A MICHELIN-starred chef with restaurants in York and North Yorkshire has set a date to open a new pub with rooms in a stunning venue.

As The Press reported earlier this month, Tommy Banks, whose restaurants are The Black Swan at Oldstead and Roots in Marygate in York, along with his family, Matthew Lockwood and the Tommy Banks Group are launching their latest venture not far from the Michelin-starred Black Swan.

Now a date has been set to open The Abbey Inn on May 26. The inn overlooks the stunning ruins of Byland Abbey and Tommy says his team are working hard to refresh the inn's interior.

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York Press: Tommy BanksTommy Banks (Image: Andrew-Hayes-Watkins)

He said: "We can't wait to open our doors in two months with a seriously tasty, seasonal pub menu, a great drinks list and a gorgeous venue for relaxing.

"The Abbey Inn is a particularly special place for me as it is where I first started as a kitchen porter 20 years ago, so I am very excited to have the chance to return this stunning venue to its former glory."

He says it will exhibit the 'hyper-local, sustainably focused ethos for which the Tommy Banks Group is renowned', with the grown and reared produce from the family’s farm in Oldstead taking centre stage.

York Press: The Banks family are launching a new pub venture in OldsteadThe Banks family are launching a new pub venture in Oldstead (Image: UGC)

The team is busy working on a refresh of the historic site, with a state-of-the-art kitchen, relaxed dining room and cosy bar area equipped with roaring fires and a bar stocked with the team’s favourites including, of course, the Group’s very own Banks Brothers canned wine.

The food-focused pub will include a number of rooms, in addition to dining, and two-night stay packages and booking  open next month.

The new launch also comes with a number of job openings within the group.

The family bought The Black Swan in August 2006. Parents Tom and Anne, along with sons Tommy and James, transformed the site over the years into the Michelin-starred destination with rooms that it is today.

The restaurant continues to thrive, having been awarded numerous accolades over the years, including a Michelin Green Star, Four AA Rosettes, AA 5 stars and more.

The family, along with business partner Matthew Lockwood, opened Roots in Yorks in September 2018 and January 2021, Roots became the first restaurant in York to win a coveted Michelin star and was voted Best Restaurant by the prestigious Observer Food Monthly Awards in 2022.

In July 2021 they launched Banks Brothers, a canned wine brand working with small-scale growers.

As The Press reported earlier this year Will Lockwood, who is the head chef at Roots appeared as a contestant on a new series of The Great British Menu and Tommy was back on the show as a veteran chef.