Bay Horse in Ulverston comes in a winner

First, Nico Ladenis told Michelin what to do with its three stars.

Now Bobby Lyons, of Ulverston's Bay Horse Inn, has severed all links with the AA.

Not that Bobby is a follower of fashion.

In fact, it was his determination to continue serving food the way his customers rather than AA inspectors prefer which contributed to the decision to pull out.

The first ripples of discontent down at picturesque Canal Foot began a couple of years ago when Bobby met 'Mr Apricot' ...

THE inspector who called had a thing about apricots so he chose tomato and apricot soup, followed by the lamb with apricot and ginger and, to finish, a chocolate mousse.

Meal over, the inspector renounced his anonymity and summoned the chef to discuss the food.

Too many apricots, and a "grainy" mousse were his main complaints.

"I accept that the mousse was grainy, but I did point out to the inspector that perhaps he shouldn't have chosen two courses with apricots," recalled Bobby.

"He said he liked to see what chefs did with apricots."

'Mr Apricot' told Bobby the AA would be keeping an eye on him.

Then, alleges Bobby, the inspector suggested that The Bay Horse - which has been in the motoring organisation's restaurant guide for 12 years - might like to pay for an inspection which could lead to inclusion in the hotel guide.

"As it's company policy to gain guide entries purely on merit, I was rather reluctant to join.

However, when it was mentioned that failure to subscribe to the hotel guide could result in us being downgraded in the restaurant guide, I decided to pay the £450 for one year's entry," explained Bobby.

When inspectors called again in 1999, Bobby was told that the AA would rather restaurants serve vegetables separately.

"But I like to serve the appropriate vegetable for the dish, to present it properly, and send it out hot, arranged how I want," said Bobby, who has an ally in The Daily Telegraphs' renowned Room Service critic Paddy Burt.

In her sterling review of The Bay Horse she wrote: "This is serious food.

I like the fact it comes complete with vegetables instead of a sideplate of nasty limp things."

The inspectors told Bobby, so he says, that it wasn't him or his food that had changed, but the AA "wanted more for its rosettes".

"We do take complaints to heart and sometimes they are justified.

When you are so close to something you can't always see what needs changing," said Bobby.

"But why should we be penalised because the AA has moved the goalposts?"

After much consideration Bobby, his general manager Peter McKinnon, and assistant manager Leslie Wheeler, decided they could no longer work with the AA.

But there was one other very important opinion required before the letter was posted.

What did the chairman of The Bay Horse Hotel & Restaurant and Bobby's former boss think?

John Tovey, the man who put Windermere's Miller Howe on the world stage, had this to say: "Bloody right! That's just what you should do."

(Apparently he said lots of other things too but Bobby thought it best not to print them here.)

The AA will publish its latest guide on October 10 - but The Bay Horse won't be in it.

Bobby - who was head chef at Miller Howe - fully anticipates various 'sour grape' jibes but says he's not bothered what people think.

"For the last 12 years we have cooked and served the type of food that our guests and we favour.

I am not saying that we always get it right, but we will continue to try, and not be dictated to by food inspectors."

In the meantime, The Bay Horse can revel in being in just about every other guide on the bookshelf, and in being Lake District and Lancashire Life 'Lake District Hotel of the Year', an honour which was bestowed as the row with the AA was brewing.

As for the AA ...