Home > News > Yorkshire Food Guide’s debut charity dinner at Rudding Park raises thousands

Yorkshire Food Guide’s debut charity dinner at Rudding Park raises thousands

On Monday, 18th May 2026, we proudly curated our first fine dining event in collaboration with some of the best chefs in the Yorkshire region.

Hosted at the splendour of family-owned estate, Rudding Park in Harrogate, the evening proved a huge success. Raising over £14,500 for children’s cancer charity Candlelighters.

The evening was a fantastic celebration of Yorkshire producers, hospitality and generosity.

Yorkshire Food Guide at Rudding Park fine dining event guests

Setting the scene:

The evening began with a drinks reception, a glass of English sparkling as provided by Domaine Evermond. Accompanied by live music, guests made their way to the dining room and towards the breathtaking tablescapes designed by Rachel, from WithStudio.

With candles lighting up the room and mirrored decor, guests sat down to be welcomed by compere Beth Argent, who hosted the evening.

Live music continued as guests took part in a silent auction and purchased raffle tickets to raise funds for Candlelighters.

With drinks and conversation flowing, our guests were ready to try a beautifully curated menu from our five chefs.

Five award-winning chefs came together to cook up a storm, including the likes of:

Ruth Hansom

Ruth Hansom is an award-winning chef from Darlington and appeared on The Great British Menu. She trained at The Ritz and now owns Hansom restaurant in Bedale, serving exceptional seasonal tasting menus and wine pairings. Ruth cooked an array of canapés and bread to kick off the evening.

Jake Jones

Jake Jones is the head chef at Forge, Middleton Lodge. Growing up near York, Jones is a passionate cook and crafts intricate tasting menus at Forge, which has retained a Michelin and Michelin green star in 2026. Jake cooked our first course of the evening, Musselburgh Leeks in Pumpkin Seed Miso with Kaluga Caviar.

Ahmed Abdalla

Ahmed Abdalla is head chef at The Grand, York’s fine dining restaurant, Legacy. Following its opening in 2022, Abdalla has been included in the Michelin Guide and gained 3 AA Rosettes in the first year of opening. Ahmed presented our fish course of the night, a Spiced Monkfish with Pickled Fennel Jam, Coconut and Dill Chutney, and Moilee Velouté.

Callum Leslie

Executive Chef, leading the acclaimed kitchens at Tommy Banks’ Michelin-starred The Black Swan at Oldstead, and The Abbey Inn, Byland. With nearly 15 years of experience in some of the UK’s most prestigious restaurants, Callum cooked a Rib eye of beef with a foraged Hedgerow Salsa Verdi and smoked beef fat pomme puree, using beef from headline sponsor R and J Yorkshire’s Finest Farmers and Butchers.

Adam Degg

The chef and host behind Rudding Park’s Fifty Two, winner of Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ at the Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards 2025. Adam Degg is known for his culinary creativity and passion, while utilising the freshest produce. He presented his signature custard tart, an incredible end to conclude the evening.

We want to give a huge thank you to the chefs for giving up their time to cook such a delicious and beautifully presented tasting menu for our guests.

Yorkshire Food Guide Rudding Park

What can Candlelighters fund with the £14,500 raised?

13 family holidays providing some much-needed escapism and allowing family members to make precious memories together.
145 Christmas grants ensuring that Christmas is as special and magical as possible for children who are on treatment and their siblings.
290 birthday boxes so that children spending a birthday in hospital can still celebrate their special day.

Yorkshir-Food-Guide--Rudding-Park-Samantha-Candlelighters

A testimonial from Samantha Williams, Partnership Development Manager at Candlelighters:

“We’re incredibly grateful to Yorkshire Food Guide for organising such a fantastic foodie event in aid of Candlelighters. They brought together some of Yorkshire’s most talented chefs, generous sponsors and passionate supporters for an outstanding five-course dining experience. It was a truly special evening that will make a real difference to children with cancer and their families across Yorkshire.

The support, energy and generosity shown by everyone involved was simply overwhelming, with an incredible £14,500 raised on the night. It was moving to see so many people united in support of families facing some of the toughest times imaginable, and we know the impact of the funds raised will be felt by families across the region.

YFG team Candlelighters

Since our initial conversation with the Yorkshire Food Guide about this idea, it has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside their team, who have dedicated so much time, creativity and hard work into making the event such a huge success. Their passion for food and commitment to supporting Candlelighters shone through every stage of the planning process and on the evening.

Candlelighters receives no government funding, so partnerships and fundraising events like this are vital in helping us continue to provide emotional, practical and financial support to children with cancer and their families. We can’t thank the Yorkshire Food Guide team enough for choosing to support Candlelighters in such a meaningful way.”