Michael Wignall: ‘Anyone who says they don’t want a second star is kidding themselves’

It was a choice that paid off. Wignall is chuffed with what he calls the big achievement of winning a fifth AA rosette. “It’s a testament to how hard all the staff have worked to that level,” he says. He has, however, not always appeared comfortable with the career summits he has reached, describing winning two Michelin stars as “a bit of an empty feeling” in an interview with Great British Chefs. How would he feel about winning a second star at the Angel?

“Anyone who says they don’t want a second star or that Michelin isn’t important any more is kidding themselves,” Wignall says. “It would be amazing, and it’s something we are pushing for, but it comes with a lot more pressure. I’ve got a young family now.”

Bespoke menus

Wignall’s children, Isabella, eight, and Nori, three, are not the only consideration. “When you’re a business owner, you have to think of the business and you have to be successful. It’s all very well doing only 10 covers a night with a set menu that never changes so the food is absolutely perfect every time, but if you’re not making enough money, what’s the point?”

And the Angel is a successful business. The 45-cover dining room serves around 240 customers a week, while the 16 guest rooms are, Wignall says, 80% full. “But there’s no pattern. Quiet days historically can be our busiest.” What’s more, he adds, attracting non-residents for lunch is a challenge. “We’ve tried everything, including adjusting the price point, but people outside London just aren’t going out for lunch. So we have to be smart in what we do.”

At the Angel, that means offering a three-course ‘Taste of the Season’ menu at £65, which is preceded by the same array of intricately prepared and presented snacks as the tasting menu, which costs £105 at lunch. “I want people to be excited about what they’re eating and think, ‘my god, if these are the snacks, what will the rest of the meal be like?’” 

“It’s important for chefs to actually sit down and taste the whole meal from the guest’s perspective and to experience how the front of house are talking about it”

Many guests stay for two nights, trying the tasting menu (£160) the first evening and the à la carte (£105) the next. And for guests staying longer, there are bespoke menus, too. “If we only did a tasting menu, guests would 100% only stay one night,” Wignall says. “ I think choice is really important.”

That extends to changing the tasting menu on a daily basis, if need be, to reflect super-seasonal ingredients, while dishes on the tasting menu are not reproduced in larger form on the à la carte. And while Wignall admits to being bored by the idea of signature items, he thinks one of the uses of Instagram is to be reminded of dishes he has created in the past as a prompt to reimagine them. “That’s what I enjoy the most: reinvention. I’m always questioning how we can make things better.”

How does Wignall ensure that he and his team are refining their creativity? “For a start, you eat your own food,” he laughs. “It’s important for chefs to actually sit down and taste the whole meal from the guest’s perspective and to experience how the front of house are talking about it.”

Not everything in Wignall’s career is something he would wish to repeat. He says that leaving Gidleigh Park left “a bitter taste.” Why? “I can’t really say. Some things just don’t work out. Trying to keep working at a super-high level seven days a week with limited resources is really tough.” Having initially opened the Angel every day of the week, it now closes on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Wignall says that when he’s working, he’s always in the kitchen, alongside head chef Dave Scott, whose partner Hannah oversees front of house.

Wignall’s days off are spent with his kids and cycling around the Dales. “Going out on the bike, I just think, how lucky are we to be here? That’s obviously got to have an influence on my state of mind and how I cook.”

Does that mean Wignall has finally relaxed – not only since Keller’s visit, but from the pressure-cooker of running a two-star kitchen? “Definitely. I think the surroundings sort of play into that a little bit as well, but it’s six years since we opened the Angel, and your food does change and you get more confident and more relaxed. I think my food now is better than what I’ve done before. It’s more me now and in a more informal atmosphere.” Time, surely, for a repeat visit from Keller.

The Taste the Season menu (£65)

Snacks

• Baron Bigod
• Eel
• Parfait
• Umami

Mackerel Cornish Mackerel, calamansi, Charentais melon and yuzu ponzu

Bread Hokkaido milk bread, Ampersand butter, Colonnata lardo and taramasalata

Wagyu A5 Hyogo wagyu, confit yolk, braised mooli, lovage and roasted onion dashi (optional additional course, £35 per person)

Quail Landes quail breast, leg and cotechino, spring onion, Hispi cabbage, polenta, bitter leaves

Chocolate Single estate chocolate, pistachio, yogurt and English cherries