The Angel Inn, Hetton
I quote from The Angel Inn website. "The Angel is one of the best-known and best-loved inns in the country and quite simply a delightful place both to stay and dine.
"With origins in part over 500 years old the inn is, as you would expect, full of atmosphere and charm with oak beams, nooks, crannies and crackling log fires yet with a style that's both sophisticated and up-to-date and, above all, supremely comfortable.
"Food is of the essence and over the years the Angel has won just about every award going."
Fair enough. Some gastro pubs shine brightly for a few years then lose their lustre. The Angel is in the select group that remains true to its reputation. Daily it delivers on its promise, established by Denis Watkins when he moved up from Bristol 26 years ago. Before that the Dales pubs were thriving on the "chicken in a basket" supper, which suited us all just fine, with a pint or two of Youngers and a fist of darts, before dodging the cops on the drive home.
Denis and Juliet Watkins bought an ancient village pub which had lost the plot, even for chicken and chips. In 1985, Mr Watkins banned chips altogether from the menu.
How can I explain the effect? Almost as radical as when Jack Showers became the first publican to ban smoking, at the New Inn, Appletreewick, in the next dale.
One resilient and wealthy customer, spending a sizeable amount in the Angel restaurant on a big birthday party, was so adamant at getting chips that Mr Watkins relented and a dish of chips was served, with a tariff that rattled the grand dame.
Both men were ahead of their time, and both are sadly no longer with us. Denis Watkins died in 2004, remembered as "the godfather of the gastropub". His family continues the traditions at The Angel. There is a formal restaurant but most of the food is available as "bar dining" in one of three other rooms, with fires in season.
Denis Watkins's knowledge of wine is carried on in a printed carte and on a blackboard offering dozens of selections by the glass. The food menu is augmented by a blackboard behind the bar, which on a good day I can just about read without glasses while seated, but it is only visible from one area of the bar. Is it expecting too much for them to run off some printed versions rather than expecting everyone to come and have a look? This does add to a chummy feeling around the bar, which has some fine draught beer, of which the finest is brewed just outside the village, from which it takes its name. A party of beer experts was briefly on the adjoining table. One told the others that Yorkshire had some very good beer but that Norfolk was even better. I have just no idea. Why would I go to Norfolk? The beer men were replaced readily by a quartet of diners, anxious to get eating. The dominant male explained the meaning of ullage to his friends, loudly, as if he were addressing someone several yards away with their head in a bucket of sand. He also mentioned the reputation of the Provenale fish soup at the Angel, and then the merits of eastern European fruit pickers versus native labourers on his farm. I believe he said the foreigners would work longer hours, but I was still dwelling on the ramifications of ullage.
Staff at The Angel are exemplary. Some are visiting Britain on a career path, joining the home-grown talent. One of our waiters was from York. All are polite, immaculate and informed.
We shared one of the "nibbles", several slices of crisp garlic toast with olive and goat cheese tapenade: delicious. My daughter asked for Lancashire hot pot. The waiter from York explained that it was, in effect, upside down, with the lamb on top of the sliced potatoes. Red cabbage, usually served pickled to cut through the fatty nature of these stews, was sweet-sour and included as a layer between the meat and the potato, where it did not do the same job at all. The potatoes were fondant, fancier than plain sliced. The lamb was meaty chump in place of the fatty neck cuts we like. Because it was a bespoke assembly, it was possible to request how the lamb was cooked. She liked this curious hot pot and I suppose chefs have to move things on a bit, but for me it missed the main point – that the top layer of potato slices crisp nicely in the oven and the meat below is layered with onions and cooks down into a wonderful combination of texture and tastes and fats. Ah. Think healthy.
"Pan seared" sea bass flipped off the blackboard list. It was perfectly cooked, served with the skin crisp, over green beans with queenie scallops. These tit-bits had a strong oily flavour which was unpleasant. The accompaniment was Jersey Royal potatoes, which did not have as much taste as some new-season potatoes cooked at home the previous evening. We also had a rocket and grana padano salad. The Italian hard cheese is akin to parmesan and is protected by a DOC label – so you can't make it for sale in Wensleydale or Wiltshire. At 4.50 this gives a taste of quality and prices at The Angel. Watercress soup was also 4.50. The unconventional hot pot was 14.25, including shallot sauce and delicate ovals of pured carrots. The sea bass was 14.95. The tapenade was 3.50. Mango sorbet on sesame seed wafers was 2.50. A bottle of Head over Heals Australian ros was 26. The Hetton pale ale was 2.85. Regular coffee was 2.30. The total for two was 73.15.
Verdict: What recession? This place stays vibrant and its customers can still run a Porsche or posh Land Rover.
The Angel Inn, Hetton, near Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 6LT. Telephone: 01756 730263. Pub restaurant with rooms and wine off-sales. Open for lunch and dinner in the bar brasserie every day. Restaurant open for dinner every night except Sunday, when it serves lunch. Booking vital at busy times. Canopied tables outside for the smoker. Access: Ignore the narrow road from Gargrave unless you have nerves of steel, and approach from Rylstone.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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