Richard and Lindsey Johns announce departure from the Hovingham Inn

Richard and Lindsey Johns have announced they will leave the Hovingham Inn in North Yorkshire in late spring after making the "very difficult decision" not to renew their lease.

In a tweet the husband-and-wife team said: "Despite our best efforts in continuing to build upon our successes, we have been left with no further option but to leave. We have done everything possible to stay on and do not deserve such treatment."

Under the Johns' stewardship the pub was listed in the Michelin Guide and The Times newspaper's '30 best places for a perfect pub lunch'.

The Michelin Guide said: "Richard and Lindsey Johns ensured that this pub retained its homely Yorkshire style. She looks after everyone out front while he carefully prepares time-honoured dishes with authentic flavours. The Chateaubriand is a speciality and the Sunday roasts are a hit."

The couple took over the pub in 2019 having previously co-owned Rascills restaurant in Raskelf, York, and Artisan restaurant in Hessle, East Yorkshire.

They said they will now look for "fulfilling future opportunities with a very open mind" and asked those in need of their skills to get in touch.