Tom Aikens, John Williams and Mark Birchall among AA rosette award winners
Ocean restaurant at the Atlantic hotel in Jersey and Latymer at Pennyhill Park in Bagshot also received the prestigious four AA rosette ranking, while Mark Birchall's The Barn at Moor Hall in Ormskirk, Lancashire, was one of 26 restaurants to be awarded three AA rosettes; a record number for a single announcement.
The AA announces its rosettes bi-annually, usually in January or September, and says they are determined following 'one or more' visits from an inspector.
Three rosettes recognise 'outstanding' restaurants while those with four are considered to be 'among the top restaurants in the UK'.
Other restaurants awarded three AA rosettes this time around include The Old Stamp House in Ambleside, Cumbria, which is housed in the former office of William Wordswort; Frenchie in London's Covent Garden; and Great British Menu winner Shaun Rankin’s eponymous Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall in Ripon, North Yorkshire.
“This has been an immensely difficult year for the hospitality industry, and yet restaurants across the country have continued to provide incredible dining experiences to the public despite these considerable challenges," says Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Media.
"The dedication and hard work of the teams behind these establishments is inspiring, particularly during this time, and we are pleased to be able to celebrate them with the announcement of these AA rosettes.”
Commenting on the award for The Barn, chef Mark Birchall, whose Moor Hall currently holds the top spot on the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards Top 100 list, said: “We’re delighted with the latest award and I’m very proud of [The Barn head chef] Nathan Cornwall and the rest of the team who have worked so hard to get The Barn to where it is today.
"When we launched The Barn I wanted it to embody the essence of Moor Hall but within a more casual environment. The third AA rosette recognises our achievement in doing so - we’ve created a fantastic neighbourhood restaurant where the produce speaks for itself.”
The rosette scheme has been running since 1956 and currently recognises over 2,000 restaurants in the UK.
The full list of new three and four rosette restaurants is as follows:
New four AA Rosettes:
Ocean Restaurant at The Atlantic Hotel, Jersey
Muse, London, SW1
The Ritz Restaurant, London, W1
Latymer, Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, Surrey
New three AA Rosettes:
The Vineyard, Newbury, Berkshire
Driftwood, Portscatho, Cornwall
The Old Stamp House, Ambleside, Cumbria
The Feathered Nest Country Inn, Nether Westcote, Gloucestershire
Albert and Michel Roux Jr at Inverlochy Castle, Fort William, Highland
Hide and Fox, Hythe, Kent
The Barn at Moor Hall, Ormskirk, Lancashire
Davies & Brook, London, W1
Frenchie Covent Garden, London, WC2
Hide Above, London, W1
Les 110 Des Taillevent, London, W1
The Betterment by Jason Atherton, London, W1
The Dysart, Petersham, Greater London
The Northall, London, WC2
Trivet, London, SE1
Mana, Greater Manchester
Where The Light Gets In, Stockport, Greater Manchester
Minster Mill, Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire
Windlestraw, Walkerburn, Scottish Borders
The Haughmond, Upton Magna, Shropshire
The Boat Inn, Lichfield, Staffordshire
Interlude, Lower Beeding, West Sussex
Goldsborough Hall, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire
The Pheasant, Harome, North Yorkshire
Murray’s, Towcester, Northamptonshire
