With scores of culinary treasures both inside the walls and beyond, the latest in our ‘Best Of’ competitions for 2026 is sure to whet the appetite.

We’ve counted up your personal choices for favourite places and whittled them down to a shortlist of ten.

York Press readers sent us their favourites at the start of the competition and the top ten shortlist can now be revealed (Image: Newsquest)

Starting tomorrow (Tuesday, April 7) we will feature each of those you’ve selected in a short profile, both online and in the newspaper, alongside a voting slip.

In order to make your mark and select an overall favourite, simply put a cross next to your favourite and sent it off to the address provided before the closing date.

We will announce the overall winner from reader votes in the week beginning April 27.

Over the years, The Press has featured thousands of stories about restaurants and gastro pubs, and our reporters have sampled the food and drink on offer in reviews of what’s on offer.

The culinary experience in York sees independent operators sit alongside big names, giving an impressive range to choose from.

From modern British bistros championing local Yorkshire produce to smart small‑plate spots and relaxed street‑food style venues, there is plenty for diners to explore.

Many former ‘locals’ now serve polished, chef‑led menus while keeping the character of a proper pub, with real ales, good wine lists and Sunday lunches.

Neighbourhood venues beyond the city walls are increasingly matching the quality found in the centre, helping spread the food offer into local communities.

At the same time, York’s long‑standing favourites continue to thrive alongside newer openings, supported by strong visitor trade and loyal local custom.

In alphabetical order, the shortlist of the top ten restaurants or gastro pubs as voted by Press readers is:

• Ate O’Clock Restaurant and Bistro – High Ousegate
• Delrio’s Restaurant – Blossom Street
• JORVINE – Main Street, Fulford
• Karoo Bar and Kitchen – George Hudson Street
• Rustique Restaurant – Castlegate
• The Dawnay Arms – Moor Lane, Newton-on-Ouse
• The Fox Inn – The Village, Stockton on the Forest
• The Knapton Lion – Main Street, Knapton
• The Nag’s Head – Heworth Road
• The Ship Inn, Hauling Lane, Acaster Malbis

However, wet and windy weather will return by the end of the week

After a windy weekend for many parts of Wales due to Storm Dave, the weather is expected to be more settled with temperatures soaring for some days this week. Met Office weather maps show that temperatures could reach up to 23C this week.

Warm days are forecast in parts of Wales on Tuesday and Wednesday will quickly turn by the weekend when wet and windy weather could return. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

The forecast for Tuesday in Wales states: “A sunny start to the day, although high cloud will gradually build in from the west making the sunshine hazy by lunchtime. Feeling warm, especially in the sunshine. Maximum temperature 23 °C.”

Tuesday will be the hottest day this week according to the Met Office weather maps where temperatures will reach 20°C or hotter in many areas including Caernarfon, Carmarthen, Swansea, Cardiff and Llandovery. Wednesday, April 8, will stay dry across Wales with sunny spells like the rest of the UK and cloud only partially covering parts of the west.

Bangor and Aberystywth could see highs of 23C on Tuesday, April 7, Cardiff could be 21C on both Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Met Office.

Swansea would see temperatures between 20C and 21C on both days.

The weather will change throughout the week with the Met Office forecasting the weather for Wednesday to Friday stating: “Staying largely fine and warm on Wednesday, but rain will move in from the west later. Cooler and showery on Thursday. Likely turning wet and windy on Friday.”

Advertisement

Rain will make its return to Wales on Thursday with showers expected around the early afternoon before clearing in the evening. Temperatures will stay mild, still in the double digits but it will feel much cooler than the start of the week.

Heavy rain will sweep Wales on Friday throughout the day along with windy conditions. Areas along the coast of Wales are expected to see gusts of around 40 to 50mph.

Wet weather is expected to continue into the weekend across the UK with longer spells of rain affecting some regions.

The Met Office UK wide long range forecast for Saturday, April 11, until Monday, April 20, says: “It will likely remain rather changeable during the first part of this period with showers or occasional longer spells of rain affecting many areas.

