Breakfast at The Governors House in Northallerton – and Oyatsu café

Forgive the touch of hyperbole. It is just a reflection of the fever-pitch nature of foodie competition in the county town right now.

A few weeks ago, yet another new restaurant opened, and there are more to come (three no less!!!) with the opening of the new cinema at the Treadmills development of the old prison site.

The latest opening in what was the governor’s house of Northallerton Prison, is called, with a refreshing lack of pretension but a depressing lack of punctuation, Governors House.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the initial response on social media when it opened its doors a few weeks back was not the lack of an appropriate-placed apostrophe but the prices. £13.40 for a full English? Downright criminal the keyboard warriors declared.

To reinforce the point, a few days later a café at North End began prominently displaying a banner designed to catch the eye and appetite of motorists coming into town. “The Cheapest Full English In Town – £4.50” it declared.

It sounded like a challenge to me. Not that I don’t believe that Oyatsu café serves the cheapest breakfast spread in town. But it did suggest that I should compare, contrast – and not worry about my cholesterol.

First stop was The Governor’s House (sorry but I’m sticking the apostrophe in whether they like it or not) which makes a very good initial impression. The conversion of the listed building looks good. It’s a mix of industrial loft and period style. Exposed brickwork, cable ducting, bare filament lighting (which I’m not a fan of) and the most beautiful original parquet flooring.

Eating Out at the Governors House on the Treadmills development in Northallerton

There are one of two untidy areas where it looks as if the fitting out team hadn’t quite finished the job but overall it looks very smart – especially the bar area which is adjacent to the open kitchen.

A colleague described the menu as a bit random and I can see what she meant. But I’ll be a bit kinder and say it is eclectic – at least for Northallerton.

Designed to be served throughout the day, the offer covers breakfast/brunch (until noon) and lunch (from noon) and is served until 4pm. When the adjacent cinema starts operating, it will be open weekend evenings too.

Eating Out at the Governors House on the Treadmills development in Northallerton

I confess to having regrets having already committed myself to the Full English. I could have had Nduja Shakshuka – free-range eggs baked in a smoky nduja tomato and red pepper sauce, crispy halloumi, feta, toasted sourdough – £14.40. I could have had Huevos Rancheros – chorizo, Mexican beans, cheese, smashed avocado, fried eggs, pickled onion, feta and soft tortilla – £11.40, or eggs Benedict (£10.40), crab benedict (£13.40), French toast (£11.40) or that hipster favourite, smashed avocado (£9.95). Another time perhaps.

The full English was pretty fine. Perhaps not peerless but hard to fault.

The standout component were the sausages – a classic Cumberland-style porkie with high meat content, gentle spicing and a softly firm texture. Supplied by Sykes House Farm Shop, near Wetherby, apparently.

Eating Out at the Governors House on the Treadmills development in Northallerton

The bacon was dry-cured and crisp, perhaps a little too much for Sylvia – skizzled she called it – and the eggs (two each) were good too apart from a little bit of snottiness on one of my poached pair.

Everything else – grilled tomato, mushrooms, beans and sourdough toast – passed muster too.

With pots of Yorkshire tea (£2.80) the bill for us both was £31.40

And that was little less than we expected because the breakfasts were actually on the bill as £12.90 and not the £13.40 listed on the menu.

When this was queried with our very friendly waiter Charlie – who also appeared to be head honcho – he explained that the menu price was incorrect and was based upon the pricing of a sister restaurant in Harrogate (Farmhouse). The till system had not been updated, he said.

He freely admitted that pricing at the Harrogate establishment was higher than Northallerton because Harrogate was, well, Harrogate and the market could take it.

Eating Out at the Governors House on the Treadmills development in Northallerton

So there you go. If you think £12.90 is pricey for a breakfast, don’t go to Harrogate.

We thought it was a little steep but for the quality of the ingredients, the service and the surroundings we didn’t feel cheated.

So how did Oyatsu’s bargain-basement version compare?

I went on my own, one cooked breakfast a week being enough for Sylvia, and chowed down in splendid isolation. It was perfectly acceptable and for £4.50 nobody can complain at a plateful of bacon, sausages (two), fried egg, hash brown, baked beans, tinned tomato, mushrooms, black pudding and two slices of white toast.

Oyatsu café says it offers the cheapest full English in town

Were the porkies that provided the sausage and bacon the finest free-roaming heritage pigs? Were the beans Heinz? Was the egg from an organic free-range hen? Probably not. But for less than a fiver nobody can expect that sort of quality and provenance.

The proof of this particular pudding perhaps lies in the steady trade in takeaway breakfast orders I witnessed as I ate. There are plenty who feel this is a breakfast bargain not to be missed.

The Governors House

The Treadmills, Crosby Road, Northallerton DL6 1AU

Tel: 01609 258081 Web: www.govhouse.co.uk

Open: 9am-4pm seven days a week

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 8 Service 9 Surroundings 9 Value 7