Two restaurants in Wiltshire and Bath & North East Somerset have won prestigious AA awards for the high quality of their cuisine.
The Bybrook at The Manor House Hotel in Castle Combe, and the Olive Tree at the Queensberry Hotel in Bath were awarded four rosettes at the AA Hospitality Awards in London on Monday, September 23.
They became two of just 50 in the UK with four rosettes to their name, with ten being in London, putting them in the top three per cent of restaurants in the UK, rated by the AA.
Robert Potter, executive chef of the Bybrook at The Manor House Hotel, said: “It’s an incredible honour to receive four AA Rosettes.
“We’re constantly pushing boundaries and refining our menus to offer a truly unique dining experience, and this award is a wonderful validation of our efforts.”
The Bybrook restaurant, named after local stream, has a Michelin star and claims to offer a ‘world-class’ dining experience for guests and visitors.
Awarded its first Michelin star in 2017, The Bybrook has now been further recognised with four AA Rosettes for excellence.
Robert Potter is renowned for his seasonal and creative cooking, using local ingredients available to drive flavour and texture.
Chris Cleghorn, 39, executive head chef at the Olive Tree, said: "I was literally speechless when we received the news that our already coveted AA 3 Rosettes was being upgraded to a rare AA 4 Rosettes level, becoming the only restaurant in the whole of Somerset to have achieved this incredible honour.
"Being awarded 4 AA Rosettes is another lifetime pinnacle career achievement for me personally, and professionally, but this status is a mark and an honour for each and every member of our Olive Tree team.
“The AA’s description that we ‘exhibit intense ambition, a passion for excellence, superb technical skills and remarkable consistency’ couldn’t be more fitting – and it fills me with pride to know that these tough inspectors have seen these elements shine through in our work.”
Mr Cleghorn has been executive head chef at the Olive Tree Restaurant since February 2013. He was awarded three AA rosettes in under nine months and in October 2018 he was awarded his first Michelin star.
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