australian wine dinner - thursday 18 september 2008 - 7pm - tickets £50 each

one of the popular events leading up to the abergavenny food festival is our australian wine dinner held in conjunction with wine australia.  the evening will start with a canape and australian fizz reception followed by a five course tasting dinner tasting six different australian wines. 

john avery will be hosting the evening.  john is not only a master of wine, but also heads up averys of bristol (as his father did), which is one of the most dynamic wine merchants in the uk.  averys runs the times wine club, as well as the richard and judy one!  john has always been at the forefront of discovering new world wines.

call janet on 01600 750235 to book tickets or a whole table but be aware that this is always a sell out dinner and tickets are selling quickly!  should you also not wish to drive home that night and fully enjoy the wines, we still have a couple of our rooms left to sell.

 

sunday roast with allegra mcevedy - sunday 21 september 2008 - 12noon - tickets £35 each (inc signed copy of allegra's book per couple)

as part of the climax of the food festival we are lucky enough to have allegra mcevedy joining us to help host a three course sunday roast.  allegra is a food festival regular, she is chef and found of leon, the (healthy) fast food chain in london.  allegra will be showcasting her new book "leon: the ingredients and recipes for the good life".  should the weather hold (!) - for those who would be interested, we will have a tour of our kitchen garden (currently in conversion to organic status) by our head gardener, michele.

as with the wine dinner, if you wish to book a table or tickets, please call janet on 01600 750235 (tickets are also limited!).

future events

we will also be holding a mont tauche wine dinner with artist tim bulmer in december this year (further details to follow) and a bollinger lunch at the end of may 2009 - both should not be missed as they will be both entertaining and a great opportunity to enjoy the wines!

michelin pub of the year 2007

it was announced in september last year that we had won the michelin pub of the year 2007 in the michelin’s eating out in pubs guide launching on 6 september - the first welsh pub to win the award.

the judges commended the ‘immaculately kept interior’ our food, wines and relaxing atmosphere. they liked the ‘appetising and balanced selection of dishes prepared with care and a refreshingly unfussy approach’. away from the bar and restaurant, they found the bedrooms ‘something to behold’ mentioning the ‘little luxuries are everywhere’ and ‘that guests may have to pause for a moment to remind themselves that they are ‘only’ staying in a pub’!

suffice to say that william and i are enormously proud to have won michelin pub of the year and would like to thank all the staff who fully share with us this prestigious award.

our awards that we are all proud of:

restaurant with rooms 2008 - 5 star award
aa wine award wales 2007
taste of wales gold 2007
michelin pub of the year 2007
5 star restaurant with rooms from aa and wales tourist board
aa 2 rosettes
johanssens ‘inn of the year’ 2006/7
johanssens "taittinger" wine list 2006/7
gosset celebris winner of winners in uk 2006
trophée gosset celébris 2005/6
aa wine award for wales 2005/6
wtb best place to stay finalist 2005/6
taste of wales gold 2005
trophée gosset celébris champagne challenge 2004/5
les routiers inn of the year 2004/5
les routiers welsh inn of the year 2004/5
les routiers national service & hospitality true taste of wales silver 2004
gosset champagne challenge 2003/4
good hotel guide césar ‘welsh inn of the year’ 2004
johanssens ‘inn of the year’ 2003/4
which? good food guide wine award 2003/4
wales tourist board’s best place to stay in wales 2002/3
aa wine award for wales 2002/3
aa best pub in wales 2002/3
"Taste of Wales" 2002/3

we are also featured in:

square meal guide (top 40 outside london)
harden’s

good hotel guide (‘welsh inn of the year’ 2004)
michelin red guide (red tankard)
good food guide (top 10 pubs in the uk)
which? good food guide (wine award 2004)
harpers & queen restaurant guide 2004

what the papers say . . . . . . .

rob penn, condé nast traveller magazine
"this is no ordinary gastro-pub"

fay maschler, sainsbury’s magazine
"we stayed three nights with the idea of spending days taking long, healthy walks, and quite soon the bell became a home from home, so much so that one of the party quickly succumbed to the comfort of a large sofa in the bar beside the log fire and declined to join in the walks"

travel & leisure (usa)
"it’s a pity the horse and buggy is a thing of the past because pulling up to the bell at skenfrith in a gas-guzzler doesn’t have nearly the same effect"

guy marks, the financial times
"my scrambled egg breakfast at the bell at skenfrith was served with smoked salmon. Not the emaciated mush that is so often chopped and cooked into the scramble, but lavish slices, piled unadulterated alongside the egg"

belinda richardson, the daily telegraph
‘i think we have found heaven here at skenfrith’ "the menu at the bell is refreshingly short and uncomplicated. and a "suppliers" blackboard on the wall suggests that nearly all the food it serves comes from the local farmers. so hats off to the owners for making the best effort they can to support and feed the community"

caroline fitton, evening standard (london)
"the clue that attentive detail presides swiftly presented itself as fresh milk was delivered to our room for tea, accompanying home-made shortbread and wickedly good chocolate shortbread – invisibly replaced later in the day by an overnight flask ensuring fresh milk for the morning cuppa"

richard eilers, the observer
"there are no horse brasses at the bell at skenfrith – i checked. they have obviously been sent back to the restaurant props department on the shelves with french onion chains and wine bottles heavy with candle wax. instead fresh paintings and monochrome photographs take their place in the bar and restaurant – a wonderfully calm space with light oak beams and chalky shades on the walls."

and, most importantly, from some of our guests……

raymond blanc
"excellent food, fabulous hospitality - 1st place. merci."

paddy burt "the atmosphere is great"

dominic curran, london
"fantastic. shame only that we couldn’t stay longer. great room, great food, great staff. thank you – we will be back."

hugh fearnley whittingstall
"beautiful location, lovely people, great food, we will return!" (and he has!)

beverley & jeff jones, north yorkshire
"absolute perfection - we will return very soon"

beverley & jeff jones, north yorkshire
"third visit – perfect"

gordon ramsay, london
"thank you for a great dinner"

mr and mrs schwartz, texas
"what a lovely Inn. both the hospitality and the service were exquisite, as are the surroundings. we look forward to spending more time with you. thanks kindly."

jonathan meades
"...a wonderful stay and great hospitality"