7th NOVEMBER 2012 – The 2012 edition of the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs guide will be available in bookshops and online from Friday 4 November, priced at £13.99 (€16.99 in Ireland).

This year’s guide recommends more than 530 pubs, spread across all parts of the country and selected for the quality of their food. Among these pubs are 86 new entries for 2012; this and the announcement in October that The Hand and Flowers in Marlow had become the first pub in the UK to receive two Michelin stars, means that there are plenty of good-news stories about the British pub.

Editor Rebecca Burr said: “We can all feel justly proud of our pubs and the way they have adapted to changing times. The pubs in our guide offer great food, often at competitive prices, and our inspectors keep discovering more and more of them. These pubs make terrific use of local produce and often champion regional specialities – some have taken to keeping their own livestock out the back and even the lowly bar snack has been getting a makeover.”

“All the elements that we feel make up a good pub are represented in our Pub of the Year, The Pipe and Glass Inn, in South Dalton. It’s personally run by James and Kate Mackenzie and their charming young team; they use local suppliers as well as produce from their own garden, the cooking is refined yet hearty and they never forget that theirs is a pub, not a restaurant.”

Each entry in the guide comes with an in-depth description, a colour photograph and information about the style of cooking on offer and the real ales served. The guide also highlights ‘Inspectors’ favourites’ which are those pubs that are extra special, because of their setting or character, the charming service or the exceptional quality of their cooking.

Many of the pubs in the guide also offer accommodation and here there has been an enormous improvement in general standards over the last few years. Pub bedrooms are often now a match for any hotel, in terms of their comfort and style.

“Our pubs are now the jewels of the hospitality industry,” concluded Rebecca Burr.

Michelin Pub of the Year

Following the launch of the 2012 edition of the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide we are pleased to announce that our Pub of the Year is The Pipe and Glass Inn, in South Dalton, near Beverley.

Rebecca Burr, Editor of the guide, said: “This award is given to a pub which we feel offers something extra special. Here it is a combination of factors which include the warmth of the welcome, the friendliness of the staff, the character of the place and, of course, the food. The Pipe and Glass Inn is a wonderfully warm pub and nothing is ever too much trouble for the owners.”

The Pipe and Glass Inn stands on the site of the original gatehouse to Dalton Park and the current building went up in the 17th century, although there has been much tinkering over the years, as well as periods of neglect. James and Kate Mackenzie took over what was a shell in 2006 and they haven’t stopped upgrading yet. Their steady approach has allowed them to get to know their customers well and vice versa, which is one reason why it has such a friendly atmosphere. This is also helped along by the delightful young team they have taken on.

James’s cooking has developed markedly over the years. He is a great advocate of local suppliers and also uses produce from his own garden. His cooking may display elements of refinement as well as some original touches, but it comes with an inherent and satisfying heartiness because, above all, James never forgets that this is a pub, not a restaurant.

The Pipe and Glass Inn
West End
South Dalton
HU17 7PN
Tel: 01430 810246
www.pipeandglass.co.uk