Awarded 2 AA Rosettes

A Shropshire hotel is celebrating retaining its two-rosette status - an achievement it has now held for 15 years.

 Bosses at the Best Western Valley Hotel in Ironbridge say the award highlights the commitment to maintaining a consistently high standard of food.

 The AA Rosette Awards are long established and are a much sought after honour throughout the restaurant industry - with only 10 per cent of venues across the UK receiving one rosette or above.

 Adam Workman, sous chef at the Valley Hotel, said staff were delighted with the news.

 “This means the hotel has held this two-rosette status for 15 years, that’s quite an achievement and we are all really proud of that,” he said.

 “I believe the hotel held one rosette for a while prior to that so we have clearly been among the best in our business for a very long time.

 “Clearly the AA inspectors were extremely satisfied when they called in recently and decided we had maintained our high standard from previous visits.

 “There are not too many fine-dining experiences around these days, a lot of places go for lower class dining, so we are delighted that our commitment to a top quality food delivered to a very high standard is recognised in this way.

 “I would say expectations are higher than they were and that it is getting harder to reach the sort of standards that are expected.

 “We demand this high level of consistently all the time and it is reassuring for us and our customers that we are continuing to produce our top quality food on a regular basis.”

 Awards of one and two rosettes are made at the time of inspection and any restaurant winning two rosettes has impressed inspectors with a greater precision apparent in the cooking.

 The inspectors are looking for excellent restaurants, striving for and attaining higher standards and a greater consistency in the food produced.

 They are also looking at the selection and quality of ingredients.

 It is estimated that about 40 per cent of establishments in the AA Restaurant Guide has two rosettes.

 For more information about the Valley Hotel, telephone 01952 432247 or visit the website at www.thevalleyhotel.co.uk