The AA’s new Guide to the Best Restaurants in Britain has been released.
Each of the restaurants which have received AA rosettes is covered in The Restaurant Guide 2022. This guide is essential reading for gourmets. The AA has released the 2020 Guide for the First Time in 50 Years.
In the 28th edition, 1,700 new restaurants were included, with 100 additional entries. Each restaurant was hand-picked to be a model of ‘culinary excellence. Below are some of our favorite restaurants…
Hambleton Hall, Oakham, Rutland
Aaron Patterson has been the head chef at four-rosette Hambleton Hall, pictured above, since 1992
The ‘handsome country hotel is situated on a 17-acre lakeside property, surrounded by Rutland water’.
Since 1992 Aaron Patterson was the chef-in-chief at this establishment with four stars. He creates dishes that are based on local products and focuses his efforts to keep the restaurant’s reputation high.
The guide says that Patterson’s cooking “is often understated, deceptively simple,” with dishes such as terrine of heritage carrot or lasagna of girolle mushroom with Iberico Ham and Grappa Sauce. The extensive wine selection offers “a very good choice per glass”.
Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias, Colwyn Bay, Wales
According to the AA diners can enjoy a’sharp, modern British-style bistro’ experience at Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias.
The eponymous Welsh restaurant Bryn Williams, Bryn Williams in Porth Eirias has two rosettes, and boasts’sweeping views over Colwyn Bay’.
“Exposed steelwork and pendant lights create the atmosphere of a trendy, big-city restaurant.”
According to the AA, “Bryn Williams is a chef and mentor at Odette’s London’s Primrose hill since 2008. You can therefore expect modern British bistro recipes.”
Paul Ainsworth, No 6 Padstow (Cornwall)
Paul Ainsworth is at number 6, and it’s located inside a Georgian Padstow townhouse. It has four rosettes
Paul Ainsworth’s restaurant at No. 6, which has four stars, was opened in 2005. The Georgian townhouse is in Padstow and boasts ‘the period charm that the spaces have preserved’ as well as bold artworks.
The AA says that Ainsworth’s cuisine, as interpreted by Chris McClurg at the restaurant, “has always tended toward the creatively sharp end the modern British spectrum with technical pizzazz galore, and eye-catching presentation”.
What should diners look forward to on the menu? The AA says: “Prime ingredients of the best and freshest are found in Cornwall’s season larder. These materials are complemented with global goodies in dishes which deliver powerful layers of flavour, texture and colour.”
Wreckfish in Liverpool
Wreckfish, pictured, has wooden floors and tables, and ‘exposed brickwork gives it a stripped-back industrial feel’
Wreckfish’s chef Gary Usher runs it. The AA explains that Gary used crowdfunding as a way to fund the establishment.
One rosette is awarded to the restaurant. It occupies an ‘ex-derelict Georgian structure in the cool Ropewalks area’. The wooden floors, tables, and exposed brickwork give it a “simple, industrial vibe”.
According to the guide, “Staff are knowledgeable and can make recommendations on dishes like braised featherblade, torched seabream and pork osso buco.”
Clos Maggiore, London, WC2
Clos Maggiore is described as a “soft focus setting, with nothing whimsical about the food” by the AA (pictured).
Clos Maggiore is a great romantic place. According to the AA, the eatery has three rosettes and features ‘dried leaves adorning ceilings and walls’ along with ‘plush and luxurious’ decor.
The AA suggests that while the environment may seem softly focused, there is nothing magical about the food.
“Chef Roxanne Lange’s French cuisine is inspired by Provencal, Italian and French cooking. He creates large, bold flavours using high-quality British ingredients.
Acleaf, Plymouth, Devon
Acleaf (pictured above) is located in Boringdon Hall, the “fabulously historic Tudor house”
Acleaf is a three-rosetted sailor who lives in Boringdon Hall’s Tudor Mansion. It’s a beautiful setting to enjoy British food.
According to the AA, “It does provide a tangible feeling of the past with age-darkened beams, and a plethora period features.”
Scott Paton is the chef and head of kitchen at The Guide. He creates “seasonally-led menus” that showcase his distinctively British cuisine.
Hrishi at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Windermere, Cumbria
Hrishi is known for serving ‘the best contemporary British cuisine’ according to the AAA. One of the restaurant’s “cutting-edge” dishes is shown here
The head chef at the four-rosette Hrishi at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House is Hrishikesh Desai, and the AA is incredibly impressed with his work. The guide says that the restaurant offers ‘the very best in contemporary British cuisine, subtly influenced by Desai’s Asian heritage’.
The article adds that there is an underlying sense of excitement and cutting-edge cooking.
According to the AA, the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House is a ‘fabulously chic and luxurious bolthole’ located in ’21 acres of woodland gardens’ with an ‘air of sophisticated tranquillity’.
Northcote Restaurant Langho Lancashire
A dish served at Northcote Restaurant, where chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen reinterprets classic dishes with a ‘definite Lancashire accent’
Northcote Restaurant, a long-established Northern gem in Ribble Valley’s Victorian Manor is known for its spectacular views of the Forest of Bowland.
Chef Lisa Goodwin Allen is the head chef at this four-rosette restaurant, which the AA says is “justly known as one of the most delicious places to eat North”.
