Daniel Clifford and Robin Hutson scoop top AA awards

Chef Daniel Clifford and hotelier Robin Hutson were among the big winners at the AA Hospitality Awards, held this evening at the Grosvenor House hotel on London's Park Lane.

 

Clifford, who runs the five-AA-rosette Midsummer House in Cambridgeshire, picked up the AA Chefs' Chef of the Year 2015 award, while Hutson won the AA Lifetime Achievement Award. They were among 23 awards presented during the evening.

 

Clifford was praised for turning Midsummer House into one of the country's finest restaurants, while and an "inspiration to so many chefs at all levels".

 

Hutson's award recognised his distinguished career which began on the Savoy Group's management training programme before posts as general manager of the Five Star Elbow Beach hotel in Bermuda and general manager and later managing director of Chewton Glen in the New Forest. He went on to co-found the Hotel Du Vin group before becoming executive chairman of the Soho House Group. He is now executive chairman of the Lime Wood Group and has focused on developing Home Grown Hotels, as well as creating the Pig chain of country house hotels.

 

The winners, all of which appear in the latest edition of the 2016 AA Hotel, Restaurant and Pub Guides, are selected in recognition of excellence and success within their chosen category.

 

The new guides features two hotels which have been awarded five stars for the first time, alongside three new four star and four new three star properties; while two restaurants have awarded five rosettes, together with seven new four rosette and 20 new three rosette restaurants.

 

Guests at the event, hosted by Fiona Bruce, were treated to a gastronomic menu created the 2014 AA Chef's Chef, Nathan Outlaw.

 

The winners included:

 

AA Chefs' Chef of the Year 2015

• Daniel Clifford, chef patron, Midsummer House, Cambridgeshire

 

AA Lifetime Achievement Award

• Robin Hutson, executive chairman, Lime Wood Group

 

AA Hotel of the Year

• Winner, England Cliveden, Taplow
• Winner, Wales St George's Hotel, Llandudno
• Winner, Scotland Rufflets Country House, St Andrews
• Winner, London Corinthia hotel, London
• Winner, Northern Ireland Galgorm Resort and Spa, Ballymena

 

AA Restaurant of the Year

• Winner, England House of Tides, Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Winner, Wales Coast restaurant, Saundersfoot
• Winner, Scotland The Gannet, Glasgow
• Winner, London Tredwell's London

 

AA Wine Award

• Winner, England and Overall The Sun Inn, Dedham
• Winner, Wales The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny
• Winner, Scotland Ubiquitous Chip, Glasgow

 

AA Pub of the Year

• Winner, England The Porch House, Stow-on-the-Wold
• Winner, Wales Kinmel Arms, Abergele
• Winner, Scotland The Scran and Scallie, Edinburgh

 

AA Hotel Group of the Year

• Winner Brend Hotels

 

AA Eco Hotel and Eco Hotel Group of the Year

• Winner, Eco Hotel The Savoy, London
• Winner, Eco Hotel Group Exclusive Hotels and Venues

 

AA Food Service Award

• Winner Belmond Le Manoir aux Quats' Saisons

 

AA Housekeeper of the Year Award

• Winner Sarah Middlemas, the Old Course hotel, St Andrews

 

AA Spirit Award

 

Winner The Churchill Bar and Terrace, London

 

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