Pro Vs Punter Home, Leeds

Does a regular diner reach the same conclusion about a restaurant as a food pro, who may get special treatment if recognised?* Emma Sturgess and Olive reader Isobel Padmore compare notes on this new opening focussed on British produce.

HOME

Chef owners Mark Owens (Le Gavroche, The Star at Harome, The Box Tree) and MasterChef semifinalist Elizabeth Cottam have joined forces to create relaxed British restaurant HOME in Leeds. Its 10-course tasting menu (£70 per person), alongside a five-course option available Thursday to Saturday lunchtimes (£50 per person), follows the seasons to showcase British produce. HOME has a strong affiliation with the Harewood Estate, using its venison and rabbits, and produce from its walled garden. The kitchen delivers dishes such as smoked potato salad with heritage tomatoes, rabbit stew with parsnips and black garlic, and caramelised pear and cardamom. Original parquet flooring, panelled walls and a stone staircase are brightened up with plenty of natural light from skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows. If you want in on the action, request one of the chef’s table seats at the hatch that gives you a view into the open kitchen. homeleeds.co.uk

Our pro says…

The homes we idealise are simple, welcoming, undemanding. At first sniff, HOME doesn’t appear to be any of these things. The booking protocol, with its hefty deposits and endless rules, is a giant buzzkill. The flights of stone steps are handsome and candlelit, but keep out anyone who can’t manage them. And to try the five-course menu on a Saturday night, when the gorgeously proportioned dining room is open only to those who want the full 10 courses, we had to sit at the bar – and pay 12.5% service charge. 

*I was not recognised.