Hetton, North Yorkshire, 01756 730 263
Ownership: Juliet Watkins bought the pub freehold with husband Denis, who died last July, in 1983. Head chef is Bruce Elsworth
On the menu: Confit shoulder of Yorkshire Dales lamb (£10.95), fresh gnocchi with a cream Yorkshire blue cheese sauce (£8.75)
Voter's view:
n "It reflects what the region is all about and makes a real effort to reflect a true local flavour," Nigel Haworth, chef and owner, the Three Fishes, Mitton, Lancashire
Revered chef Denis Watkins guided a business in receivership into an esteemed food pub during his 20-year tenure at the Angel. Following Denis's death last year, his wife Juliet, with the assistance of chef/director Bruce Elsworth, has continued to maintain the pub's reputation as one of the top eateries in the UK. The menu is packed with fresh locally sourced produce including fish delivered daily from Fleetwood and cheese and meats from producers in the north west. The Angel Inn is widely credited as being one of the original gastro pubs following Denis Watkins pioneering combination of restaurant quality food with informal pub ambience in the 1980s. However, Watkins refused to accept the gastro pub tag, which he regarded as a "horrible phrase". The Angel Inn includes 110 covers and attracts over 70,000 diners each year. The pub registered a net turnover of £1.2m in 2004.