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Winners of AA Hospitality Awards announced
The winners of the AA Hospitality Awards 2009-2010 have been announced at a ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
The awards are designed to recognise the services provided by the best AA-inspected and rated hotels, restaurants and pubs throughout the UK. The AA Lifetime Achievement Award went to Raymond Blanc OBE, chef-patron of Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire, while the AA Chefs' Chef of the Year was revealed to be Marcus Wareing. After nine years as chef-patron of Pétrus, since September 2008 he has run the restaurant as Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley and achieved 5 AA Rosettes.
The AA Hotel Group of the Year was von Essen hotels, with properties throughout the UK and France, and the AA Small Hotel Group of the Year was Exclusive Hotels, a family owned, luxury hotel group comprising mansions, manor houses, country homes, a spa and two golf courses. The Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa in Helmsley, North Yorkshire was named as AA Hotel of the Year, England, with Scotland's winner being The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, and Wales' the Penmaenuchaf Hall Hotel in Snowdonia. The Connaught, Mayfair, was voted London's winner.
Purnell's in Birmingham lifted the award for AA Restaurant of the Year, England, with the winners for Scotland, Wales and London being the Plumed Horse, Leith, Edinburgh; the Y Polyn, near Carmarthen; and Corrigan's Mayfair respectively. The AA Pub of the Year, England was named as The Trout at Tadpole Bridge, Faringdon, Oxfordshire; for Scotland The Inn at Inverbeg, Luss, Glasgow; and for Wales The Queens Head, near Llandudno.
Recognising an outstanding contribution to promoting wine understanding and appreciation, the AA Wine Award, England went to The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, while Kingussie's The Cross restaurant represented Scotland and The Bell at Skenfrith, Monmouthshire was the winner for Wales.