“Whether this takes the form of successive weather systems pushing in from the Atlantic or a more slowly evolving weather pattern is rather more unclear. Some drier, brighter interludes will also occur and when winds are light, it should feel quite warm, despite temperatures most likely being close to normal for most.

“Beyond mid-month, high pressure may become rather more dominant, bringing more in the way of drier and perhaps warmer weather, though this will be determined by the location and proximity of where any high is positioned relative to the UK.”

Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice

In the tradition of indie classics such as Limbo and Inside, comes a new action adventure starring a cartoon octopus caught up in an alien invasion.

We don’t actually play that many video games that are truly awful, since there’s usually nothing of note about them to make a review worthwhile. There’re occasional exceptions, like the mind-bogglingly terrible Code Violet and the baffling MindsEye, but most of the worst games are just worthless slop of the sort Sony is currently trying to clear out from the PlayStation Store.

The majority of video games aren’t unusually good or bad, they’re somewhere in the middle. And so it can be difficult to know which are worthy of further investigation, given there are dozens of new indie games released every week, even at quiet times of the year.

We’re not familiar with French developer ZDT Studio, since this seems to be their debut game, but since the graphics for Darwin’s Paradox looked good, the publisher is Konami, and octopuses are cool we decided to give it a go. In the end we wish we hadn’t, not because it’s terrible but because it’s so deeply average.

Maybe average isn’t entirely fair. The graphics are really good for an indie game and on paper your octopus powers are all very neat, including the ability to camouflage yourself; shoot out ink to cover your escape; and walk along any surface, including the ceiling, like a spider (which we’re pretty sure octopuses can’t do, but whatever).

Darwin’s Paradox is, rather randomly, named after Charles Darwin’s discovery that tropical seas don’t seem to contain enough nutrients to sustain coral reefs, despite the fact they’re teeming with life. That has nothing to do with the game, other than the octopus you control is called Darwin, whose friend is captured by secret aliens running a food processing company and planning to invade Earth.

What this translates to in gameplay terms is a 2D platformer influenced by the likes of Limbo and Inside, but swapping melancholic mystery for cartoon silliness. Darwin spends a surprising amount of time on dry land but whether he’s hiding from guards or trying not to get eaten by a moray eel everything works in the same general way.

His camouflage ability is basically a cloak of invisibility and as long as you activate it in time you become completely invisible to enemies. Although it does take a while to complete, so you spend a lot of time slowly inching your way across the screen, spending more time going into camouflage than moving or hiding.

Spraying ink is only good for masking your movement underwater but the gob of liquid you shoot out can be aimed quite precisely and so ends up getting used to activate switches and machinery when you’re on land. Although you don’t have any offensive abilities at all.

The climbing on any surface gimmick is used a surprising amount and while it seems quite clever at first it’s fiddly and inconsistent. Not enough to be a total wash but certainly enough to irritate, with sticky and slow movement that makes you constantly wish you could just get back in the water, where you’re much more mobile. The worst thing, though, is the game is filled with trial and error traps that often cannot be foreseen.

The checkpointing is generous enough that you don’t usually have to repeat too much but it’s still frustrating getting caught out by something you couldn’t have anticipated, especially as it happens so often. Even without this, the puzzles just aren’t interesting enough to engage you, as the solution is usually instantly obvious but pushing items where you want them or getting a pixel perfect jump just right is frequently more difficult than it should be.

As the scope of indie gaming begins to grow wider, from tiny games made by a single person to those whose scale begins to rival low-end games from traditional publishers, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to judge how fair their price tags are.

Darwin’s Paradox is relatively expensive and it’s only around six hours long and yet you can see where all the money went, as the cartoonish visuals are excellent and mixed in with almost photorealistic backdrops. That said, it’s never actually funny, no matter how often Darwin’s googly eyes try to emote as he’s being pecked to death by birds or squished by alien machinery.

