A TV star chef who has appeared on Saturday Kitchen and The Great British Menu was threatened with legal action by council jobsworths - after her husband gave diners free lifts home from her rural restaurant.

Ruth Hansom, 30, said she was left 'shocked' after town hall officials challenged a goodwill gesture designed to help customers get home safely from Michelin-listed Hansom in Bedale, North Yorkshire - a small market town with little public transport and few taxis.

Husband Mark had generously offered to drive diners to nearby villages and 20 minutes to the nearest railway station in his electric Lotus, so they could enjoy a glass of wine without worrying about getting home from the fine-dining spot.

However, the entrepreneurial pair instead found themselves in the crosshairs of licensing officials at North Yorkshire Council, who claimed Mark effectively operated an unlicensed taxi service.

In a stern letter headed 'Allegation - Using Own Vehicle as a Private Hire Vehicle', Ruth and Mark were accused of providing transport for 'hire and reward' - despite diners not being charged a penny.

Licensing enforcement officer Chris Doyle warned the couple that the service required costly licences and that legal action could follow if it continued.

Ruth, a finalist on Great British Menu in 2020 and touted as one of the UK's rising culinary stars, told the council in response: 'He’s my husband. He is unpaid. We do not charge.'

It is understood that the notice was made following an anonymous complaint to the council last year.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ruth said: 'We're lucky to get people from all over the country come to the restaurant and we just wanted to make sure they can get home safely.

'They don't necessarily know the situation with taxis, so we were getting a lot of people stuck with us. They thought they'd just be able to book an Uber, which just isn't possible.

'We were just making sure people could get back to where they needed to go without throwing them out on the street.

'There are so many little villages around us that they can't get a cab for two miles down the road because it's not viable for the taxi companies either.

'And we didn't want people walking in pitch black down unlit roads at night, or worse, getting in the car after they've had a drink.'

Mark, who offered lifts to diners enjoying the £144 tasting menu and wine pairing within a 12-mile radius, was told by the council the free rides were 'deemed to be a commercial benefit' to the restaurant, which opened less than three years ago.

Signing off the letter, the council said: 'I must warn you that if you continue to offer this service without the appropriate licences the Licensing Authority may take legal action against you.'

Ruth, who formerly worked at the iconic The Ritz hotel in central London and was crowned Young National Chef of the Year aged 25, said the lift service had been suspended as a result of the council's threat.

She added: 'Honestly, I thought we were doing everything right.

'We weren't charging for it. It wasn't something that we were getting money from. It was just something we were offering for people that were already coming to dine with us.

'We made sure we had proper business car insurance and we thought we were legally covered.

'So it was quite a shock to know that we weren't. And it is a bit of a silly rule.

'We can't really take a chance at being financially burdened with something. So at the minute, we've just had to stop.'

The extraordinary crackdown sparked anger among supporters of the popular two-year-old restaurant, including the renowned food critic Giles Coren.

He railed in his The Times column: 'Far-flung Hansom generously offers free lifts to some of its guests but North Yorkshire council is having none of it

'There is nothing so beautiful and good in this world that a local council officer cannot destroy it.'

He added: 'Chef Ruth Hansom does all the kitchen prep herself, the washing up, bookings, till, deliveries and payroll, and cooks one of the most exciting menus for miles around.

'And because breaking even in this game is so hard, however much you stretch yourself, her husband, Mark, who has a job of his own, gives up his evenings to chauffeur some guests to and from their homes.

'This is not a big city restaurant. There is no train, no metro, no Ubers hanging around at closing time. I myself had to hitchhike from Northallerton station when I reviewed it.

'So Mark drives all night to help his wife achieve her dream of a full dining room, at a time when the restaurant trade is on its knees. It is the most romantic thing I have seen in 25 years.'

Mr Coren said of the warning letter, which he described as being sent by a 'joyless council flunky': 'A young woman works all the hours God gives to try to get a great local business off the ground and they get wind that her husband drives local oldies home to save them drinking and driving.

'Oh, hideous crime! Oh, Epstein of the Dales!'

Hansom is based in a 16th-century coach house in 3,000-population Bedale, with the nearest mainline train station - Northallerton - a 20 minute, nine-mile drive away.

Speaking previously on offering lifts to customers, Ruth, a 2018 winner of the BBC's Million Pound Menu, said: 'How else are we going to get people to come all this way?'.

The 28-cover restaurant - staffed by a small front-of-house team with Ruth alone in the kitchen - offers a five-course tasting menu for £85, with sample dishes including Whitby Coronation Crab, Swaledale Lamb Loin and Salt Baked Celeriac.

Celebrity guests have included the two-Michelin star chef Satwant 'Sat' Bains and the TV presenter and chef Rosemary Shrager.

A drinks pairing with each course costs an additional £59.

North Yorkshire Council said in a statement: 'We are always willing to work with businesses.

'While offering customers lifts may seem like a helpful gesture, transporting members of the public without the proper licences in place creates serious risks for both the business and the customer.

'Following a complaint last year, we advised the restaurant owner on the legal requirements relating to private hire vehicles.

'These rules ensure that appropriate insurance, safeguarding measures, vehicle safety standards and driver suitability checks are in place to protect customers.

'The restaurant owner cooperated fully with the advice provided.'