I recreated some of the most iconic York delicacies and here’s how it went

Pls let me have a blue shit asap Boris x

3 years ago

Sometimes all you need is a blue shit and some nachos from Courtyard to cheer you up. However, not only are we all in lockdown (thanks Boris), but also probably not going to set foot in Stone Roses or Courtyard for a while.

Oh how I miss a blue shit hangover or grabbing a plate of iconic Courtyard nachos in between lectures. To make myself feel just that little bit closer to York (or more importantly) Double Dutch and Courtyard, I did the next best thing: DIY!

Double Dutch

There’s only one thing York does better than waterfowl, and that’s pancakes! With so many options to choose from, I decided to recreate my fave Lotus Biscoff pancakes from Double Dutch. Although mine didn’t taste nearly as good as the originals (perhaps because I wasn’t hungover and skipping a 9am), I was pretty impressed with how they turned out. They were fairly easy to make and didn’t take too long either and I would definitely consider making them again.

Texas BBQ loaded fries

These loaded fries never seem to get the hype they deserve. Maybe it’s down to living opposite Glasshouse for a year, but these will always be iconically York to me. From the get-go I was setting myself up for failure with the wrong size of chips; the skinny fries in my freezer at home just aren’t ideal for loading cheese onto.

The next problem I encountered was whatever type of bacon I had picked up at Tesco, just wasn’t it. I don’t know what makes Glasshouse bacon so good, but I ended up having to pick it out before eating the fries which just added to the mess I made. Overall, I would definitely recommend waiting until Glasshouse is open again, because recreating them did not do them justice and it’s safe to say I won’t be trying again.

York Roast Co.

The concept of having an entire roast dinner wrapped in a yorkshire pudding is genius, and it really hits different after a night out and one too many blue shits. Attempting to recreate this one proved slightly hard since I was clearly still drunk from the night before when I last tried one, so couldn’t actually remember what was inside it.

The other problem was that I’ve never made a yorkshire pudding before. Following the mess in the kitchen after making pancakes and loaded fries, my dad suggested buying one might be better. As it turns out, trying to wrap some roasted vegetables and stuffing inside a giant yorkshire pudding is quite challenging. The yorkshire cracked so filling ended up all over my carpet as I was trying to take the photo. There’s deffo a reason why there is always a queue for them in town. I would suggest joining the queue next time you crave a roast in a wrap because DIY just doesn’t work.

Courtyard Nachos

Nothing is better than a plate of nachos from Courtyard between lectures. With online lectures, my weekly (or sometimes daily) trip has been sorely missed. Longgg lecture? Courtyard nachos. Hungover? Courtyard Nachos. Drinks with friends? Courtyard nachos. I had a lot to live up to.

Luckily, these were surprisingly easy to recreate at home, and it meant that I could choose not to include the jalapenos that I always end up picking off. Although nothing can match the good vibes of a Courtyard lunch with friends, DIY nachos come close to it.

Blue Shits

Apart from a treble vodka shot and something blue, it remains a mystery what is actually in a blue shit, so recreating these was quite hard. However, the mixture of lemonade, WKD and vodka I created tasted fairly similar. The DIY blue shit is probably not going to be my new drink of choice at pres, but it serves its purpose until I’m back in York.

Obviously Stones is the best place to drink these, so I put on my best Indie playlist in an attempt to recreate the atmosphere for my mum. I think she preferred the music to the drinks, but I’m putting that down to age (sorry Mum).