Tom and Laurissa Heywood have opened their new restaurant, Pignut and The Hare, at the old Hare in Scawton. The first service kicked off on August 1st, marking a new chapter for the couple after their well-loved Pignut restaurant in Helmsley.
They’ve kept the building’s original name as a respectful nod to its history in the village, but the rest is very much their own work. “It still feels like Pignut, just in a beautiful new setting,” they said. “We haven’t reinvented anything, we’re just building on what we love and making it even better.”
The refurbishment is full of thoughtful touches that show what matters to Tom and Laurissa. The carpet is made from recycled bottle tops, the garden is planted to support bees, and compost from their old restaurant has been mixed into the soil. They’re already using herbs grown on-site and plan to add planter boxes next year for potatoes. Over time, they’ll add more personal touches that mix simple design with a rural vibe.
At the heart of the restaurant is the tasting menu. Instead of a fixed number of courses, the menu changes with the seasons. Some times of year bring more, others less, but the amount of food stays the same. Tom explained, “When you’re doing something like an eight-course menu, you’re a bit restricted. By removing the set number, we can show more of what’s growing or being foraged. It might be 20 courses one time, 12 the next, but the portion size remains.”
The couple want guests to feel involved in the experience. They’ve introduced more interaction at the table and little touches to make visits memorable. For example, every guest will get a Polaroid photo to take home. Laurissa said, “We saw it in Paris and loved the idea of leaving with a captured memory from the night.”
They’ll also photograph new dishes on Polaroids, dating and noting them, creating a visual timeline of their food journey, part record, part inspiration, part celebration.
Inside the restaurant is a meat fridge on display, where they age Castle Howard beef and pork. This fridge also helps with their waste-minimising approach by ageing fish and vegetables too. Breakfast for guests staying overnight will include produce from Castle Howard, prepared in different ways throughout the year.
Outside, new seating areas offer a relaxed spot for drinks, whether that’s sustainable organic wine or cocktails made with their own syrups and garnishes from the garden.
Adding a special touch, many of the restaurant’s features have been crafted by Ollie Fulford of Fulford Forge in Helmsley. The sign, table legs, and handmade skewers were all made by him, with the skewers even forged from Laurissa’s horse’s old horseshoes. The knives are all unique, too, and guests will be invited to choose their own when they dine.
Pignut and The Hare seats 18 people and has four bedrooms. It will open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, with breakfast for guests staying overnight. Rooms can only be booked when dining at the restaurant.
With this new project, Tom and Laurissa are carrying on what they started in Helmsley, offering a fresh but familiar experience rooted in the local landscape and their passion for good, sustainable food.
