The Good Food Guide has announced its top 50 Best Sunday Roasts in Britain with the Yorkshire pub The Abbey Inn, Byland, as the overall winner alongside four other regional winners.

Five Yorkshire businesses have made the top 50, with the county winning both the overall spot and the Best Twist on a Classic category.

The Guide’s research for the Best Sunday Roast highlights the importance of celebrating the restaurants, pubs and cafes that are the backbone of the British dining scene. There have been thousands of nominations received for the Best Sunday Roast and the nominees are often seen as traditional and popular for family gatherings. According to 75 per cent of Good Food Guide readers, a Sunday roast is considered Britain’s most famous dish.

The Abbey Inn is owned by three-time Great British Menu winner and Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks, who opened the restaurant last year. The classic country pub has won over many fans for the top quality of its Sunday roasts, which often feature rare-breed meat from the Banks’ family farm.

placeholder image — The Abbey Inn, Byland. | Gerard Binks

The Good Food Guide said: “Indeed, it was the superb quality of the produce and the skill with which it was cooked – the pork sliced thinly but still frilled with an edge of crisp crackling, the beef cooked pink and cut thickly, the densely textured meat full of the hefty flavour of a life well lived – that made the award so richly deserved.”

Tommy said: “At this time of year there’s nothing better than going to the pub for a roast dinner, it’s a big part of our culture and something I always look forward to.

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“We’ve worked hard to ensure that each component of our Sunday dinner shines. The Yorkshires, the potatoes, the meat, the gravy, it’s all so important – everyone can make a good roast at home but it’s hard to make absolutely everything just right.

“The Best Sunday Roast Award is a testament to the hard work of the team in doing so and we’re very happy with it.”

In East Yorkshire, The Social Distortion wins the Best Twist on a Classic Sunday Roast with their ‘misfits’ take that collaborates Asian inspired flavours with the famous British cuisine. Guests can enjoy dishes such as slow-roast beef or pork with a soy glaze, ‘prik laap’ cured duck breast or even tamarind-glazed celeriac, all of which are served with fragrant gravy.

Located further north in Hawnby, The Owl has also been chosen as one of Britain’s best and in West Yorkshire, Ox Club in Leeds and The Brick Yard in Brighouse secured a place in the top 50.

Co-editor of The Good Food Guide, Chloe Hamilton, said: “Tommy Banks’ handsome pub combines a striking setting beneath Byland Abbey with the lovingly home-reared, home-grown produce that underpins every great roast.

“There’s delicacy and thoughtfulness on the plate without being too fancy. The down-to-earth deliciousness from one of Britain’s top chefs makes it a worthy winner of our inaugural ‘Best Sunday Roast’ accolade.

“The Abbey Inn led a strong and incredibly diverse list: each one genuinely hard to fault, accomplished in terms of quality of ingredients and execution, and warm, friendly service.”