Hardens has named Wedgwood in Edinburgh as the UK’s best new restaurant outside of London in its 2010 Restaurant Guide.
Constructed using the results of a survey of over 8,000 diners, the Harden’s UK Restaurant Guide rates and reviews over 1,850 restaurants in Britain’s major cities.
Wedgwood, run by chef patron Paul Wedgwood in Edinburgh’s Old Town, secured the Remy Martin VSOP award over runners up The Fish House in Chilgrove, West Sussex, Turners in Birmingham, Vatika in Southampton, and Sam’s in Brighton.
Peter Harden, co-editor of the guide, said it was ‘appropriate’ that Wedgwood was voted the best restaurant outside of London.
“Edinburgh is now very clearly the UK’s best city for top-end dining-out after that other capital, down South,” he said. “It nowadays offers an impressive range of top-quality dining experiences, with the traditional best restaurant Number One complemented by more recent Leith success stories such as Martin Wishart and The Kitchin.”
Mr Underhill's and Jamie's Italian
Also receiving high acclaim was Mr Underhill’s in Ludlow, which was given the Remy Martin XO Excellence Award for demonstrating all-round excellence and consistency over a sustained period. Owners Chris and Judy Bradley last September announced they were retiring from the hospitality business after 12 years, putting the restaurant on the market and retaining the Mr Underhill's name.
Runners up for the XO Excellence Award were Gildleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, The Waterside Inn in Bray, and Northcote in Langho, Lancashire.
The guide also praised Jamie Oliver’s mid-market Italian restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian, which is described as making ‘a really positive contribution to the world of dining out.’