Goodwin Allen, according to the guide,’supervises a kitchen that draws inspiration from the best local ingredients’. The guide adds that Goodwin-Allen’s ‘years’ of technical experience and knowledge are evident in her technical interpretations classic Lancashire dishes.
The Cherwell Boathouse in Oxford
The Cherwell Boathouse’s waterside tables – shown above – can be reserved on special days
WHAT DOES THE AA ROSETTES MEAN…
Now in its 28th Edition, the AA’s Restaurant Guide is available.
One RosetteThese restaurants will have a reputation for providing high quality food and excellent service.
Two Rosettes– These restaurants are some of the most prestigious in the area. They strive to be better, have higher quality standards, and provide consistent and high-quality food.
Three Rosettes – These are outstanding restaurants that achieve standards that demand national recognition well beyond their local area.
It will also be important to use the best ingredients and judge the flavor combinations. This will be supported and enhanced by intuitive service, well-chosen wines, and good wine selections.
Four RosettesThis is where you will find the most prestigious restaurants in the UK. These top restaurants have a lot of ambition and a great deal of technical skill. They also show remarkable consistency.
Five Rosettes – The pinnacle, where the cooking compares with the best in the world.
They will be able to speak with great individuality, showcase exceptional culinary skill, and establish standards that others strive for but few can match.
The Cherwell Boathouse is a Victorian-era boathouse restaurant in Oxford that has one rosette.
Patrons can see the’swans & punts floating by on River Cherwell’ while they dine. However, waterside tables tend to be more expensive on very fine days.
According to the guide: “Inside the atmosphere is cozy and buzzing with chatter from happy diners, who are enjoying inventive, modern British dishes.”
Galgorm. Ballymena County Antrim
Galgorm, an AA guide, reveals that “Flavours have been carefully thought out and dishes are well constructed.”
The River Room Restaurant is the fine-dining restaurant in the ‘luxurious’ Galgorm country resort, which boasts three rosettes and ‘overlooks a stretch of the River Maine’.
The AA states that the restaurant’s “flavours were clear and thoughtfully considered” and the dishes are meticulously constructed, with the same attention one would expect at this level.
According to the guide, you should start with the “excellent homemade bread”, then move on to the “35-day-old beef with lardo and mushroom, black truffle and caramelized pineapple” dessert.
Cambridge, Midsummer House Restaurant
The AA is full of praise for Midsummer House Restaurant, pictured, describing it as a ‘world-class dining restaurant’
The AA has awarded Midsummer House Restaurant five rosettes. It’s not surprising that the AA calls it a ‘world-class restaurant for dining’.
A window divides the kitchen from the dining room, revealing that patrons have the opportunity to see Daniel Clifford (AA) and Mark Abbott making ‘elegant and precise modern British cuisines’.
It is noted that the brief descriptions do not reflect the intricate nature of the dishes.
L’Escargot Bleu, Edinburgh
The snails at ‘L’Escargot Bleu, pictured, ‘come from Barra in the Outer Hebrides, and there’s a Scottish flavour’
‘L’Escargot Blueu is truly blue – on the outside at minimum, and snails among les entrees.’ The AA describes the French-Scottish eatery, which only has one rosette.
According to the guide the menu can be found bilingually and includes a variety of classic bistro meals.
Although there is a French flavor, the AA says that the snails are a result of a Barra in Scotland.
House of Tides Newcastle
Newcastle’s House of Tides, pictured above, is run by ‘local culinary hero’ Kenny Atkinson
Kenny Atkinson, the ‘local culinary hero’ is responsible for Newcastle’s House of Tides. This Grade-1 listed townhouse from 16th century is ‘in shadow of the famous Tyne Bridge. It has won four rosettes.
According to the American Bar Association, guests can enjoy cocktail in the downstairs bar and then head to Atkinson’s tasting room for Atkinson’s modern, top-flight cuisine on Newcastle’s busy waterfront.
Guide reveals that although produce from North East England is the mainstay of British food, the chef is not afraid to use inspirations from all over the world, like in this delicious canape with tomato and cumin gougere. Every item that comes out of the kitchen is high-quality.
Ghan House Carlingford County Louth Republic of Ireland
Ghan House’s cuisine, as pictured above, “has a French basis, but offers many interesting combinations,” according to the AAA
Ghan House can be found “just before the ocean reaches it”, on the shores Carlingford Lough. According to the AA, the restaurant uses seafood from the lough.
Guide reveals that two-rosette restaurant is located in Georgian townhouses with walled gardens and a pond. It has “a high ceiling and gilded plasterwork as well as a baby grand pianist”.
The AA says that while Cuisine is French-based, it offers many interesting combinations.
Riverstation, Bristol
According to the AA, guests can reach Riverstation via boat. River Avon is the location of this one-rosette restaurant.
The AA states that it is a great experience to be on Riverstation’s terrace or balcony, which overlooks the River Avon, as it runs through the city’s docks.
According to the American Automobile Association (AA), guests can arrive by boat at the restaurant with one-rosette status.
Riverstation’s “seasonally changing” menu features fresh and innovative modern British and European food, and patrons can enjoy small plates, classic English dishes, and brunch at the downstairs bar.