Michelin-starred chef Michael Wignall slams Angel at Hetton guest as 'rudest I've seen in 30 years in the industry'

Michael Wignall, who bought The Angel at Hetton, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, in 2018, called the diner - who claimed to work in the hospitality industry himself - the rudest person he had cooked for during his 30-year career.

In an exchange shared with his 13,500 Twitter followers, Wignall described how the man's visit to The Angel had left the restaurant manager in tears.

"To the lovely 'gentleman' who dined with us last night, who claimed to be 'in the industry' and proceeded to be rude to our team, rude to our guests, refused to settle your bill and left our beloved restaurant manager in tears, I hope you're feeling happy with yourself today.

"Our team have come back to work, under the most difficult circumstances and in our opinion, doing the most fantastic job. In 30 years in this industry, I've never dealt with anyone like it. So gutted."

The Angel has only recently re-opened, with Covid-secure measures in place, following a long lockdown closure.

Among the guests to return and praise the new dining format was British-Persian chef and food writer Sabrina Ghayour, who now lives in Yorkshire and Tweeted: "Lunch at The Angel was the best meal I’ve had in over a year. It was such a wonderful treat in lieu of the hardships of the year so far. Their Covid measures were ridiculously on point and we couldn’t have felt happier."

The Angel Inn has been called 'Britain's original gastropub' and had a long-established reputation for fine dining before Wignall's arrival. It was awarded a star and listed in the Michelin Guide 2020.