Raise a toast to the winners of the ‘Oscars’ of the UK hospitality industry.
At a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by the AA at JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on Monday night, the UK’s hospitality elite saw awards presented in categories including ‘Hotel of the Year’, ‘Restaurant of the Year’ and ‘Chefs’ Chef of the Year’.
The 2024 AA Hospitality Awards winners were picked by the AA’s inspectors, who have spent the past 12 months chewing their way through the UK’s restaurant menus and resting their heads in the nation’s hotels.
The testing was all in a bid to discover the crème de la crème of food, wine and rooms.
Here are their verdicts…
HOTELS
The top hotel in England is the Down Hall Hotel & Spa in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, a striking country house hotel in 100 acres of ‘mature grounds’
The number one hotel in London is The Dorchester, which ‘always delivers’, says the AA
Scotland’s hotel of the year is Cromlix, in Dunblane, Stirling – owned by Kim and Andy Murray (the tennis star)
The top hotel in England has been named as Down Hall Hotel & Spa in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, a ‘fine’ country house hotel in 100 acres of ‘mature grounds’ a short drive from Stansted Airport.
The AA’s inspector notes the presence of a restaurant, cocktail bar and lounges, and lauds the hotel as a ‘tasteful mix of traditional and contemporary’, with bedrooms that are ‘pleasantly decorated’.
The number one hotel in London is The Dorchester, which ‘always delivers’, says the AA.
Its inspector comments on its ‘beautifully appointed bedrooms’; ‘first-class spa facilities’; The Promenade – ‘the perfect setting for afternoon tea or drinks’ – and the ‘award-winning dining options’, which include the ‘sophisticated Chinese restaurant, China Tang’ and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, from the ‘world-renowned French chef of the same name’.
The inspector adds: ‘You’ll always find impeccable standards at this world-class hotel over-looking Hyde Park.’
The gong for the best hotel in Wales goes to The Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff, which sits in a city-centre building that is a combination of the former Post Office and the old County Court.
The property ‘echoes all the elegance and glamour of its historic setting’, says the AA inspector, adding that it boasts bedrooms that are ‘a chic blend of classic-meets-contemporary luxury’ and a ‘chic’ restaurant – the Sorting Room.
The gong for the best hotel in Wales goes to The Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff, which sits in a building that is a combination of the former Post Office and the old County Court
Northern Ireland’s hotel of the year is The Ebrington Hotel, Londonderry, which overlooks the River Foyle and Peace Bridge
Scotland’s hotel of the year is Cromlix, which is owned by Andy Murray and his wife, Kim, and located just to the north of the tennis star’s place of birth, Dunblane.
The AA thinks the property is ace, a ‘lovingly restored hotel that leaves nothing to be desired’.
The inspector praises the grounds for being ‘expansive, secluded and ideal for relaxing in’, and notes that there are a few ‘places of interest’ – a kitchen garden, loch ‘stocked with trout’ with ‘rods available’ and a tennis court ‘resplendent in Wimbledon colours’. Guests can also enjoy ‘unique suites’ and eat in a dining room with ‘impeccable’ service and an open kitchen, so the chefs can be observed in action.
Northern Ireland’s hotel of the year is The Ebrington Hotel, Londonderry, which overlooks the River Foyle and Peace Bridge. Part of the hotel is in the old army barracks, dating back to 1842, and there are ‘award-winning dining’ options, a thermal suite and spa.
The prize for ‘spa hotel of the year’ goes to Carden Park Hotel, Cheshire, which sits between the Welsh hills and Derbyshire Peaks and boasts a pool and garden pods
The best restaurant with rooms award goes to Mingary Castle in the Scottish Highlands (above), a ‘remarkable historic building in an incredible location’
The AA inspector says: ‘This purpose-built hotel provides high standards of luxury and quality backed up with the legendary Northern Irish hospitality.’
The prize for ‘spa hotel of the year’ goes to Carden Park Hotel, Cheshire, which sits between the Welsh hills and Derbyshire Peaks on a 17th-century estate with ‘1,000 acres of mature parkland, golf courses and even their very own vineyard’.
