch which was a surprise because everyone told me it would be booked up as it almost always is! We sat for a drink in the bar area and then went through to our table in their newly refurbished dining room. It’s been beautifully decorated with bright Mulberry Fabric with colorful pheasants on it and the chairs have all been recovered. Its such a cosy dining room, it’s intimate and makes for a great family dining experience. When we go there I always feel like I’m eating at home yet the food is always way better. With it being Sunday, full English roast dinner was on the menu and there was a choice of lamb and pork on the specials board. We didn’t order appetisers as we just wanted to get stuck into our mains. I ordered the Lamb roast dinner and it was absolutely worth it! It was perfectly cooked and really delicious. The meat was mouthwatering. All of the roast dinners come with vegetables that can be shared with everyone and there’s always so much food to eat. You definitely won’t come away hungry. For desert I ordered the delicious sticky toffee pudding. Which is sometimes not on the menu but it’s worth asking. It’s so delicious!! They source all of their ingredients from local or British businesses. The ice cream they use is from The Groovy Moo and if you haven’t tried their ice cream yet then it needs to go on your bucket list. The salted caramel flavour is to die for! The food is always extremely well presented and everything looks like it could feature in a magazine. Speaking of, my cousin just had a double page spread in the Yorkshire Post newspaper a couple of weekends ago. He’s doing great things with his business.

Whilst we were there I was able to sneak upstairs to take a peek at the guest bedrooms. He has had all three of the available rooms remodeled with new bathrooms and decor. They were definitely outdated and need of some TLC. Each room has been named which is a cute little touch and makes I’m shre it will seem more special when making the booking. He has a good eye for interior design and has made some great choices with the colours and styles that he has gone for. I cannot wait to reserve a room and stay over night. Where the pub is located in Lastingham, you can walk on to the moors and if you’re up for a breezy hike you can make it to Rosedale village on foot. It is a bit of a challenge with their being a very steep hill but it’s only a short drive for those who aren’t as mobile. There’s little cafes and a gift shop there.

If you haven’t been to the Blacksmiths Arms yet then you must try it. It’s especially fun in the summer when their huge beer garden is open and they have live music available. It would be nice if they had room for a swing set or something for the little kids to play on but it’s not that much of a big deal. There is plenty of seating. They also have a stone pizza oven outside that they fire up most evenings during the summer months. It’s a great place to stay or visit for a delicious dinner. Go check it out and tell them...

Visited July 2021 for an evening meal, (pre-booking is advised). The service form the staff was second to none, professional & attentive but at the same time not over-the-top. Couldn't fault them, and they were also kind enough to take a few photos for us. Everything was reasonably priced, drinks and food.

The food was quality! The Lamb & Mint pie, served with mash, peas, carrots, corn and red cabbage was purely first class. Fish tasted lovely with a very light fluffy batter.

I had a cheese board later on. The cheese was quality as was the port and chutney. Only small criticism was that for all the cheese there was only five biscuits, considering the price of the cheese board and cost of biscuits it would have been nice to have had a few more.

Although the time was getting on in the evening, they were kind enough to open the back for us after we had eaten to finish our drinks. Unfortunately during the visit (eating indoors), we were bombarded with flies, although not the fault of the pub, (windows all open due to the heat), maybe moving forward screens could be put up over the windows to stop the flies, but still allowing the air in.

This did spoil our experience at The Blacksmith Arms somewhat, but the quality of the staff as well as the quality of the food...

We love this pub and restaurant, so much so we've even been for Xmas Day lunch! First time since last March and well worth the wait. Massive delicious choice of all courses and delightful staff. A new addition is the wonderful seating out on the front! Update on Blacksmiths Arms, 02/10/22. A change of management (despite our fears) has resulted in an even better experience. The Chef of several years has now become the Manager and the Menu has been extended to include many superb choices in the "Specials" category. Priced around £17 - £20 pounds they enhance the experience of dining here. The outdoor garden has been laid out smartly and the second dining room has also been upgraded. If you are within 20 miles of Pickering, Lastingham, Hutton-le- Hole North Yorkshire, indulge...