Despite its attempts to provoke a reaction we found it impossible to hold any strong feelings about Darwin’s Paradox. It’s competently made, very pretty, and almost completely uninteresting. The dull and long-winded puzzles are the biggest problem and give the impression that the whole game was designed around the visuals, with everything seemingly having been worked back from there.

That’s never been a good way to make a video game and while this is an acceptable enough way to waste away a rainy Sunday afternoon, that’s about as positive as we can be about it.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
Price: £19.99
Publisher: Konami
Developer: ZDT Studio
Release Date: 2nd April 2026
Age Rating: 7

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

MORE: Fan discovers alternative Resident Evil Requiem final boss and it’s a massive improvement

MORE: Creator of Double Dragon and ‘grandfather of the beat ’em up’ dies at age 64

MORE: GTA 6 publisher lays off its entire AI team after seven years

Middlesbrough, who went into the Easter weekend in the top two, still had the opportunity to end it there with victory at Swansea City in the 17:30 BST game.

Alex Bangura set them on their way with a 12th-minute goal but, after two Zan Vipotnik penalties put the Swans in front, Boro needed a Tommy Conway spot-kick to rescue a point.

Boro are floundering with two wins in their past 10 matches and while they scored more than once for the first time in five games, the feeling remains they are a frustrating and inconsistent proposition in front of goal.

Manager Kim Hellberg said after the match there would be more “twists and turns” to come in the fight for promotion – after a day of such similar rollercoaster emotions.

“You’ve got three teams on 72 points – Ipswich have some games in hand, so they’re in a better position than the other two, but we are in a better position than Millwall because of our better goal difference,” he told BBC Radio Tees.

“There will be twists and turns. No team will just go and win games. It’s difficult and you need to just try in this period to get those points and wins.

“We have to keep fighting. It’s tough we didn’t win, because we thought we were good enough in the game to win, but then you have to do it.

“The easy answer at the moment is that we’re not being clinical enough or smart enough in different ways.”

With a four-point deficit to Ipswich, and a vastly inferior goal difference, plus the games in hand the Tractor Boys hold, Hull can be considered the outsiders in this race.

But the Tigers showed against Coventry they can match anyone in the division and once again reaffirmed the fantastic job Sergej Jakirovic has done in his first season in English football under a transfer embargo.

Although when asked about what that point means in terms of the wider context of Hull’s season, Jakirovic was talking more play-offs than automatic promotion.

“Somebody said it is 73, 74, 75 [to reach the play-offs] but God knows how many. Until we are in this position we will just look at ourselves and try to take points in every game,” Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

“Norwich are coming, Derby is there, Southampton… but, no matter, we must look at ourselves.”

“New venue opening soon”

A popular Japanese restaurant has secured a new Belfast City Centre location.

Ragin’ Ramen currently specialises in “Japanese ramen with a Belfast twist”. On top of ramen on the menu, there are sides like Twister Fries, plus a selection of cocktails and beers.

Signage for the new restaurant has been spotted on Ann Street in the former Trespass store, which relocated to Castlecourt Shopping Centre in 2025.

Ragin’ Ramen already has a Belfast City Centre location on Church Lane, which opened in December 2022. There is no confirmation yet on whether this location will close once the new one opens.

Their menu currently has 6 different types of ramen with quirky names like ‘Astro Boy’ and ‘Sailor Moon’. Customers can also choose between ramen noodles, udon noodles and flat rice noodles.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The first tranche of these – 1,000 of them – were meant to be created this summer. But the government has now withdrawn those after the BMA announced it was taking strike action. It comes after 30,000 applicants applied for 10,000 jobs last summer, although some of these were foreign doctors.

They greet volunteers and buy bags of food, as well as fresh loaves of bread, bagels and flowers. A four-year-old boy tucks into a doughnut from a bistro offering hot and cold drinks.

His mum, who runs her own business, says: “I can only speak for me. I’m struggling. I need it.

“I don’t manage to come every week, but as often as we can. It helps.”

Bags of food ready for collection at the Bread and Butter Thing food hub at the Salvation Army on Palmerston Street, Stockton. Picture: LDR/suitable for all partners.

