The Talbot Malton

Hotel review

There is nothing shy about Malton, a market town some 30 minutes to the north east of York, which proudly declares itself ‘The Food Capital of Yorkshire’. And there’s nothing shy about this hotel which sits high above the River Derwent on one of the town’s main streets, Yorkersgate. Originally a 17th-century hunting lodge before becoming a coaching inn, it is now a bold, modern version of that very English type of accommodation which prides itself on offering a warm welcome, robust food and a good night’s sleep.

From the outside, it’s no great beauty; a rather hefty looking building that could probably do with a lick of paint. But step inside and it’s immediately welcoming: on one side of the hall, a large and light sitting room with pale-green walls, squashy sofas, log fire and piles of magazines and board games; on the other, a split-level bar with burnished floorboards, scrubbed tables, deep blue walls and burnt orange banquettes.

Choose to eat in here – particularly if you have a dog in tow, who are made very welcome – or in the more elegant dining room. The latter is a delightful light-filled room overlooking the river valley below and fields beyond, and with simple scrubbed tables, botanical prints on pale-green walls and carefully placed green glass vases. The menu offers elevated pub dishes such as steak with salsa brava, cod and mussel bouillabaisse with saffron potatoes, and tomato and vodka pasta, as well as staples such as fish and chips, burgers and pie of the day. Filling and well-priced. 

Bedrooms, spread over a warren of floors and staircases, feel more country house than town inn with floral and bird-patterned cushions and curtains, vintage wardrobes and chests, pretty painted bedside tables, and velvet headboards. A couple have four-poster beds. There are nice extras, such as coffee machines, books, water and Roberts radios, while bathrooms are for the most part large, often with bath and shower. Ask for a rear room for views to the River Derwent.

Helen Pickles