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The UK’s best hotels and restaurants for 2024 revealed at the ‘Oscars’ of the UK hospitality industry… have YOU been lucky enough to visit any of them?

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 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

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)

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

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

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 AA’S 2024 HOSPITALITY AWARD WINNERS 

CHEFS’ CHEF OF THE YEAR

Tom Aikens, from Muse, London

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT  AWARD

Adrian Ellis MI FIH, former General Manager of The Lowry Hotel, Manchester

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD

Sue Williams, Positive Hospitality Ltd, Director and formerly General Manager of Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa

RESTAURANTS OF THE YEAR 

England – The Greyhound, Buckinghamshire

London – The Silver Birch, London

Wales – Thomas by Tom Simmons, Cardiff

Scotland – Loch Bay Restaurant, Isle of Skye

HOTELS OF THE YEAR 

England – Down Hall Hotel & Spa, Hertfordshire

London – The Dorchester

Wales – The Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff

Scotland – Cromlix, Stirling

Northern Ireland – The Ebrington Hotel, Londonderry

GROUP OF THE YEAR 

Red Carnation Hotel Group

SMALL HOTEL GROUP OF THE YEAR 

Eden Hotel Collection, Stratford-Upon-Avon

WINE AWARD 

England – Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, Lancashire

Wales – Plas Dinas Country House, Gwynedd

Scotland – The Balmoral, Edinburgh

HOUSEKEEPER OF THE YEAR 

Paula Seddon – Crow Wood Hotel and Spa Resort, Lancashire

SUSTAINABLE AWARD 

1 Hotel Mayfair, London

INN OF THE YEAR 

The Cartford Inn, Lancashire

B&B OF THE YEAR

Mallard Grange, North Yorkshire

RESTAURANT WITH ROOMS OF THE YEAR 

Mingary Castle, Highlands

SPA HOTEL OF THE YEAR 

Carden Park Hotel, Cheshire

FOOD SERVICE OF THE YEAR 

The Seafood Restaurant, Cornwall

COLLEGE RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

Senara – Truro & Penwith College

Source: The AA 

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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 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 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

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’

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

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’

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’S NEW ROSETTE AND RED STAR WINNERS 

NEW FIVE ROSETTES

Woven by Adam Smith (Coworth Park), Berkshire

The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Perth & Kinross

Angel at Hetton, North Yorkshire

NEW FOUR ROSETTES

Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay (Savoy Hotel), London

Olive Tree at the Queensberry Hotel, Somerset

Bybrook at The Manor House Hotel, Wiltshire

Lumiere, Gloucestershire

Atrium (Lords of the Manor), Gloucestershire

NEW THREE ROSETTES

The Flintlock at Cheddleton, Staffordshire

The Old Deanery, North Yorkshire

HUMO London, London

Pignut, North Yorkshire 

The Cottage in the Wood, Cumbria

The Vines Restaurant, Cheshire

Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa, Cheshire

The Three Horseshoes, Essex

Chartwell at Aldwark Manor, North Yorkshire

Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa, Warwickshire 

Skosh, North Yorkshire

MUSU, Greater Manchester

The Fanny Talbot, Gwynedd

NEW FOUR RED STARS

The Fanny Talbot, Gwynedd

Farlam Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Cumbria

Douneside House, Aberdeenshire

The Angel Hotel, Suffolk

Lygon Arms Hotel, Worcestershire

Nutfield Priory Hotel & Spa, Surrey

NEW THREE RED STARS

Penally Abbey, Pembrokeshire

Source: The AA 

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The AA Food Service Award goes to Rick Stein’s flagship restaurant, The Seafood Restaurant, above, in the fishing village of Padstow

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

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

Mallard Grange, in North Yorkshire, won the award for B&B of the year

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