North Yorkshire Restaurant Awarded 3 AA Rosettes and Carbon Neutral Status

Pignut restaurant – the sustainable focused, fine dining restaurant, located in the beautiful North Yorkshire town of Helmsley – has been awarded Three AA Rosettes at this year’s AA Hospitality Awards.

The rosettes were announced as part of the annual event, which was held at JW Marriott Grosvenor House
London, on Monday, September 23rd.

AA commended Pignut for its ‘ambitious cooking’ in the no-frills village restaurant, describing it as ‘unpretentious’ with a ‘minimalist Scandi style’ which is ‘very relaxed’.

They also praised the sustainable ethos noting the ‘inventive modern British cooking is driven by a zero-waste philosophy’.

Tom Heywood said: “We’ve been aiming for Three Rosettes since we opened last year and we’re very proud that we’ve achieved this ourselves, in our own restaurant.

It sets us apart from other restaurants in the area and shows people the level we are at in terms of food and service – we aim to build on this, keep progressing and hopefully continue to achieve more accolades.”

Since opening in June 2023, sustainability has been integral to both Tom and Laurissa and their ethos flows through all aspects of Pignut at Helmsley.  All of the ingredients are sourced locally, and he wants to keep his ingredients as close to the restaurant as possible.

He personally collects ingredients from the local organic farm shop which is stocked with incredible produce straight from the ground. The pair also forage and Laurissa has been known to find foraging spots while out on her horse.

The menu reflects this passion for British ingredients and uncompromising standards, it is ambitious and focused on delivering sustainable and high-quality dishes to guests including ‘Wastage’ – a course designed around all the waste from the other courses on the menu.

Pignut at Helmsley has previously been awarded Two AA Rosettes, was shortlisted for the Craft Guild of Chefs Sustainable Restaurant Award 2024, featured in the Good Food Guide and is recommended in the Michelin Guide.

Laurissa also received an Acorn Award this year, with Tom making it to the semi-finals of National Chef of the Year 2024. Most recently Pignut at Helmsley has been awarded carbon-neutral status by Carbon Neutral Britain.

Pignut was given the accreditation this month, meaning the restaurant’s carbon footprint has been reduced and the remaining carbon footprint is offset through certified projects in Britain and around the world.

One of those projects is the Yorkshire Dales Woodland Strategy, which aims to create a new native woodland in the Dales.

Steps taken by Tom and Laurissa to achieve the status include working with small-scale suppliers and paying particular attention to waste management, both in the kitchen and front of house. Ingredients are exclusively sourced from hyper-local businesses and the menus are ingredient-led by what’s available from suppliers.

For more information on Pignut in Helmsley and to find out what makes them so special, visit their website.

YFG customers can experience chef Tom’s tasting menu with a complimentary glass of champagne.

12 Bridge St, Helmsley, York YO62 5DX – 01439 770955 | Get Directions

DON’T MISS…

Save up to 38% on exclusive vouchers & experiences across Yorkshire

Save up to 38% this month on vouchers & experiences across Yorkshire