The best hotels, restaurants and staff in the UK have been unveiled - and some of the winners are just a stone's throw away from Liverpool.
The prestigious AA Hospitality Awards seek to recognise and acknowledge the crème de la crème of the hospitality industry, with this year's swanky ceremony held at Grosvenor House in London this week, and hosted by presenter Gabby Logan. This was the first in-person ceremony for three years.
Among the winners was Mark Birchall, renowned for his work at the popular Moor Hall. He trained at Runshaw College before going on to establish himself as a true talent in the culinary world.
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Since opening five years ago, Mark has secured Moor Hall's reputation as one of the UK's best restaurants, achieving five AA Rosettes, and an additional three AA Rosettes for the Barn.
This year, he was crowned 'Chef's Chef'. Introduced in 1996, this unique award places the power in the hands of chefs, with the winner determined by all AA Rosette-awarded chefs who decide which of their professional peers deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged for their performance over the past 12 months.
Of his coveted win in the AA Hospitality Awards, Mark commented: "Thank you so much. It means a lot. It’s lovely to be among so many people. I’m very lucky I’ve got a great team around me."
The winners of the AA Hospitality Awards 2022
Chefs' Chef
Mark Birchall, Chef Patron of Moor Hall, Aughton, Lancashire
Restaurant of the Year
England – Socius, Burnham Market, Norfolk
London – Chez Bruce, London SW17
Wales – Gem 42, Newport
Scotland – The Cellar, Anstruther, Fife
Hotel of the Year
England – Grantley Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire
London – Pan Pacific London, London EC3
Wales – Llanerch Vineyard, Hensol, South Wales
Scotland – The Balmoral, Edinburgh
Northern Ireland – The Rabbit Hotel & Retreat, Templepatrick, County Antrim
Restaurant with Rooms
England – The Angel at Hetton, North Yorkshire
Wales – Crug Glâs Country House, Solva, Pembrokeshire
Scotland – The Bonnie Badger, Gullane, East Lothian
Spa Hotel of the Year
Lime Wood, Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Hotel Group of the Year
The Pig Group
Small Hotel Group of the Year
Iconic Luxury Hotels
Accessible Award
Rudding Park, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Sustainable Award
Swinton Estate, Masham, North Yorkshire
Food Service Award
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, London W1
Finalists:
- Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London W1
- Lympstone Manor Hotel, Exmouth, Devon
Wine Award
England – The Vineyard, Newbury, Berkshire
Wales – The Grove, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
Scotland – UNALOME by Graeme Cheevers, Glasgow
College Restaurant of the Year
Senara Restaurant, Truro & Penwith College
Finalists:
- The Brasserie, Milton Keynes College
- The Classroom, Cardiff & Vale College
Lifetime Achievement Award
John Williams MBE
Outstanding Contribution Award
Northcote: Obsession, Langho, Lancashire
Housekeeper of the Year
Diane Payne from Rockliffe Hall in Darlington, County Durham
New 4 Rosettes
Bohemia Restaurant, St Helier, Jersey
The Dining Room at Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
Edinbane Lodge, Edinbane, Highland
The Fernery at The Grove, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Crieff, Perth & Kinross
Grace & Savour, Solihull, West Midlands
The Ledbury, London W11
Ormer Mayfair, London W1
Social Eating House, London W1
New 3 Rosettes
Arkle at Chester Grosvenor, Chester, Cheshire
The Chubby Castor, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Coast Restaurant, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire
The Dipping Lugger, Ullapool, Highland
The Dower House Restaurant at the Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath, Somerset
The Flitch of Bacon, Little Dunmow, Essex
The Great House, Lavenham, Suffolk
HAAR, St Andrews, Fife
Hammer & Pincers, Wymeswold, Leicestershire
The Jackdaw, Conwy
Langshott Manor, Horley, Surrey
The Loch & the Tyne by Adam Handling, Old Windsor, Berkshire
New Yard Restaurant, Helston, Cornwall
Opheem, Birmingham, West Midlands
Rafters Restaurant, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Restaurant 22, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Restaurant 8, Birmingham, West Midlands
Restaurant Folium, Birmingham, West Midlands
The Seacliff Restaurant, Sandy Cove Hotel, Ilfracombe, Devon
The Sir Charles Napier, Chinnor, Oxfordshire
The Victoria Oxshott, Leatherhead, Surrey
White Swan at Fence, Burnley, Lancashire
New 5 Red Stars
Cameron House on Loch Lomond, Balloch, West Dunbartonshire
The Grove, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
New 4 Red Stars
Bowood Hotel, Golf & Spa, Calne, Wiltshire
Congham Hall Hotel and Spa, Grimston, Norfolk
Homewood, Bath, Somerset
Rothay Manor Hotel, Ambleside, Cumbria
Storrs Hall, Windermere, Cumbria
New 3 Red Stars
The Bildeston Crown, Bildeston, Suffolk
Glewstone Court Country House, Ross-On-Wye, Herefordshire
The Pig in the South Downs, Arundel, West Sussex
The full list of this year’s AA Hospitality Awards winners can be found here.
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