Members of the Bread and Butter Thing, a food club which has celebrated its second anniversary at this Stockton hub, pay £8.50 for three bags, £17 for six, stuffed with groceries worth four times the price. And in increasingly tough times, the need for support is universal.

One member says: “It’s very useful, especially because of the cost of living crisis. Everybody’s struggling.

“It just depends on what expenses you have coming out each week. Obviously the price of gas and electric go up and you want a warm house, don’t you? Before anything else you need your bills paying. But coming here, it helps you at least get a meal.”

Another member says she came to the “marvellous” affordable food hub every week to pick up food for her family: “Everybody has a short week, if they’ve had a big bill or the car tax is due. It does serve everybody.

“I’m on a limited income, my mam’s a pensioner and my son’s got three kids. He’s self-employed but he hasn’t always got work in.

“It’s such a brilliant place. The volunteers can’t do enough for you.”

Food ready for collection at the Bread and Butter Thing food hub at the Salvation Army on Palmerston Street, Stockton. Picture: LDR/suitable for all partners.

Hub manager Gary Izomor says: “I think in these trying times the need has been very, very high. Especially nowadays, it’s increasingly so.

“What we’ve seen is people like doctors or school teachers or anybody with a quote unquote really good or decent job coming to need our services. They would go to us first then go to supermarkets and save a bit of money.

“You just tend to find everybody’s struggling, it could be for a little bit, it could be for a lot longer. But everybody’s going through the same troubles. The problem still doesn’t change that the cost of living is far too high for a lot of people.

“We find a lot of people who come and they’ve had no food at all for a week or so or they’ve got limited food and they don’t know where the next meal’s going to come from. They’re just regular people who work full-time, who earn money month to month, and they still can’t afford food, lights or heating.”

He said a sense of pride might stop people from coming: “They see it as a sense of failure when it’s not. Everybody needs a hand once in a while, it doesn’t matter where you come from.

“I would say, put your pride aside and come down. You will save a lot than you realise and that will go towards activities you would like or help you pay off a bill.

“It just gives you a safety line. You don’t have to panic.”

He says it also helps promote healthy eating, with bags of fruit and veg, chilled food and canned goods from supermarkets, suppliers and retailers. They currently sell more than 50 parcels at a time.

The borough’s five hubs, launched with funding from Stockton Council and Thirteen Housing, are among 156 nationally for the country’s largest food redistribution charity, which provides food to 100,000 members in low-income communities. Members save up to £25 a week and more than 70% report cooking more and eating more fruit and veg.

The Bread and Butter Thing van. Picture: The Bread and Butter Thing.

Gary says it brings out the best in people: “I really enjoy it. It can be really challenging on a morning, we’re always expanding so the deadlines get shorter. Once you get to the hub and help people out, it’s all worth it.

“It’s been very, very well received. It’s taken on a life of its own, evolved to more of a community. You see the community come together and help each other out.

“A lot of people know about it but don’t constantly use it, which is good for us because it seems like we’ve achieved what we set out to achieve – gave them a safety net, gave them the helping hand they needed and they’re back on their feet. And if they’re ever struggling again, we’re always going to be here to help them out.”

Salvation Army volunteers, mostly retired, make up the team hosting Bread and Butter as part of the church’s ethos to serve and help the local community. Its leader at the hub, Major Ian Davis, says: “We were approached by the council and asked if we would consider hosting the Bread and Butter Thing in our building. We’re happy to do that.

“It seems to be very busy most weeks. You see the same faces regularly so we know people are appreciating the service.”

Diane Bartle, a former specialist teacher who organises more than 20 volunteers, says: “It is quite a mix of society. It’s a cross-section that come through, a range of people.

“We are finding a lot of people locally are struggling. I think the need has grown, they’ve found a real big need in Stockton.

“There are increasingly families finding it difficult to stretch the budget, so it does help ease their budget a little bit. They’ll get a lot more for their money and it’s usually good-quality food.

