As a child I can recall passing the building in Lendal known as The Judges Lodging with my mother on our regular weekly trips into York. I was fascinated by the building and have been ever since.

As I grew older, I wanted to know more about its history, and my mother, who loved delving into local history, explained its origins to me.

The site of the Judges Lodging was first mentioned in a charter dated between 1145 and 1148, and moving forward, in 1711, the building that is now known as Judges Lodging was built and made into a private residence for Dr Wintringham, a physician at the York County Hospital.

Over the ensuing years many extensions were added, and in 1806 it was bought as the official judges residence in York, for use when they were attending the quarterly sessions at the Assize courts, and it remained so until 1979, when it was bought for use as a hotel.

This Grade 1 building, now owned by Daniel Thwaites, has undergone extensive renovations over the years, but these have been done sensitively without spoiling the historic ethos of the building that is now a five-star hotel.

Ever since then, The Judges Lodging has been a fascinating place for me and a regular pitstop for morning coffee, a cheeky cocktail on my way to the station after an assignment or a spot of retail therapy in the city with my friends, so it was the obvious choice for a long-awaited catch-up lunch with my close friend and foodie Sue.

As a restaurant reviewer, it is a rarity to find a place where everything is perfect in every way – but these ‘two ladies who love to lunch’ found ultimate perfection at The Judges Lodging.

The menu, the food, the service, the general ambience and even the position of our table were perfection personified – even the sun came out and played its part in our experience.

The meet and greet service at The Judges Lodging is second to none. On arrival we were shown to our table in the courtyard with its large sun umbrella and comfortable rattan chairs.

The courtyard is a wonderful place to sit and watch the world go by – whether you are having breakfast, morning coffee, a meal or a snack or just a drink – and when the sun goes down and dusk falls, the area is lit by twinkling fairy lights hanging from the trees that border the courtyard.

A new fun feature of The Courtyard is the Drinks Truck, from which drinks from classic cocktails to all the usual drinks are dispensed.

While we perused the menu, we decided to indulge ourselves with a classic cocktail. Negroni is my all-time favourite, and I loved their version: Negroni Sevilla, made with Tanqueray de Seville Gin, Campari, and Martini Rosso. It was lighter than your normal Negroni, which can be a tad too heavy for daytime drinking, but just as delicious.

Sue decided on the Cosmopolitan with Smirnoff Vodka, cranberry and lime juice. It had a lovely lemon tang that counteracted the sweetness of the cranberry juice.

We were more than impressed by the menu created by Head Chef Lorant Szjoka, who has been at The Judges Lodging for the past four months.

“I am a hands-on chef and have a brilliant team, and I created the menu in consultation with them.”

Lorant hails from Hungary and has been cooking since he was 10 years old. “My grandmother taught me how to cook and told me I was born to be a chef,” he adds.

“Some of the recipes I use are my grandmother’s, and I have tailored them especially for the people of York.”

For starters, Sue chose the Humous. The portion was very generous and had a spicy, smooth flavour. It came with fresh crispy crudités, including celery, carrots, cucumbers, and a piece of flatbread.

I chose the tempura king prawns, which were again served in a large portion of succulent, tender prawns coated in lovely crispy batter. The blackened romesco sauce was absolutely delicious and so unusual and tasty. The chef shared with me some of his secret ingredients, including red chilli, lemon zest, red pepper, tomato, cinnamon, almonds, garlic, and lemon juice, which give it such a wonderful taste.

For main Sue chose potato gnocchi with a Provencal sauce, ratatouille and crispy basil – this was based on one of Lorant’s grandmother’s recipes. The presentation was excellent and garnished with crispy basil. The Provençal sauce was flavourful and complemented the dish so well. The ratatouille was colourful, with red, green and yellow peppers.

My choice of stuffed chicken wrapped in prosciutto did not disappoint. The chicken was stuffed with spinach and had a leek butter sauce and leek compote. The chicken was moist and flavoursome, but the leek sauce – just the right amount on my plate, I must add – plus the compote made it ultra tasty.

The stuffed chicken was accompanied by a potato rosti, which I loved and considered one of the best I have ever had – crispy on top yet smooth inside – while the crispy kale added colour and provided a new take on this vegetable.

It was a while before we decided on our dessert, as we wanted to explore the cellar bar with its vaulted ceiling – ideal to be cool in the heat or to escape to in the colder weather.

It's got little breakout areas which are comfortable and give you a chance to catch up on a piece of history by reading some of the old posters about the notorious trial of Dick Turpin.

After talking to Lorant, I was persuaded to try his grandmother’s recipe for lemon and lime posset. It was refreshing with orange jelly and orange segments and was served with shortbread.

Sue’s choice of strawberry cheesecake was a work of art. It was very light and very refreshing, ideal for a summer’s day. It came with a raspberry sorbet and strawberry and mint compote.

After such a long, chilled afternoon, it was hard to make a move and go to our train—we could have literally sat there forever after savouring such a wonderful lunch experience.

The Judge’s Lodging, 9 Lendal, York YO1 8AQ.
Tel: 01904 638733
Website judgeslodgingyork.co.uk.