James and Tommy Banks were just 17 and 18 when their parents stood down from running a village pub in Yorkshire back in 2006.

Just 11 years later and the pair has turned The Black Swan in Oldstead, North Yorkshire, into the “best restaurant in the world”, according to a poll held by TripAdvisor.

It is the first British restaurant to win the prestigious title, and the pair put the winning down to the way they work: James heads up the front of house operation while Tommy runs the kitchen, reports The Telegraph.

They also suggest it could have something to do with the fresh home-grown ingredients (kinda like the talk of the town in Franschhoek):

Set on two-and-a-half acres of land, virtually all of the restaurant’s fruit and vegetables are grown on-site or on their parents’ farm down the road, where back-up beetroot, Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes are on tap.

Tommy previously admitted to the Daily Telegraph: “We had no idea what we were doing, and would just invite our mates round to get drunk.”

But they have come a long way from since then, and judges are highly impressed:

“Dishes such as squid dressed in horseradish juice, Texel lamb with turnip and mint and cake made from chicory root and blackcurrant can be found on the menu, which promises a combination of amazing fresh produce straight from the garden, alongside special things that have been preserved from previous seasons.”

Understanding that “no one would come all the way out here just for a nice pub,” the brothers built The Black Swan up to be a “special-occasion, destination place”:

Back then the food it served, with Banks as sous-chef, was classic and French-inspired, winning the the Black Swan won a Michelin star. But Banks was then faced with the challenge of retaining it after the head chef left to open his own restaurant.

He succeeded and, at 24, he became what he described as “the youngest Michelin-star chef by accident. Totally by accident”.

Reacting to the award, Tommy Banks, head chef at The Black Swan, said, “Its a huge honour to win this award, but what makes it really special is that it’s been awarded because of feedback from our customers.”

So quaint.

[source:thetelegraph]