Letting go of a family business after 35 years is hard for anyone. Tears come hard and fast.
‘I wept shortly after we’d sold the Angel, it had been such a big part of our lives and it was such a big connection to my late father who was let’s face it, was iconic for what he achieved back in the day,’ says Pascal Watkins.
Dad was Denis Watkins, something of a legend on the Yorkshire food scene, a so-called ‘godfather of the gastropub’ bringing together great food, ales and wines under one cosy and welcoming roof.
Clearly hospitality is in the genes. Pascal took over the wine cave at the Angel and since leaving the much-loved pub (now with Michael Wignall at the kitchen helm), he has slipped into a perhaps more gentle world of the B&B.
Same warm welcome, same attention to detail. Definitely the delivery of excellent food. Maybe fewer late nights and the early morning a bit more compatible with family life for the Watkins gang.
In April this year Pascal and his wife Sarah and their two boys Sebastien and Noah bought a guest house in Pickering.
It was the stunning Victorian Grade II listed townhouse – Cawthorne House in Eastgate.
It looks exactly as you’d hope - smart, characterful and promising a good night’s sleep. And definitely the best Yorkshire breakfast there is.
In their first season Pascal and Sarah have achieved the sort of glowing reviews that would be the envy of any accomplished hotelier.
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