“Some are saying their diet has altered because they’re getting fruit and veg they wouldn’t normally buy themselves.”

Volunteer Trevor Watson, 71, a former European supply chain manager for the chemical industry, says: “It goes very well, the people that came in are appreciative. Regulars come in and you get a rapport.

Salvation Army volunteer Trevor Watson, 71, at the Bread and Butter Thing food hub at the Salvation Army on Palmerston Street, Stockton. Picture: LDR/suitable for all partners.

“They find somebody to talk to, some people are opening up. I just think people are struggling with their budgets overall, with all the different rises.

“People who are earners come to Bread and Butter. Some people are proud and they don’t want handouts, whereas the Bread and Butter is something they pay for, £8.50 for £35 worth of groceries. People are trying to balance it so they can spend the money they have on essentials, maybe heating, maybe travel.

“I think when it started people were reluctant, but as they’ve come week on week they get more relaxed in the knowledge they’re doing their bit because they’re paying for the food.”

The Salvation Army also run a separate food bank, community meals and community space on the same premises, and Ian says the Bread and Butter Thing offers an opportunity for people to move to a different service.

Vic Harper, chief executive of the Bread and Butter Thing, said: “We’ve seen how access to affordable, healthy food can bring people together, reduce waste and strengthen neighbourhoods. None of this would be possible without our brilliant volunteers, whose commitment and care sit at the heart of everything we do.”

The Bread and Butter Thing is free to join and volunteers are welcome. Text 07507 237311 with your name, postcode, and where you would like to collect food – Salvation Army on Palmerston Street, Stockton; Teesside Vineyard Church, Acklam Road, Thornaby; New Life Family Centre, Low Grange Avenue, Billingham; Newtown Community Resource Centre, Durham Road, Newtown; or Redhill Family Hub, Redhill Road, Roseworth.

The Coronation Street icon made a big impression on the ITV reality show

I’m A Celebrity South Africa fans branded Beverley Callard their ‘winner’ as a potential feud emerged between the Coronation Street legend and one of her new campmates.

The Liz McDonald actress initially appeared on the Ant and Dec ITV reality in 2020, when the show relocated to a Welsh castle due to the Covid pandemic. She was the fourth celebrity eliminated in the series which was won by Giovanna Fletcher.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

Viewers are finally getting to see how Beverley fares in the jungle, with the 69-year-old among the stars featured in the return of I’m A Celebrity South Africa on Monday night (April 6). The All Stars series was recorded prior to her telling fans she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

Early on in the episode, Beverley was paired with Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas for a challenge titled Tipped Over The Edge They were strapped back to back and had to collect puzzle pieces from the ledge to build a star.

Going up against Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts and Olympian Sir Mo Farah, the team who completed the star in the fastest time would be the winners. With the cliff’s ledge tipping like a see-saw the closer they got to it, they would be sent over the edge hurtling into the drop below if they went too far too soon.

Adam and Beverly proved to be a good team as they made light work of collecting the puzzle pieces. However, disaster struck towards the end of the challenge when not only did they fall off the ledge when trying to get the last piece, but that some of the ones they had collected fell with them.

Despite still having time to finish the challenge, it took Adam a staggering ten minutes to figure out where to place the jigsaw pieces and led to him and Beverley losing the challenge. After this the stars met boxer David Haye and Gogglebox’s Scarlett Moffatt outside two remote lodges.

With David eventually finding the right key hidden among 50 wrong ones, he said that Beverley should be sent to Savannah Scrub, a camp with basic rations, instead of Scarlett. “It’s survival, we’ve got to eat,” he said.

While she insisted there was ‘no hard feelings’, Beverley replied: “David you are going to pay for that decision… up yours.”

Those watching the episode at home rushed to X, previously known as Twitter, to express why they think Beverley was hard done by and why she may just end up winning the series.

@fansvfavourites said: “oh beverley! this is what all stars is all about! our winner #ImACeleb.” @lmfaoitsjoeyy added: “i won’t accept ANYONE coming for my bev callard #ImACeleb.”

