New head chef Neil joins The King's Head Inn team

June 2017

Acclaimed chef Neil Stephen has joined the award-winning team at The King’s Head Inn.

Neil, who has over 20 years experience, has worked in critically acclaimed kitchens including Saltburn’s Spa Hotel and The Victoria as well as the AA rosette garlanded Grinkle Park near Whitby.

Living close to the sea at Skelton, it will come as no surprise that Neil is passionate about seafood, which, he says will feature strongly on The King’s Head Inn’s new summer menu, when it launches in July.

Said Neil: “I’m a great believer in keeping things simple, using fresh local ingredients and letting the flavours speak for themselves. I’d describe my cooking style as being British cuisine, but with Mediterranean and Asian influences.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the team to put in place a zinging summer menu, which still has the good, wholesome pub classics the King’s Head Inn is known and loved for, but has some sunny additions like Greek Salad, couscous salads and some fusion Asian flavours for a further added twist, like our new Thai Fishcakes.

Neil, who lives in Skelton, said: “I’m really inspired by the coast and countryside around where I live. There’s so much on the doorstep. I can walk on the beach yet be in the moors in just a short drive and I want to be able to bring those influences into the kitchen for our customers to enjoy.”

Top of the Pops - Treat your Dad to The King's Head Inn for Father's Day

May 2017

We've already celebrated Mother's Day and the countdown to the day for Dads everywhere is on. 

Father’s Day takes place on the third Sunday of June and this year it's on Sunday June 18.

If you're stumped what to get your Dad this Father’s Day we’ve just the answer with a winning combo of great food, fine real ales and some much-appreciated Dad-time at The King's Head Inn for the main man in your life.

A father himself, general manager Chris Moore said: "I know first hand what a treat it is to enjoy some time with the family - whether it's enjoying a meal together without the cooking and clearing up, or getting away for some much-needed Dad-time with the perfect pint to hand! 

“Whether you want to treat your Dad to a special meal together, or take some time out with a break away, The King's Head Inn is just the place to come.”

The King's Head Inn goes a step further to welcome ‘inn’ walkers

March

It’s already one of the best bases for walkers but The King’s Head Inn - at the foot of the North’s ‘Matterhorn’ Roseberry Topping - is going a step further to become even more of a beacon for active visitors.

The King’s Head Inn has proved to be a magnet for walkers thanks to its position on the Cleveland Way and at the entrance to the North York Moors National Park with its myriad walking trails. Now the inn is adding to its appeal to walkers by pairing up with North East based walking guide publisher Walking-Books.com to offer unique walking packages for people to enjoy cost-effective, accessible walking breaks in Cleveland and the North York Moors.

The new Walk-Inn breaks at The Kings Head Inn include Walking-Books’ easy-to-follow, self-guided packs containing 20 classic walks around the Cleveland Way and North York Moors.

The breaks, designed for walkers of all levels include dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation, a welcome pint of North Yorkshire’s finest on arrival plus a nutrient-packed lunch for walkers to take with them as they strike out. The service even includes complimentary boot cleaning at the end of a hard day’s hike, so weary walkers can relax with dinner and a well-deserved drink on their return to the AA three-star inn.

The King’s Head Inn general manager, Chris said: “We’ve always attracted walkers thanks to our great position at the foot of Roseberry Topping and wanted to go a step further to encourage people to put their best foot forward and make it easy and accessible for them to explore the beautiful countryside around us.

“The Walking-Books guides are fantastic. They have everything you need in them to get out and enjoy the walks stretching out in all directions around us. You just have to lace up your walking boots and go!”

Walking Books owner Mike Law said: “We’re delighted to have teamed up with The Kings Head Inn and applaud their efforts to make walking accessible to as many people as possible. I hope that together we can inspire people of all walking abilities to head out and enjoy the fantastic scenery on foot.

"Walking Books guides are completely different to anything you will see in the shops. Our aim when deciding to publish our guides is to make them as user-friendly as possible so we decided on our concept of putting the walks on handy, durable, weather-proof walking cards with a unique combination of concise, easy-to-follow routes local information and professional mapping. To complete our pack we added a useful user guide and decided to provide a custom made map-case for the walking card which meant the walker had everything they needed for their walk on an A5 weather-proof card that could be carried conveniently around the neck or in a jacket pocket." 

• A single night Walk-Inn break costs £75 per person; two nights Walk-Inn £125 per person and three nights Walk-Inn £170 per person

The King's Head Inn backs veteran’s gruelling Everest-height climb of Topping for critically injured local girl 

February

The King’s Head Inn is backing a serving Army Captain who is set to climb iconic landmark Roseberry Topping 30 times in 24 hours – the equivalent to scaling Everest - on February 26 and 26 to raise funds for an 11-year-old girl critically injured in a riding accident.

The King’s Head Inn is providing round-the-clock refreshments and accommodation for Gulf war, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Capt Christopher Hames who is raising funds for local girl, Maisie Welsh. Maisie was left blind in one eye and sustained life-changing facial injuries following the accident three months ago and now needs years of painful, reconstructive facial surgery.

The challenge will see Chris take on a climb higher than Everest summit from its base camp as he ascends and descends the famous ‘Matterhorn of the North’. The challenge will take place over difficult, rocky terrain during night and day, covering a minimum of 56-miles and 17,010 feet of climb and descent. Everest summit from base camp is 11,377 feet. 

Admitting this will be one of the toughest physical challenges he has faced, Chris, 46, a serving officer with The Royal Army Physical Training Corps, said: “I’ve had some pretty epic challenges over my 29-years in the Army, but this will be up there as being one of the toughest. It will be worth every step to raise funds to support Maisie and her family who have had their lives turned upside down.

“Just days before the accident I saw Maisie play football with my daughter. It goes to show how quickly things can change for any of us. Everything has changed for her and her family and support is needed in so many ways. Maisie is fully aware of the extent of her injuries and with a huge amount of help is slowly coming to terms with them. She is a fighter but she still has to undergo so much throughout the rest of her life.”

The King’s Head Inn will also be serving up a two-course special ‘Meals for Maisie’ throughout the weekend from Friday to Sunday night, with £1 from every special meal sold going to the Chris fundraising appeal. The pub is staging a raffle and will be running fundraising activities. 

General manager Chris Moor said: “As a father myself my heart goes out to Maisie and her family. We are in absolute awe of Chris’s challenge and are delighted to be able to support him and assist in raising much-needed funds for Maisie and her family at such a difficult time.

“We’re hoping for a great turnout of support from people to come and use us a base to cheer Chris on and to help raise as much money as we can for such a remarkable young lady as Maisie.”

Maisie’s father Adam Welsh said: “It’s a very special thing that Chris is doing for Maisie and we can’t thank him enough and to The King’s Head Inn for their support. It has been a very difficult time for our family and the fact that people are prepared to go to such lengths to support us is appreciated by us all.”

Chris’s 24-hour Moving Mountains for Maisie begins on Saturday February 25 at 1200 hrs from the gate to Roseberry Topping.  Meals for Maisie and fundraising activities will take place at The King’s Head Inn from Friday February 24 onwards.

• Donations to the challenge can be made at gogetfunding.com/moving-mountains-for-maisie