More than just a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms
Set within the incredible landscapes of the North York Moors National Park, The Black Swan is a Michelin-starred, 4 AA Rosette restaurant with AA 5* rooms by chef Tommy Banks.
Stylishly grounded in tradition and culture yet cut through with a modern, exuberant creativity, The Black Swan is dynamic with a truly creative and innovative team. Our tasting menu is an intimate reflection of our character, our place and our lives, which is in essence “Oldstead now” – developing new ideas from a constantly refreshed palate of produce which we grow and forage ourselves.
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Homegrown Creativity
Chef Tommy Banks’ talent is in itself truly remarkable. He was Britain’s youngest Michelin-starred chef in 2013 and won Great British Menu in 2016 and 2017. The Michelin-starred Black Swan was awarded ‘Best Restaurant in the UK 2018’ by The Food and Travel Magazine, as well ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the World’ in 2017 and, more recently, ‘UK’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ in 2020 by TripAdvisor.
“I see the Black Swan as a co-operative of minds. We have great people working here; some real characters with tremendous talent and it’s their coming together that creates something special. We want our guests to feel part of it and experience it with us. It’s not just a job for us, it’s a lifestyle”
– Tommy Banks
Informal Hospitality
During your stay you will meet many of our staff. Both the kitchen and front-of-house teams spend many hours working outside; they really understand what the food is and why it’s on the plate; they can tell you the whole story from start to finish.
“I like to think that we have brushed aside much of the formality normally associated with fine dining; for us it’s about our guests having fun; so it’s good food, good service and a good time”
– Anne Banks
Something unique
“We’re lucky to have such a creative team. Growing and foraging so much ourselves really gives us an edge and a chance to do things differently. Guests get something unique to us; our personality, our place and our ideas.”
– James Banks
Yorkshire farmers
“As Yorkshire farmers, it’s great that our food is eaten right here where it’s been grown (with so few food miles) but before we take ourselves too seriously, let’s not forget the distance that you, our guests, might have travelled in order to eat it”
– Tom Banks
The Family
Owned and run by The Banks Family, who have lived and farmed around Oldstead for many generations; The Black Swan is very much their creation, with Tommy Banks heading the kitchen and his brother James running the front-of-house. There’s an “Oldstead” style; plenty of tradition and culture, cut through with a modern earthy, exuberance.
Tommy, James and their parents Anne and Tom Banks were joined in 2018 by their friend and business partner Matthew Lockwood to establish their new restaurant, Roots York on Marygate in York. Roots opened in September 2018 carrying the field to fork ethos, bringing a little bit of Oldstead into the city.
In March 2020 Tommy and the team launched Made In Oldstead, offering premium dining experiences for home delivery every week.
Bottled Cocktails
We’re so excited that we’re able to bring some of our most-loved drinks into your homes, with our pre-bottled cocktails available via the Made In Oldstead website.
Our Black Swan Oldstead Bottled Cocktails are a selection of delicious drinks crafted from produce grown in the Black Swan Garden and foraged from the Oldstead area. You can now experience restaurant specification cocktails at home – No equipment or bartending experience required, just chill the bottle and pour!
There are lots of different Oldstead cocktails to try with only a limited number of each available. These include a Rhubarb ‘Negroni’, a Damson Metropolitan and even a ‘Buck Fizz’, finished with our exclusive edition of sparkling wine by Charles Palmer Vineyards.
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