Bistro with most spectacular views in Harrogate district gets a top new chef

The Vista Bistro at one of the Harrogate district's best-known visitors spot is being piloted during the Eat Out to Help Out scheme until August 31, with ambitions to then reopen in winter with a permanent dining offer and options for private event hire.

Set in a cantilevered extension that sits over the steep chasm, over half a mile in length and up to two metres deep, it boasts a new chef, Jowyane Marshall, joining the Vista Bistro from the neighbouring Yorke Arms at Ramsgill.

How Stean Gorge, one of Yorkshire’s most awe-inspiring natural sights, has been attracting visitors for more than100 years.

The hidden gem has existed for ten thousand years, since the last Ice Age and is graded as a triple Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The gorge features trout, bats hanging from its caves, otters, and fossils frozen in its limestone.

Stan Beer, owner of How Stean Gorge, said: “Now diners can experience the majestic views without a hard hat or wet suit! It’s a boutique bistro with a remarkable difference. We wanted the food to be as special as the view.”

Since moving to Pateley Bridge in 1976, Stan spent his days off volunteering at the Gorge and fell in love with the attraction. Stan and his wife Anne, a retired paramedic and nurse, swapped the NHS for the ‘National Health Service’ when they bought one of nature’s most spectacular sights in 2007.

He added: “Covid-19 hit us hard as bread and butter clients such as hen and stag do’s, corporate training events and school trips closed, so we decided to think outside the box and do something differently to survive this. When the Yorke Arms changed direction, there was an opportunity to hire one of its very talented chefs Jowyane. It’s a chance to continue the hard-won culinary reputation of the area.”

A chef de partie and then sous chef at the Yorke Arms for over three years, the Jamaican-born chef previously worked at Harrogate’s Drum and Monkey and The Sportsmans Arms, Wath.

The Vista Bistro is open from 4pm-7.30pm and operates as a cafe during the day.

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