Yorkshire has featured three times in this year’s National Restaurant Awards which showcases the very best restaurants throughout the UK.
An elite panel of more than 200 British chefs, food writers, and restaurateurs have complied ‘The List’ which highlights 100 of the finest dining establishments from up and down the country.
Two North Yorkshire favourites have made it to the top 50, with The Angel at Hetton being placed at no.37, and The Black Swan at Oldstead following just behind at no.41. A special award was given to Joshua and Victoria Ovingham at Mýse in Hovingham who were awarded Restauranteur of the Year.
The Angel at Hetton – No.37
Back Ln, Hetton, Skipton, BD23 6LT
With a regional reputation for fine dining, this well-loved Yorkshire Dales pub was given a modern makeover by acclaimed chef Michael Wignall in 2018.
The National Restaurant Awards said: ‘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.
The 15th century pub building is situated on a quiet road in the picturesque village of Hetton and features nine bedrooms, making it an ideal base for visitors to explore the wider Yorkshire Dales National Park.’
The Black Swan at Oldstead – No.41
Oldstead, York, YO61 4BL
A Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms on the edge of the North York Moors, ‘Great British Menu star Tommy Banks has helped turn this pub into a restaurant that’s worth the journey.’
The National Restaurant Awards continued to say: ‘The food at The Black Swan is very much of its location. Chef-patron Tommy Banks’ menu is inspired by the ingredients that are grown in its fields, in the two acres of growing beds in the adjoining garden, or foraged in and around Oldstead. The restaurant opts for a tasting menu-only approach, which it says allows it to bring together everything grown and developed into a purposefully designed experience.
Dishes are seasonal and based on what has been grown as well as what’s available from the seas. But the menu is not completely dictated by the seasons, with the restaurant regularly using pickled and preserved ingredients in the more fallow months, particularly early on in the year. Banks’ menu of small plates changes regularly but expect premium ingredients such as scallops, aged beef and langoustine paired with stellar homegrown produce.’
Restauranteur of the year – Joshua and Victoria Ovingham
Husband and wife team set up their restaurant Mýse in Hovingham in 2018 which features rooms and a British tasting menu. Having come from his previous restaurant in York Le Cochon Aveugle, Joshua creates culinary delights whilst Victoria oversees the wine and front of house.
The National Restaurant Awards said: ‘The young duo have succeeded in creating a contemporary restaurant that is supremely welcoming and accommodating. On the site of a former gastropub in the north Yorkshire village of Hovingham, Mýse retains some pub trappings - including a bar with a few handpulls - but is unlikely to be mistaken for a village boozer with its whitewashed walls, minimalist feel and Noma-esque dining chairs.
In the kitchen, Overington celebrates the produce of the British Isles while also nodding to the food he grew up on, describing his menu as ‘elevated grandma cooking’. Overseen by Vicky, the 300-bin wine list is big on classic wine regions with a focus on producers from eastern France (both originally from the UK, the pair met in the Alps). As well as offering a great experience to its customers the restaurant is also looking after its staff, operating a four-day week. As an overall package, Mýse simply dazzles.’
Read the full list and awards here
