LEADING the WAY

Wherever Michael Wignall goes, Michelin stars follow - and The Angel at Hetton is no exception. He tells Absolutely Yorkshire about his passion project

The Angel at Hetton is a stunning stone-built inn with 15th century origins, located in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

It’s a building that instantly draws you in, even before you know who is in the kitchen.

Michael Wignall has had an astonishing career in cooking. A quick glance at his CV shows a whole host of awards and recognition: Michelin star and four AA Rosettes at The Burlington at The Devonshire Arms; two Michelin stars and five AA Rosettes at The Latymer; and two Michelin stars and five AA Rosettes at Gidleigh Park. So it came as a pleasant surprise to foodies across the county when he decided to return to the North and run his own venue.

“I always said, throughout my career, that I never wanted a place of my own,” he smiles. “I’ve always been present in the kitchen and didn’t want the headache of finances and business management on top of that. But probably about seven years ago, while I was at Gidleigh Park, I had a change of heart and started to feel like I didn’t really want to work for anyone else anymore.

“It felt like it was time to do something with [wife] Johanna, and our business partners Jo and James Wellock, who are really good friends of ours, were in a position to invest and it’s worked great. With Johanna’s background too, it works, I’m in the kitchen and she runs the finances, HR and all the nitty gritty business stu , which I definitely couldn’t do as well as her.”

Why here? “The location,” he says simply. “I didn’t have a huge pull to go back up North, but when we visited the area again I was reminded of how lovely it is. I worked nearby at The Devonshire Arms a long time ago so I knew the Angel, and actually dined here with an old employer Reg Gi ord (St Michael’s Nook, Grasmere), he brought me here for Sunday lunch over 20 years ago now so I had fond memories of it. We just saw the potential: it’s a big property and it’s a lovely village. With the rooms as well, we saw the potential to create a destination restaurant in a really rural location. It ticked all the boxes.”

It was in September 2018 that Michael and his wife Johanna took over The Angel with a vision to keep everything that it had become famous for – fantastic food, a warm welcome and a deep connection with the dramatic Yorkshire landscape – and make it outstanding. But a lot of hard work was ahead of the two. “With the pandemic, what we set out to do has evolved quite a lot,” Michael says. “Initially, in September 2018 we ran the pub as it was, then closed in January 2019 for the first renovations, reshaping the bar area and end of the building – which is 15th century, so a big job, an extensive project.

“We reopened for around four weeks before lockdown, and then within a few weeks of being closed we took a gamble and decided to proceed on with the renovations, which would take around four months, without knowing when we would be allowed to open again under the lockdown restrictions. So we converted the rest of the restaurant building, doing the rooms upstairs.

“Then we completely knocked the kitchen down and rebuilt it,” he continues. “It’s all electric and induction, it’s probably the most ecofriendly kitchen in the UK. We had a problem with electricity input in the village, so we have a system that e ectively distributes power that is usually used on super yachts. So we have a 300kw kitchen using 42kw, so with the increase in utility charges that has been a really worthwhile project.

“Now we’re onto the fourth phase of the renovations, redoing the five rooms over the road in Fell View Barn and adding five more, so that’s an extensive project too. So we started with nine rooms, extended it to 15 and now we will have 20. Then the last phase is to refurbish the rooms in Sycamore Bank House, the cottage adjacent to the main building that will be completed next year, which will be our fifth year here.”

In those five years, Michael’s cooking has swiftly won over all comers. “Everyone has always said they can recognise my food,” he says on his cooking style. “I was a Head Chef from a young age, I was 26 when I got my first Michelin star, which helped me shape my own style. My style is quite complex and dishes tend to have quite a lot of ingredients on the plate, but I think it’s about making everything work together. Making it pretty is important, but fundamentally, the tastes and textures should complement each other and everything is on the plate for a reason.

“We have a lunch tasting menu, which is slightly shorter, and our dinner tasting menu,” he adds about his approach at The Angel at Hetton. “We have an a la carte menu too, which is important to me. Because of where we are, and with our rooms, we have people staying with us for several nights so it’s important for us to be able to o er that flexibility between tasting menus and a la carte. We change dishes quite frequently and work with fantastic British suppliers that I’ve worked with for many years, on a local level as well as across the wider country. My food has been inspired by the area here and of course, with it now being our own place, I do have the freedom to be more creative.”

As already mentioned, Michael is no stranger to a Michelin star – but is the awarding of one for The Angel at Hetton even more special? “It was, because of how challenging it was when we first took over,” he nods. “At first we had many times where we questioned our decision, we took it over and we were running it as a pub, trying to please everyone. It wasn’t really my style of food at first and we were establishing our team, the kitchen was old and it was hard work! To get the star when we did was a huge confidence boost and spurred us on to make it what we have. We’re still not exactly where we want to be, still striving to get better and better.” angelhetton.co.uk