With winter officially in full swing, one thing that makes braving the cold that little bit more bearable is a delicious roast dinner.
Yesterday, the Good Food Guide’s Best Sunday Roast 2024 list was revealed, with a North Yorkshire pub claiming the top spot.
The Abbey Inn in Byland achieved the gold title, amongst a list of 50 pubs, cafes, and restaurants across the UK.
Supported by Koffmann’s Potatoes and Tracklements, The Good Food Guide’s Best Sunday Roast was led by over 18,000 public nominations.
The anonymous inspectors then visited each of the nominations put forward by the public, compiling the most impressive into a list of 50.
Owner of the winning pub, Tommy Banks, opened The Abbey Inn in May last year.
No stranger to accolades, Tommy has three Great British Menu wins under his belt.
He also owns two other Michelin-star establishments, Roots in York and The Black Swan in Oldstead.
The Abbey Inn prides itself as being a cosy country pub, with menus curated with a combination of local family farm ingredients and trusted independent suppliers.
The Good Food Guide judges described the eatery as, “a dream-ticket location”, with a buzzing family atmosphere and Sunday roasts of an exceptional quality.”
The quality of meat was underlined by the guide, which read: “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.”
As the newly crowned king of Sunday roasts, 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.
“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.”
Co-editor of The Good Food Guide, Chloë 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.”
For a full list of the 50 best roast dinner spots, check out the article here.