Eating Out: Venturing out to test a Bedale Institution

Tom and Nellie’s, which we had been so enthusiastic about when it opened its doors about a year previously, closed for good on New Year’s Eve.

We thought it had been a bit of game changer for Bedale. We went so far as to describe it as brilliant.

The refurbishment of the old Panettis building had been beautifully done by the Masons (of gin-making fame), the menu was an exciting blend of the new and traditional, the staff were lovely and the cooking pretty good too. The only fault we could find was a Baltic draught from the door as customers poured in.

What went wrong? The Masons cited recruitment difficulties – which is, of course, a well-documented problem, particularly of chefs, at the moment.

Was it a little pricey for Bedale? Was it at the wrong end of town? Was the menu too contemporary for Bedale’s traditional tastes?

Whatever, it’s a crying shame.

But cheer up. There are still good places to eat in Bedale. Its three Indian restaurants are still engaged in their battle for supremacy (it fascinates me that whenever I ask Bedale folk which is the best one I get a different answer) and the Market Place and North End does have a good selection of independent cafes and coffee shops alongside the inevitable branch of Costa.

And one of those cafes – Institution – is still flying the flag for contemporary, stylishly-presented food.

Eating Out at Institution, Market Place, Bedale

On one of the corners of Bedale’s answer to Piccadilly Circus – the White Bear junction – it is set out over three floors of a rambling, nooks-and crannies building fronting on to Market Place. Somewhere amongst it all is a gin lounge, a reading room and a private dining area.

During the pandemic it expanded on to the adjacent cobbles, giving outdoor diners a great view of the comings and goings at the town’s busiest intersection.

On reflection, that is something we may in time come to regard as a silver lining of the heavy cloud that was (is) Covid-19. Our enthusiasm for al fresco dining when weather permits (increasingly so it seems) has been turbo-charged.

Eating Out at Institution, Market Place, Bedale

But the Tuesday lunchtime we called was on the filthiest of days, the rain almost horizontal and the few market stalls which had braved the conditions were on the point of calling it a day. Not even the hardiest of smokers would have considered dining outside a good idea.

I confess our previous visits to Institution had been restricted to coffee, cake and maybe a sandwich but the closure of Tom and Nellie’s did prompt us to think about what else remained available and to check out the full menu.

Which is surprisingly eclectic with strong Mediterranean and Eastern street food influences. From gyros to bao buns, halloumi burgers and BBQ pulled pork baguettes there’s plenty of choice from a lunch offering somewhat arcanely described as either ‘lighter’ or ‘luxury’.

There is also breakfast menu offering the full English, eggs Benedict and pancakes.

Nothing is over a tenner and the ‘lighter’ lunch dishes are keenly priced between £5.95 (soup and bread) and £8.45 (smashed avocado on toast with poached egg, feta and chilli).

We chose from the ‘luxury’ list with Sylvia’s request for the large ciabatta in her posh plaice goujon butty (£7.95) to be replaced with two bao buns being readily acceded to.

This tinkering with the menu really worked, the golden fingers of crisp, firmed-fleshed fish nestling into the pillow-like steamed and soft white buns. There was tartare sauce, sliced pickles and an excellent coleslaw to go with them and a side of skinny fries (£3.45) were crunchy and golden.

My chicken gyros (£8.45) was a warm pitta bread topped with a creamy tzatziki sauce and some nicely-gnarly grilled chicken pieces marinaded in cumin-flavoured yoghurt. It was accompanied by a little Greek salad and some paprika chips.

Both these dishes were beautifully prepared and cooked. Simple stuff. Flavour-packed.

With a soft drink and small glass of pinot grigio, the bill was just £27.65.

The appalling weather meant it was on the quiet side. Personable and chatty owner Nigel Park said poor weather was not usually bad for business as it tended to drive customers through his door in search of shelter and sustenance. But when it was this bad, people just stay at home.

We indeed had thought hard about venturing out but we were glad we did. Having survived the Covid years, Institution is in welcome danger of becoming a Bedale institution.

Institution

42 Market Place, Bedale DL8 1HQ

Tel: 01677 425541 Web: thisisinstitution.co.uk

Open: Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4.30pm; Friday 9am-4pm and 5pm-10pm. Closed Monday and Sunday

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 9 Service 9 Surroundings 8 Value for money 9