A North Yorkshire restaurant and hotel has been recognised for its sustainable and high end take on the classic British pub.
The Lime Tree Inn in Great Ouseburn has been awarded its second AA Rosette and the coveted status as a five-star silver hotel, an achievement only managed by a few places.
The Lime Tree is run by husband-and-wife team Rob and Heloisa Mitchell, who met in Croatia while Rob was working as a private chef on yachts and Heloisa was working as a model.
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Prior to this, Rob’s culinary journey had taken him to top rated kitchens across the world; working at a sous chef in the iconic Michelin starred Chez Bruce by the age of 19, traveling the world as a chef, and achieving a bib gourmet in Edinburgh - before finally getting the chance to open a pub of his own.
The couple’s journey as landlords of the Lime Tree began in 2019 when they heard that Rudgate Brewery were planning build a new pub from scratch. After getting involved with the project and tailoring the pub to suit what they wanted, they moved in in February of 2020 and opened in September 2020.
Maintaining a regular staff since opening, Heloise credits the devotion that her husband inspires and their ethos for keeping the team together.
She said: “Our team is so close to us and we’re so close to them. Often, at places where the food is good, you get great but impersonal service – with us, our team is warm, and people have an incredible amount of passion for what they do and where they work.
"Lots of people come to stay and staff recognise them when they come back.”
Heloise continued: “We’re a full and complete package – it’s not just the hotel, it’s not just the food - it’s the whole ethos. The food service has a great connection to the team who serve them – they can explain the connection and that Heloisa went to collect carrots or went foraging.
"Everyone has a part to play. We get to know people and people get to know us.”
Much of the menu at The Lime Tree Inn comes from an ethos of sustainability and no wastage, with chef Tom focusing on a protein and looking at what’s found in nature and the animal’s diet to best compliment the meal.
This allows him to create a dish that’s simple with a ‘fantastic depth of flavour’ – hoping to bring refinement to pub grub.
The Lime Tree also tailors its menu to the seasons and local suppliers - one example of this is using seasonal game meat, a practice that helps support those looking after the forests and ‘little by little helps us do our part’.
Heloise said: “The food is not full of ‘flu flu’ - it’s honest and respectful to the ingredients. There’s so much to be eaten in Yorkshire and from England.”
Similarly, their tasting menu comes out of the a la carte menu; offering small portions of the dishes that the chef is most proud of. This also allows them to avoid wastage with Heloise saying: “The last thing you want to do is run out of food when other people don’t have it.”
The Lime Tree has also recently revamped its children's menu – a project that took them a long time, due to their desire to create delicious and well-balanced menus that give youngsters a good portion.
Heloise added: “Because we started during Covid, there wasn’t many food trips going on but this year, we were one of the top five gastropubs on places to watch, mentioned by Michelin guide, and awarded pub of the year by VisitYork.
“We’re in that moment - we’re up and coming and everything we worked for is paying off and we feel so proud as we’re achieving what we hoped for.”
The Lime Tree is open Wednesday to Sunday and can be booked through its website.
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