@RyanSoapKing25 wrote: “Poor Bev being sent to be bad camp #ImaCeleb.” @FattyFudge4 posted: “Bev ROBBED being sent away #ImACeleb.”

@RyanJL commented: “Love that Bev Callard is getting this experience after missing out on Australia for her series #ImACeleb.” @ThornhillNina stated: “Loving Bev #ImACeleb.”

ITV viewers saw some familiar faces head back into the jungle as I’m A Celebrity South Africa returned to screens.

Advertisement

I’m a Celebrity viewers were less than impressed during the first episode of the South Africa series as one fan-favourite didn’t appear in the episode despite being shown in the teasers all week.

Fan-favourites from past I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! series are back in a bid to claim the title of jungle legend. On Monday night, ITV viewers saw hosts Ant and Dec welcome some familiar faces to South Africa as the former campmates were thrown straight into the deep end.

Actor Adam Thomas, Ashley Roberts, Sir Mo Farah and Beverley Callard were the first stars to arrive and meet the Geordie duo on the top of a high cliff ledge.

Split into two teams, they had to battle it out by collecting puzzle pieces from the ledge to build a star while strapped back-to-back with their teammate. The team that completes the star in the fastest time wins.

However, when they got closer to the cliff’s ledge, the ledge would tip like a see-saw, meaning if they went too far, they’d be sent over the edge, hurtling into the drop below. In the end, it was Mo and Ashley who won, sending Adam to Savannah Scrub, the smaller basic camp.

Advertisement

READ MORE: ITV I’m A Celebrity viewers ‘freaked out’ minutes into all-star show with twistREAD MORE: I’m A Celebrity fans voice concern as star tackles trial after sharing painful condition

Although the remainder of the stars joined the campmates later on in the episode, including Scarlett Moffatt, Seann Walsh, David Haye, and Sinitta, two famous faces were noticeably absent.

People were quick to notice Gemma Collins’ absence before she made an appearance at the end of the show alongside Craig Charles. The pair were shown in a preview for Tuesday night’s episode where they will go head-to-head in an eating trial with Craig.

She could be heard admitting: “This is a far cry from Essex! I’m ready for you.”

Viewers were less than impressed by their late arrival, as many issued the same complaint, as one person said: “I’m bored WHERE IS GEMMA COLLINS!?!?!?!? #ImACeleb”

Someone else added: “We’ve sat through 90 minutes with no sign of our Gemma.”

One viewer commented: “Just bring the GC in already I’m getting bored.” Another person added: “The producers gate keeping the GC until tomorrows episode #imaceleb.”

Someone else shared: “Where is the GC?? Are you telling me I waited the whole ep for nothing?#imaceleb.” While another person reeled: “I’m watching this sh**e for the GC and the GC only. What’s going on.”

Ahead of her return, Gemma, who starred in the series back in 2014 and lasted a mere 72 hours, confessed her comeback is her redemption.

She said: “Going on All Stars is a real moment for me in my career – it’s redemption. To be able to do this again is the greatest honour ever.

“I am going to be the best campmate and get those stars. None of us will be starving under my watch.”

I’m a Celebrity… South Africa which airs every weeknight at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV Player & STV.

Officers were called to Lyons Lane at around 12.20pm on March 20 after reports that a BMW 320d had been involved in a collision with a pedestrian.

The pedestrian, a man in his 70s, was taken to hospital with a head injury but has since died. Police said their thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.

The driver of the BMW was not arrested and is being treated as a witness.

Sergeant Laura Kendall, from Lancashire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “As a result of this collision, a man has lost his life and my thoughts are very much with his loved ones at this distressing time.

“A number of enquiries have been carried out since the initial collision; however, work is still ongoing to establish the full circumstances which led to it.

“As such, I would ask any witnesses, or anybody who has dashcam or CCTV footage which would assist us with our enquiries, to contact the police as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information is asked to email sciu@lancashire.police.uk or call 101, quoting log 648 of March 20, 2026.