APPLAUD Jane and Martin Nordli for making a huge success of facing the ruin .of history

Or rather - what a luxurious haven they have made of The Abbey Inn smack opposite the gothic curves and ragged shapes of Byland Abbey in Coxwold whose ruins are testimony to the vengeance of both King Henry VIII and the ravages of time.

Now that fabulous restaurant with its three luxurious hotel rooms and space in its huge grounds for giant wedding marquees, is being considered in both the Small Business and Growth Business of the Year categories of the Evening Press Business of the Year.

Jane, a Yorkshire-born economics graduate and a genius for interior design and Canadian-born Martin with a talent for organising fine food have combined their experience as hoteliers in Dumfries.

And together they have fused the sense of history of their building - erected in 1845 by the Benedictine brothers of Ampleforth under the leadership of the Abbot Father John Molyneux - with the rusticity of its 1,000 year old setting.

The result is magic. Dishes are British-based but with a touch of modern experiment. (how about a starter of smoked venison and quails eggs on a bed of spring salad with cranberry compote?

Followed, perhaps, by pork paupiettes filed with rosemary and black peppercorn crust and a redcurrant and mint glaze? )

And all this 'ye olde yummy fare' served in characterful dining rooms with large fireplaces, oak stripped and deal tables and Jacobean-style dining chairs on polished boards and flagstones.

The rooms, all suites with four-poster beds, are among the most luxurious in North Yorkshire.