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.
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Yorkshire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Yorkshire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Charity Starts At Home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern
Live from Leeds - Steph McGovern returns to the studio after a scary lockdown lesson in live TV
THE SCENE SETTERS
Hidden away in a North Yorkshire village, you’ll find a business making huge stage sets for global audiences, from TV’s The Voice, to the Olympics and Trafalgar Square’s plinths
On solid ground
Dry stone walls are the thread that bind Yorkshire’s landscape. Fancy giving it a go? Pete Maynard quit his job to do just that
The French furniture hunters
A day in the life of Stephen and Kath Hazell who run The French House in York, one of the largest French antiques businesses in the UK
Face value
We caught up with Sarah Thomas, co-founder of the York-based beauty brand that’s changing the game with waterless, vegan, natural and organic products
Wildlife in crisis
From the bottom of the sea to the top of the tallest tree, there are tales of wildlife woes all over Yorkshire. The good news is that it’s not too late to save what little remains
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Boxing clever
The Hare at Scawton was named Yorkshire Life Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and owners Paul and Liz Jackson had big plans for their gourmet hotspot. When lockdown happened, they put down the kitchen knives and opened the tool box. The results are spectacular
All the dales
This route from Thixendale to Hanging Grimston is often missed by local hikers, but it covers a number of glorious dales. Warning: there’s a one in six climb, but the views make it all worthwhile
