The Angel Inn
The Angel Inn
Hetton
North Yorkshire
England
Tel: +44 (0)1756 730263
Web: www.angelhetton.co.uk (www.angelhetton.co.uk/)
Serves lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday; bookings accepted for early tables in bar (weekends only) and for restaurant; children welcome; terrace.
Back in the 1980s, when the buzz was all celebrity chefs and gold card dining, Denis Watkins, who had trained as a chef and worked in hotel management, had the foresight to buy a run-down pub in the Yorkshire Dales. ‘Everyone was obsessed with fine dining,’ says Denis, ‘and we had a love-hate relationship with pubs: we loved the idea of them, but were often disappointed with the reality. I thought if I could put really good food into a characterful pub it would be the perfect combination, our equivalent of the French bistro or auberge, a place where everyone could drink and eat without needing a special occasion.’
So he restored The Angel Inn, revealing its beams, stone walls and fireplaces, and opened its doors in 1983. Before long, punters could sit with a pint of Black Sheep and a dish of top-notch cassoulet or Lancashire hot-pot. The Angel became a standard bearer for dining pubs, and it’s still one of the best in the country.
The food is a mixture of robust country stuff and modern brasserie fare, all slickly executed. Sourcing is as local as possible and everything – even their delicious, fruity black pudding – is made in-house. There are now plans to produce more charcuterie. The Angel may have been at the top for more than 20 years, but it’s not resting on its laurels.
