Sticky Walnut Named AA Restaurant of the Year for England 2014 #Blog

Taste Cheshire
29th September 2014

The great and good of the country’s hospitality industry were out in force last night at the AA Hospitality Awards.   Twenty four award winners were celebrating after being presented with their coveted titles at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane including a new award for this year, The AA Spirit Award.  Among the winners were the team at Sticky Walnut as it was named AA Restaurant of the Year for England 2014.

In the heart of Chester, Sticky Walnut is a welcoming neighbourhood bistro.  Head Chef and owner Gary Usher has worked in many restaurants in the North of England and in London.  He and his team now use top notch produce to put together imaginative dishes that do all of the ingredients proud.

Speaking of the award, Gary said, ‘Knowing how prestigious the award is, we still can’t believe it.  Our efforts have remained consistent over the last three and a half years and it is an honour to be recognised for them.’

Often referred to as the industry’s ‘Oscars’ the AA Hospitality Awards is a key date on everyone’s calendar – a rare time when key players in the Hospitality world can get together – and recognise the commitment to excellence that so many establishments and individuals strive to provide their guests.  Drawing on the unrivalled knowledge and expertise of the AA inspectorate and other industry professionals involved in the judging process, winners are selected in recognition of excellence and success within their chosen category, having shown a significant improvement in the preceding 12 – 18 months and proving their dedication to raising industry standards and enhancing both their guest and diner experiences.  From top hotels and restaurants to the best of British pubs the AA Hospitality Awards celebrate everything that is great in British hospitality.  All the winners will appear in the latest edition of the 2015 AA Hotel, Restaurant and Pub Guides which were launched at the event.

Guests at the awards ceremony, hosted by Fiona Bruce, were treated to a sensational gourmet meal created by 2013AA Chefs’ Chef, Tom Kerridge as well as entertainment from Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists Light Balance.

The full list of winners of the AA Hospitality Awards 2014-15 are:

AA Lifetime Achievement – Ruth Rogers MBE

AA Chefs’ Chef – Nathan Outlaw

AA Hotel of the Year for England – Dormy House, Broadway

AA Hotel of the Year for Wales – Ynyshir Hall, Eglwys Fach

AA Hotel of the Year for Scotland – Meldrum House Country Hotel, Aberdeen

AA Hotel of the Year for London – Rosewood London

AA Hotel of the Year for Northern Ireland – The Bushmills Inn Hotel, Bushmills

AA Restaurant of the Year for England – Sticky Walnut, Chester

AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales – Bully’s, Cardiff

AA Restaurant of the Year for Scotland – Timberyard, Edinburgh

AA Restaurant of the Year for London – Berners Tavern, London

AA Small Hotel Group of the Year – Eden Hotel Collection

AA Large Hotel Group of the Year – QHotels

AA Wine Award for England and Overall Winner – The Queensberry Hotel, Bath

AA Wine Award for Scotland–The Peat Inn, St Andrews

AA Wine Award for Wales – The Grove, Narbeth 

AA Eco Hotel of the Year – Waterton Park Hotel, Walton Hall

AA Eco Hotel Group of the Year – Red Carnation Hotels

AA Pub of the Year for England –  The Pheasant, Gestingthorpe

AA Pub of the Year for Wales – Bunch of Grapes, Pontypridd

AA Pub of the Year for Scotland – The Bridge Inn, Ratho

AA Housekeeper of the Year – Geraldine Maursy – The Landmark

AA Food Service Award –  Galvin at Windows, London

AA Spirit Award – The Merchant Hotel, Belfast