Situated close to Harrogate’s town centre and the famous Stray (200 acres of lush parkland now reserved as a ‘common’), Chez La Vie bring some French joie de vivre and Mediterranean sunshine to the neighbourhood. The kitchen deals in bourgeois Gallic staples ranging from French onion soup, moules marinière and spicy duck crêpes to beef bourguignon, roast chicken breast with tarragon sauce and calf’s liver with bacon and Madeira sauce – although it can also deliver potted shrimps, smoked haddock rarebit and Cajun-style sea bass. Burgers, steaks and venison are shown the charcoal grill, while desserts are in the traditional mould of chocolate tart or brioche-and-butter pudding. Friday night is steak night, children and veggies have their own menus, and it’s worth looking out for ‘early bird’ and ‘easy’ fixed-price deals too.