Olive Tree, Tower Street, York

Image from the Olive Tree's web site

A dated Mediterranean restaurant, the Olive Tree has prints of naked Greek gods on its walls and the staff wear white shirts and even ties. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant place to eat near the centre of York. There is a lengthy, largely-Italian a la carte menu with pizza, pasta and other safe dishes, such as chargrilled fillet of salmon and roast lamb. There is also a set menu, which is about £12 for two courses, but the dishes are smaller. You seem to be able to pick and mix from the two menus. Among the starters, the salmon roulade (£6.85) with cream cheese is chunky and refreshing. It is served with a slice of crusty garlic bread and a small salad. For a main course, the Moroccan lamb stew (from the set menu), containing chickpeas, olives and couscous is tasty enough, but could be a lot bigger. The service is friendly and attentive - the waiters keep bringing you jugs of tap water, while the compact wine list is keenly-priced with bottles starting at about £16. 7/10

Lunch at the Walled Garden, Scampston Hall, Malton, North Yorkshire

In an ultra-modern, glass-panelled building overlooking the meticulously-tended walled-garden, Scampston Hall's restaurant is a relaxed eatery with big wooden tables, bare brick walls, framed pressed flowers, bustling, jovial staff and very posh toilets. Prepared with care and attention, the light lunches are pretty good, but pretty light. For just under eight quid, the 'Scampston Florentine' consists of ham, spinach and a poached egg topped with Yorkshire rarebit. It is fresh and wholesome food with a good mix of flavours, but not very substantial. If you are hungry, a better bet is the Gardeners Lunch (£11.25), which is a mix of top notch ham, some fine cheeses, root vegetable slaw, red onion marmalade and decent bread.  The rustic food goes very well with a glass of the pear cider from the nearby Wolds. The kids menu (£5.75) is very short and very simple. They can choose a sausage in a bun followed by a large cookie and a glass of milk or a cheese and ham sandwich, served with raw carrots and cherry tomatoes, followed by a small tub of ice cream and some fruit juice. The very fresh and healthy food just about justifies the highish prices and smallish portions. 7/10

The Tea Room at Bolton Castle, Wensleydale, Yorkshire Dales

Occupying one of the larger rooms in medieval Bolton Castle, this tea room serves up historical atmosphere. One wall is dominated by a large stone fireplace blackened by centuries of use and a circular cast iron chandelier hangs from the centre of the high wood-beamed ceiling. On a large table is a buffet of cakes, scones and pies. A hefty slice of squidgy, sweet and delicious banoffee pie costs just £1.70, while you can wash it down with tea, coffee or even a bottled beer. For something a bit different and quite refreshing, try one of the Luscombe's organic fizzy drinks whose exotic ingredients include Madagascan vanilla and Sicilian lemons. 7/10

Raven Hall restaurant, Ravenscar, Yorkshire

Appropriately-named, 200-year-old Raven Hall sits brooding on a high clifftop overlooking a sweeping arc of coastline leading up to the red roofs of the old smugglers' village of Robin Hood's Bay. Inside is something of a time warp with old leather chairs in the foyer and smart white tablecloths and napkins in the spacious dining room. But it is the beautiful view of the vintage coastal countryside through the huge windows that will catch and hold your eye. The sluggish waiters wear white shirts and black ties, loosely knotted, making them look like overgrown schoolboys. But the food is much more polished and generally good value. For a tenner, you can have a precisely-cooked, well-seasoned piece of salmon covered in a prawn sauce and accompanied by al dente vegetables and a choice of chips, new potatoes or jacket potato. The sea bream with a fennel and langouistine sauce, a chef's special, makes for a fine combination of flavours. The children's menu includes some reasonable mini-pizzas and sausages, both offered with chips or new potatoes, plus peas and sweetcorn, for £6 a dish. You can wash it down with the free water, served in large jugs, wine or a draught beer, such as Tetley's or Fosters. Fine food in a fine setting. 8/10

Cober Hill, Cloughton, near Scarborough

A rambling Victorian hotel with a modern conference centre building behind it, Cober Hill is set in large and quirky gardens perched on a scenic hillside overlooking the sea and the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. A battered tarmac tennis court, a half-size croquet lawn, a substantial kids playground, a pool hut, a clock golf lawn and many other facilities are dotted around the gardens. Cloughton Wyke, a rocky bay amid the cliffs, is just a 10 minute walk away down a picturesque minor road and Cober Hill is well-placed for exploring the eastern side of the Moors.

The Hatless Heron, Church Street, Whitby

An unusually restrained and upmarket cafe-bar in cobbled streets below the Abbey, The Hatless Heron stands out from the cheap and cheerful fish and chip restaurants that predominate in Whitby. Rather than plastic seats and Formica table tops, the Hatless Heron has wooden and leather furniture. But this place isn't snobby or expensive. The attractive young staff are friendly and helpful, recommending free tap water above the pricey bottled variety, for example. There is a wide range of snacks available. The baked potatoes (£3.50), which come with the usual range of cheese and ham fillings and a reasonable side salad, washed down with one of the premium lagers on draught, make for a good-value lunch. 7/10

Station Tea Rooms, Cloughton, near Scarborough

Many of the old station signs and other railway paraphernalia remain intact around this long, slim, well-preserved stone building, which looks like a film set from 'The Railway Children'. You can sit in the beautiful garden, surrounded by a pristine lawn, lovingly-tended flower beds and a couple of ponds, or in the snug inside room. Although the food is simple (toasted and ordinary sandwiches, salads, soup, cakes etc.), it is made with high-quality ingredients, such as fine cuts of beef and delicately-cooked salmon. The Tea Rooms don't serve alcohol and the opening hours are limited (even in summer, it is closed Thursdays and Fridays), but it is popular with cyclists travelling the disused railway line between Whitby and Scarborough and its reputation attracts a steady stream of locals. 8/10

Hayburn Wyke pub, near Cloughton, Yorkshire

A homely early nineteenth century stone pub nestling in a secluded wooded valley near the Cleveland Way, the Hayburn Wyke Inn serves a continuos trickle of thirsty and hungry customers. Outside, there is a small and unobtrusive adventure playground made from tyres and timber, a large lawn and some garden tables. The inside is a little dingy, but the good-value, tasty and fresh pub fare, such as steak pie, seafood bake and the gigantic 'gorilla' grill (£6 to £13), prepared on the premises, makes up for that. The steak sandwich with chips and a small salad (£5) makes a decent brunch, while good-quality kids meals cost just £3.50. Although the coffee choice is limited to filter or filter, there are real ales on tap and the middle-aged ladies manning the bar are warm and friendly. 8/10

The Star at Scampston, near Malton, North Yorkshire

Throughout the spring and summer, well-heeled Yorkshire gardeners gather for lunch at the indoor or outdoor tables in this restaurant adjoined to a large, recently-restored walled garden belonging to neighbouring Scampston Hall. For £13-a-head, diners can help themselves to a buffet offering succulent slices of rare beef, ham and pork pie, supplemented by an unusual, but appealing range of salads, pasta dishes, fruit, bread and cheeses. Equally-fine sandwiches and soups are available a la carte and can be washed down with a glass of chilled wine, British beers, cider and soft drinks. Warm and engaging service makes everyone from doddery pensioners to dysfunctional young families feel welcome, while the luxurious lavatories are equipped with a range of upmarket Molton Brown toiletries. Strolling the Walled-Garden, which costs £5-a-head, is a treat for serious gardeners, but others should probably skip it unless it is late spring or early summer when the flowerbeds will be flush with colour. 8/10