The North Yorkshire Cook Book Second helpings (Meze Publishing, £14.95)

This book sets out to broaden our knowledge of the ‘foodie hotspot that is North Yorkshire’ and it certainly delivers. After an enthusiastic foreword by award-winning chef Tommy Banks, we are introduced to twenty-seven food establishments around our wonderful county. These range from the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes and The Plough Inn at Scalby to - right on our doorstep - Love Cheese on Gillygate.

One thing that really comes across is the dedication and passion the talented people behind these ventures all put into their businesses. In the introduction to each place, we find out how and why they started out: they all love to provide great food/drink and constantly innovate to keep it interesting. We are also offered a recipe or two, such as the tasty-sounding gluten free Raspberry and Almond cake courtesy of the Jervaulx Abbey Tearoom.

Browsing through, we are treated to a treasure trove of intriguing places worthy of a day out, like The Piebald Inn near Hunmanby, which promises a whopping 50-strong list of pies, or The Beadlam Grange Farmshop near Helmsley (booking advisable for Sunday Roast).

As well as the restaurants, this book also highlights the wide range of distilleries in Yorkshire, such as York Gin and The Spirit of Yorkshire whisky distillery, plus some very special cafes and bakeries like Crumb’s Cupcakes on College Street in York and the Haxby Bakehouse, which supplies many restaurants as well as being a wonderful destination in its own right. Then there’s The Bishy Weigh, which provides a marvellous minestrone ‘like mama used to make’.

When you’re next off to do a bit of local exploring, it’s worth consulting this book and treating yourself to a Grand Yorkshire day out.

Philippa Morris