Yorkshire Appetite Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question about our food tours? You’re in the right place. We’ve gathered the most common queries guests have, so you feel fully prepared before joining us.
Have a read through our FAQs below. If anything’s still unclear or you have a question we haven’t answered, drop us a message, and we’ll get back to you.
Food and drink
How much food is served on a food tour?
Our standard food tours are the equivalent of a hearty lunch. Therefore, we recommend that you don’t have an enormous breakfast beforehand.
Our Afternoon Tea Tour in Harrogate includes a generous selection of tea, scones, sandwiches and cake.
How much drink is served on a food tour?
Our guests have shown us that not everyone shares the same thirst. All our food tours include a drink in at least one stop. Check out each tour for full details on the drinks included with your ticket.
Tap water is often available at many of our tasting partners. There are also opportunities at several stops to buy beverages to accompany your tastings.
How much alcohol is included on a food tour?
Most of our food tours include alcohol in at least one stop. There are opportunities at some of the venues for you to purchase additional alcoholic drinks or to upgrade to an alcoholic beverage. This is completely optional.
If you don’t drink alcohol, please let us know before your tour. Send us a message, email [email protected] or call 07960 240802 with the date and location of your tour. Your guide will then make sure you have a non-alcoholic alternative on the day.
Can you cater for dietary requirements and allergies?
We can cater for many dietary requirements and allergies on many of our food tours, including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian diets.
However, our Taste of Yorkshire Tour is not suitable for vegans and vegetarians, as our fish and chips tasting partner uses beef dripping to cook their food.
Please let us know at the time of your booking if you or anyone in your group has any dietary requirements or allergies. We will do our best to provide a suitable alternative.
What if I don’t like the food on a tour?
We can cater for specific allergies and dietary requirements, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets. However, we cannot cater for all dietary or food preferences.
We’ve carefully chosen our tasting plates to give you the best experience. Each food tour has a combination of sweet and savoury stops, so you have a variety of food to sample.
You’ll be encouraged to try each tasting platter but never pressured to do so. Eat as much or as little as you like.
What to expect on your food tour
How many stops are there on a food tour?
You’ll experience four to five stops on most of our food tours.
Our Afternoon Tea Tour in Harrogate works slightly differently. You’ll stroll around the spa town’s cultural centre before stopping for afternoon tea.
How long are your tours?
Most of our food tours last around three and a half hours. With bigger groups, tours may be slightly longer. If you have any onward travel or bookings, please let your guide know at the beginning of your tour. They may be able to arrange for your last tasting to be packaged up for you to take away.
Our afternoon tea experience in Harrogate is a different offering to our standard tours and lasts around two hours.
How much walking is involved on a food tour?
You will walk between one and two miles on most of our tours (we’ve popped the exact distances below). We go at the pace of the slowest walker, and you’ll sit down at every stop.
There are slight uphill sections in Harrogate and cobbled streets in York and Ripon. Some venues are also up a flight of stairs.
The walking distances for our food tours are as follows:
Harrogate Food Tour: Approximately one mile, with one restaurant up a flight of stairs
York Food Tour: Around two miles on our Friday route and one mile on our Sunday route. One of the stops on our Sunday tour is up a flight of stairs
Indian Food Tour of Leeds: Approximately one mile, with one tasting partner up a flight of stairs
Ripon Food Tour: Around one mile, with one portion of the food tour downhill
Taste of Yorkshire Tour in York: Around one mile
Afternoon Tea Tour in Harrogate: Approximately half a mile
Will we only walk around and sample food?
Absolutely not! Our walking food tours are a unique culinary and cultural experience. You’ll, of course, sample delicious dishes at each of our tasting partners.
But you’ll also be told about the history behind our towns and cities, hear some fun foodie facts and admire local architectural sights. At many of the stops, you’ll meet the passionate people behind the food you’re tasting.
One of our local guides will be with you throughout your tour. They’re always happy to give recommendations on what to see and do while you’re visiting Yorkshire.
You’ll also meet and spend the day with other food lovers. Some guests have even made friends on our tours and have come back to try a different destination together.
What should I bring with me?
Bring yourself, a smile and a good appetite! You’ll be walking between stops, so we advise wearing comfortable shoes. Yorkshire weather can be temperamental and unpredictable, so we recommend layers, an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses.
Do I need to tip my guide?
Tips are greatly appreciated but are not mandatory. If you have enjoyed the day and would like to tip your guide to say thank you, the standard gratuity in the service industry is 15%.
Booking and availability
How many people can go on a food tour?
We have space for four to 12 guests on our regular food tours. Our Afternoon Tea Tour in Harrogate is ideal for groups of five to 30.
Do you have a minimum number of guests?
We have a minimum tour size policy of four guests for our regular tours. If your food tour has fewer than four participants, we will contact you one week before your selected date.
You will have the option to pay a £50 supplementary fee to enjoy the tour as a private experience or reschedule to a different date with a larger group. If someone books on your tour after you’ve paid the supplementary fee, we will get in touch with you to refund the £50.
Our Afternoon Tea Tour in Harrogate requires a minimum of five guests.
Do your food tours run all year round?
Our food tours run throughout the year. However, we do close over the Christmas and New Year period.
Our tours are available from Wednesday to Sunday. Our Ripon tours can be booked on Wednesdays and Fridays. Harrogate tours are available on Thursdays and Saturdays. Our standard York tours run on Fridays and Sundays, and our Taste of Yorkshire tours in York run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
If the date or day you would like is unavailable, please get in touch, and we can organise a private tour.
Do I need to purchase tickets in advance?
Tickets can only be purchased in advance via our website. We do not accept cash or walk-up guests on the day.