The ‘excellent’ adults-only spa comes complete with a swimming pool, gym, hot tubs, garden pods, treatments and ‘outdoor pursuits’.
For travellers who are all about food, there is also a prize for the best restaurant with rooms, which goes to Mingary Castle in the Scottish Highlands, a ‘remarkable historic building in an incredible location’, according to the AA inspector.
The restaurant is set within the 13th-century curtain walls of the castle and ‘is unique and individual, with high levels of quality, charm and character’. Guests can enjoy views of the sea and the Isle of Mull from the walls while the chefs show ‘great technical skill’.
RESTAURANTS
In England – excluding London – The Greyhound (above), Buckinghamshire, takes the crown for restaurant of the year
London’s restaurant of the year is The Silver Birch, on Chiswick High Road, which the inspector calls a ‘top-flight neighbourhood restaurant heading for the stars’
The AA awards also celebrate the top restaurants of the year. In England – excluding London – The Greyhound, in Buckinghamshire, takes the crown.
The AA inspector praises the ‘curved banquettes, mustard hues and exposed brickwork’ of this ‘rebooted pub’ with ‘contemporary seasonal food’ that overlooks a green in market town Beaconsfield. Modern British dishes include ingredients grown in the restaurant’s kitchen garden.
London’s restaurant of the year is The Silver Birch, on Chiswick High Road, which the inspector calls a ‘top-flight neighbourhood restaurant heading for the stars’. Praise is heaped on head chef Nathan Cornwell, formerly at The Barn at Moor Hall, for his ‘detailed dishes that sing on the palate and please on the eye’.
Thomas by Tom Simmons, in Cardiff, is Wales’s top restaurant, which showcases ‘elegant, precise cooking inspired by Welsh ingredients’ with nods to British and French cuisine. The restaurant has ‘bags of character’, according to the inspector.
In Scotland, the restaurant of the year award goes to Loch Bay Restaurant on the Isle of Skye
Thomas by Tom Simmons in Cardiff is Wales’s top restaurant, showcasing ‘elegant, precise cooking inspired by Welsh ingredients’
In Scotland, the restaurant of the year award goes to Loch Bay Restaurant on the Isle of Skye. The ‘tiny, remote, white painted restaurant’ on the Waternish Peninsula is lauded as having ‘amazing seafood’.
The AA Food Service Award goes to The Seafood Restaurant, Cornwall, in the fishing village of Padstow. Rick Stein’s flagship restaurant offers a conservatory or roof terrace for dining and ‘an informal and friendly air throughout’.
Vino connoisseurs will be interested in those restaurants that secured the AA Wine Award for 2024. In England, the top accolade is given to the Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, Lancashire, ‘located in five acres of gardens with stunning views over a beautiful lake’.
Scotland’s top destination for wine is The Balmoral, Edinburgh, a ‘prestigious hotel with a castle view and a top-notch whisky bar’.
The AA Food Service Award goes to Rick Stein’s flagship restaurant, The Seafood Restaurant, above, in the fishing village of Padstow
In Wales, the Wine Award is snapped up by Plas Dinas Country House, Gwynedd – the former home of the Armstrong-Jones family tucked between the Snowdonia mountains and the Irish Sea. It boasts ‘beautiful grounds and an award-winning restaurant’ as well as The Princess Margaret Suite, which features the royal’s wedding memorabilia.
CHEFS’ CHEF OF THE YEAR
The ‘Chefs’ Chef of the Year’ goes to Tom Aikens, from Muse, London, a restaurant in the ‘quiet Belgravia mews’ that offers ‘inventive dishes inspired by childhood memories’.
The AA says: ‘This unique award recognises an outstanding chef for their dedication to their craft.
‘A much sought-after accolade, this award gives all AA Rosette-awarded chefs the power to decide who truly deserves the ultimate recognition for their outstanding performance over the past year.’
Tom says: ‘There was such an amazing group of chefs up for this award.
‘It’s truly incredible to have actually won it. It’s not just about me, it’s about the whole team. I’m absolutely thrilled, it’s fantastic.’
The Cartford Inn, Lancashire, pictured here, took the award for inn of the year in the AA rankings
Mallard Grange, in North Yorkshire, won the award for B&B of the year
