Jason Atherton has received the prestigious Chef’s Chef of the Year accolade, which is voted for by the nominees’ peers, at the AA Hospitality Awards.
Four other London-based chefs were in the running for the 2019 award, including Clare Smyth, Andrew Wong, Helene Darroze and Angela Hartnett. Atherton also faced national competition from the likes of Tom Kitchin, Mark Birchall and Paul Ainsworth.
The 48-year-old chef thanked the crowd while apologising for wearing his chef whites, “It’s not for effect – I’ve just come from The Betterment, our new restaurant it’s three days old. I’m 20 chefs short so if anyone needs a job…”
Tom Brown’s Cornerstone has been named as the London “restaurant of the year” at the last night’s awards, which took place at Grosvenor House in London.
The awards look to recognise excellence in both hotels and restaurants across the UK by awarding rosettes and red stars on a scale of one to five, as well as special accolades to recognise achievements over the previous year.
The seafood restaurant, in Hackney Wick, opened by the chef last year was announced as the winner of the hotly contested regional category, after having previously been awarded three AA rosettes earlier in the night.
The award for England’s restaurant of the year went to the Fordwich Arms in Canterbury, while further regional accolades went to Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias for the Welsh equivalent, and to Sugar Boat for the Scottish. Robin Sheppard of Bespoke Hotels received the Lifetime Achievement award, and in his speech called for better facilities for disabled guests.
The ceremony was hosted by BBC television presenter Kate Silverton, and the 1,000 guests dined on a menu cooked by Claude Bosi. The two Michelin-starred chef of Chelsea restaurant Bibendum was awarded the title of AA Chef’s Chef of the Year at the 2018 awards.
“It has been a real honour and privilege to have been voted Chef of the Year by my industry peers and friends,” said Bosi. “I am (not!) looking forward to cooking for them all at the dinner.”
Dishes on the menu included Cornish cock crab with flavours of Andalusia, Galician beef fillet with Arabica coffee and pickled walnuts and a dessert of tarte tatin shaped like an apple.
The full list of winners at the AA Hospitality Awards, is below:
AA AWARD WINNERS
Lifetime Achievement Award • Robin Sheppard, chairman, Bespoke Hotels
Chefs’ Chef
• Jason Atherton
Restaurant of the Year
• England – Fordwich Arms, Canterbury
• London – Cornerstone by Chef Tom Brown, London
• Wales – Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias, Colwyn Bay
• Scotland – Sugar Boat, Helensburgh
Hotel of the Year
• England – Chewton Glen, New Milton
• London – The Landmark, London, NW1
• Wales – The Grove, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire
• Scotland – The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder
• Northern Ireland – The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Belfast
Pub of the Year
• England – Three Daggers, Edington, Wiltshire
• Wales – Glynne Arms, Hawarden, Flintshire
• Scotland – Meikleour Arms Public House, Perth
Spa of the Year
• Rudding Park Hotel, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Eco Hotel of the Year
• Carbis Bay Hotel, St Ives, Cornwall
Food Service Award
• The Ritz, London
Wine Award
• Overall Winner – Hampton Manor, Solihull, West Midlands
Regional Awards:
• England– Hampton Manor, Solihull, West Midlands
• Wales – Penmaenuchaf Hall Hotel, Dolgellau
• Scotland – Castle Terrace Restaurant, Edinburgh
Large Hotel Group of the Year
• Park Plaza Group
Small Hotel Group of the Year
• Inverlochy Castle Management International
Housekeeper of the Year
• Ankica Korzelius, St Ermins hotel, London
College Restaurant of the Year
• Academy, Cheshire Colleges South & West, Cheshire
NEW AA ROSETTES AND RED STARS
New 5 Rosettes
• Lympstone Manor, near Exmouth, Devon
New 4 Rosettes
• Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire
• Grayetye Manor, East Grinstead, West Sussex
• Hipping Hall, Lancaster, Kirby Lonsdale, Lancashire
• Hrishi at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Windermere, Cumbria
• Old Downton Lodge, Ludlow, Shorposhire
• Roganic, London
• Sorrel, Dorking, Surrey
• The Angel at Hetton, Hetton, North Yorkshire
• The Greenhouse, London
• The Dining Room at Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
5 Red Stars
• Foxhill Manor, Broadway, Worcestershire
• Cromlix Hotel, Kinbuck, Dunblane
• Alexander House hotel, Turners Hill, West Sussex
• Adare Manor, Adare, Limerick
• The Langham, London
• Hotel Café Royal, London
• Seaham Hall, Seaham, County Durham
• Torridon, Wester Ross, Torridon
4 Red Stars
• Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort, Ballymena, County Antrim
• The Scarlet, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
• The Painswick, Painswick, Gloucestershire
• St Ermins hotel, London
• The Montagu Arms hotel, Beaulieu, Hampshire
• Cavendish hotel, Baslow, Derbyshire
• Maison Talbooth, Dedham, Essex
3 Red Stars
• Bingham Riverhouse, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey
• The Pig at Combe, Honiton, Devon
