A rural food hotspot in the Yorkshire Dales has been named Gastropub of the Year in the National Restaurant Awards. The Angel at Hetton headed up by chef Michael Wignall adds the award to its Michelin Star and receives the accolade after also being placed at number 12 in the National Restaurant Awards’ top 100 restaurants.

Great British Life: The Black Swan at Oldstead gathers most of its ingredients from the family farm and kitchen gardenThe Black Swan at Oldstead gathers most of its ingredients from the family farm and kitchen garden (Image: Tommy Banks) Also in the line-up from Yorkshire are The Black Swan at Oldstead, Tommy Banks’ country inn at 32, Michael O’Hare’s The Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds at 61, Joro Sheffield at 77 and York’s Le Cochon Aveugle at 94.

Judges praised the consistency of Michael Wignall who took over the pub with his wife Johanna in partnership with James and Jo Wellock in 2018.

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The judges said, ‘This Yorkshire institution was one of the county’s first gastropubs when it was made famous by the late chef Denis Watkins in the 1980s.

‘Wignall is one of the UK’s most respected and accomplished chefs and has so far won a Michelin star in every kitchen he has helmed since 1993.

Great British Life: Michelin-starred food at The AngelMichelin-starred food at The Angel (Image: Angel Hetton)At The Angel Wignall is serving up more than mere pub grub, either through his à la carte menu or multi-course tasting menus that are available at both lunch and dinner. Expect a trio of snacks as well as freshly made sourdough and a selection of cultured butters before tucking into some of the most inventive cooking and immaculate plating in the country at the moment.’