Yorkshire country pub crowned as the UK's best spot for a roast dinner

A Yorkshire country pub has been crowned the home of the UK’s best Sunday roast dinner.

The Good Food Guide has announced its Top 50 Best Sunday Roasts in Britain with The Abbey Inn, in Byland in North Yorkshire announced as the inaugural winner of their Best Sunday Roast 2024.

The Abbey Inn, the overall winner of The Good Food Guide’s Best Sunday Roast 2024, is owned by three times Great British Menu winner Tommy Banks. Opened just over a year ago, the classic country pub has won many fans for the exceptional quality of its Sunday roasts, which often feature rare-breed meat from the Banks’ family farm. 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.

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Celebrating, Tommy Banks 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. 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.”

Chloë Hamilton, co-editor of The Good Food Guide, added: “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.”

Take a scroll to see the other Yorkshire businesses celebrated as serving some of the UK’s best roast dinners:

• Ox Club - Leeds, West Yorkshire

• The Brick Yard - Brighouse, West Yorkshire

• The Owl Hawnby - Hawnby, North Yorkshire

• The Social Distortion - Hull, East Yorkshire

You can find the latest food and drink news in Yorkshire and nearby by visiting our What's On homepage. There you can also find days out guides for things to do across the region.

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