Online bookings must be made at least 48 hours in advance. To maximise your chances of getting the day and number of tickets you would like, we advise booking well in advance.
However, if we have a tour scheduled for the day you’d like and we have availability, we may be able to squeeze you in. If you’d like to see if we have space for a last-minute booking, please call 07960 240802.
What if the day or date I want is not available?
If the day or date you would like to book a food tour is unavailable, we can arrange a private tour. Get in touch by filling in our contact form, emailing [email protected] or calling 07960 240802.
What happens if we’ve booked a food tour and bad weather is forecast?
Rain, shine or snow – our food tours run all year round. While you’ll walk between stops, you’ll sit inside at each establishment on all our tours. In inclement weather, we walk more quickly between venues, so you stay warm and dry.
We advise checking the weather forecast for the day of your tour and dressing accordingly. Yorkshire weather can be temperamental and unpredictable, so we do recommend layers, an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses. We also advise wearing comfortable shoes.
If there are severe weather warnings or conditions, we may cancel a food tour. We will let you know 48 hours in advance. You’ll have the option of a full refund or to book on another date.
Accessibility and facilities
Are your food tours accessible for disabled guests?
Unfortunately, not all our tasting partners are wheelchair-accessible. If you or a guest in your party have disability or mobility issues, please let us know at the time of booking. We will adjust the route to ensure it is accessible.
For guests who are hard of hearing, please let us know at the time of your booking. We will provide you with a written information sheet about your tour that mirrors your guide’s script.
Are children allowed on a food tour?
Our tours are suitable for teenagers 13 years and upwards. We do serve alcohol on many of our food tours, but anyone under 18 will be offered a non-alcoholic alternative. Let us know before your tour if one of your guests is under 18, and we will make sure they have an alcohol-free option.
Are toilets available during tours?
Yes, toilets are available at many of our tasting partners on all our tours.
Do your tours come in other languages?
Currently, we only offer our standard tours in English. We can offer private tours in Spanish and French.
Parking and travel
Is there parking available?
In Harrogate, there are several car parks and parking areas in the town centre. The nearest to the meeting point is the Jubilee car park.
In York, there are many car parks in and around the city centre. The nearest car parks to the starting point for our standard York tour are Bootham Row and Marygate. For our Taste of Yorkshire Tour, the nearest car park to the meeting spot is Monk Bar.
There are also several park-and-ride locations operating on the outskirts of the York, where you can park and then travel into the city centre by bus.
In Leeds, there are plenty of car parks in the city centre. The nearest two are the APCOA long stay at Leeds Train Station and the Q-Park Sovereign Square.
In Ripon, there is a car park in the Market Place. However, parking is limited to 30 or 60 minutes. We recommend parking at either the Cathedral or St Marygate car parks, as both are within a five-minute walk of the starting point.
Can I travel to a food tour by public transport?
In Harrogate, the starting point is easily reached by public transport. Harrogate Train Station is a 10-minute walk away, with many local bus routes also stopping nearby.
York Train Station is around a 15-to-20-minute walk from the starting point of our standard York tour. It is approximately a 15-minute walk to our Taste of Yorkshire Tour meeting point.
York also has a network of buses if you’re staying outside the city centre. Many buses stop outside the Theatre Royal, which is close to the starting locations for both our standard York and Taste of Yorkshire tours. There are also several park-and-ride locations operating on the outskirts of York, where you can park and then travel into the city centre by bus.
The meeting point for our Indian Food Tour is a five-minute walk from Leeds Train Station. There are also many bus routes throughout the city. The closest stops are on Infirmary Street and Park Row.
You can visit Ripon from Harrogate and Leeds by bus on the number 36. You can also reach the city by bus from York on the number 82.
Is there anywhere to leave my luggage if I am travelling?
In York, we have partnered with Bounce. They have several convenient storage locations throughout the city. They store items of all different sizes for an affordable flat fee. Each item stored through their platform comes with a $10,000 insurance protection. Click here and use code YORKSHIRE10 for 10% off your booking.
In Leeds, there is a left luggage facility at Leeds Train Station, managed by the Excess Baggage Company. It is located on the North Concourse near the Wellington Street entrance.
Gift vouchers
Can I buy a gift voucher?
Of course you can! Who are you treating to a tour? Lucky them! All our gift vouchers are valid for 12 months from the day you book them. You can pay for a full tour or choose an amount towards one. Book the voucher, then let your recipient pick the date and destination. Click here to buy a gift voucher.
I have a voucher from a third party. How do I book a food tour?
If you’re claiming a gift voucher from Virgin, Buy a Gift, Uniquely Local, Red Letter Days or Get Your Guide, please get in touch with us directly to arrange your booking.
These vouchers cannot be claimed through our booking provider. Please call 07960 240802 or email [email protected] to book your food tour.
Private and corporate food tours
Can I book a private tour?
Absolutely, you can! If you’re celebrating a big birthday, organising a reunion or something else, we offer private tours in all our locations. Choose from Harrogate, York, Leeds or Ripon. Tell us your group’s favourite foods, ideal date and location. We’ll tailor a personalised, guided tour to your party. Enquire about a private tour today.
Can I book a food tour for a hen-do?
We’d love to host the bride-to-be for a hen-do she’ll always remember! Tell us what her favourite food is, which city or town you’re interested in and how many hens will be joining us. We’ll cater everything to the bride’s tastes and interests. We can even create goodie bags for all the hens to take home. Enquire about a hen-do food tour.
Can I book a corporate tour?
We’d be happy to welcome you on a corporate experience. Whether you’re treating your staff, organising a Christmas party or thanking your clients or investors, get in touch to discover our corporate packages. Got something particular in mind? Let us know, and we can create a bespoke experience. Enquire about a corporate food tour.