Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's Yorkshire trip leaves a pleasant aftertaste

THE IDEA was simple, and gave viewers one of television's cult hits from six years ago.
The Angel at Hetton's Bruce Elsworth. 
Picture : Jonathan GawthorpeThe Angel at Hetton's Bruce Elsworth. 
Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe
The Angel at Hetton's Bruce Elsworth. Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe

The travels through the North of England of two of Britain’s favourite comedians, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, to sample some of the best restaurants for a national newspaper column was an education for those who thought a Michelin star was simply confined to London and the South-East.

And the popularity of The Trip, it seems, is still continuing from when the first series was screened.

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With the announcement by Brydon earlier this year that a third series is due to be filmed this autumn, some of the finest eateries that the North has to offer are expecting to once again witness a surge in popularity.

The Angel at Hetton co-owner Pascal Watkins and executive chef director, Bruce Elsworth.
 
Picture : Jonathan GawthorpeThe Angel at Hetton co-owner Pascal Watkins and executive chef director, Bruce Elsworth.
 
Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe
The Angel at Hetton co-owner Pascal Watkins and executive chef director, Bruce Elsworth. Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe

Two of Yorkshire’s most renowned restaurants, The Yorke Arms at Ramsgill, near Pateley Bridge, and The Angel at Hetton, close to Skipton, were featured in the first series, which found global popularity after it was edited into a feature film, and staff are still seeing a steady stream of customers on the back of the show.

The Angel at Hetton has carved out a reputation as a leading restaurant since Denis and Juliet Watkins bought the then-struggling inn in 1983 after moving to the North from Bristol.

They set about doing away with chips on the menu by serving up French-inspired dishes, laying claim to being at the forefront of Yorkshire’s culinary revolution which has seen Michelin stars currently awarded to six of the region’s restaurants – only one less than the whole of Wales and Northern Ireland hold together.

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Pascal Watkins, the couple’s son who is now the co-owner, admitted the business has seen huge interest since the original The Trip, and told The Yorkshire Post that the vast majority of people travelling up from the South of England still reference the series.

The Angel at Hetton co-owner Pascal Watkins and executive chef director, Bruce Elsworth.
 
Picture : Jonathan GawthorpeThe Angel at Hetton co-owner Pascal Watkins and executive chef director, Bruce Elsworth.
 
Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe
The Angel at Hetton co-owner Pascal Watkins and executive chef director, Bruce Elsworth. Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe

And the show’s popularity is not confined to the British Isles.

Mr Watkins revealed that the historic inn, parts of which date back 500 years, has witnessed bookings from across Europe, including Switzerland, Belgium, Switzerland and Denmark.

Mr Watkins said: “We had a good reputation already, but it is amazing that the effects of The Trip are still being felt after all these years after what was in reality just a few minutes on the show.

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“While we featured on the last programme of that series and Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan just had an English breakfast with us, they did say that it was perhaps the best meal that they had, so we’ll take that.”

Other locations which the comedians visited included Hipping Hall, near Kirkby Lonsdale, as well as Holbeck Ghyll in the Lake District.

The other two stops were L’Enclume in Cartmel in Cumbria and The Inn at Whitewell.

Francis Atkins, the co-owner of The Yorke Arms, said customers from the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada had all booked a meal or a stay with them after seeing The Trip.

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Ms Atkins, who has held a Michelin star continuously since 2003, added: “It is constant even now, people are always asking about the show when they come.

“It is a long time ago, but I am sure the restaurants which are featured in the next series will experience the same as us.”

The premise of the first series of the trip saw Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travel from London to the North to stop off at six restaurants to write reviews a fictional column for The Observer newspaper.

Along the way, their visits were interspersed with ad-libbed conversations laced with impressions of famous names including Michael Caine, Alan Bennett and actors who played James Bond.

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The second series followed the same format, but this time in Italy. Brydon confirmed on Twitter in February that the third outing will be filmed this autumn with the pair travelling through Spain. While the first two series were shown on the BBC, the third will be on Sky Atlantic next year.