AA awards Raymond Blanc lifetime achievement
Le Manoir chef patron Raymond Blanc has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the AA at a ceremony that also saw chefs Marcus Wareing and Sat Bains and hotel chains Von Essen and Exclusive Hotels receive accolades.
Blanc, who celebrates 25 years at his restaurant near Oxford this year, was given the award for his passion for food, his respect for chefs and his 'humble manner'.
AA Hotel Services group area manager Giovanna Grossi said: "He is one of the most liked and respected icons the hospitality industry has seen over the last 25 years and is truly deserving of the highest accolade."
Addressing the audience at the Hilton, Park Lane, Blanc said award was 'timely' and thanked the support of his business partner at Le Manoir Alain Desenclos and the staff he had worked with.
He added: "I am thrilled and honoured to have received this prestigious award from the AA Hospitality Awards. 2009 is a momentous year for me and my team at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, as we celebrate our silver anniversary - 25 years of providing a unique experience to each and very guest we have entertained over the years.
"I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to my team at Le Manoir and to Orient-Express, who at all times have supported me in achieving iconic experiences for our guests."
Marcus Wareing picked up the Chef's Chef Award while Sat Bains was the only chef to receive the ultimate five rosettes for a restaurant this year. Four rosettes were awarded to Hibiscus, Helene Darroze at The Connaught and The Latymer at Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa.
Von Essen won Hotel Group of the Year while Exclusive Hotels picked up the Small Hotel Group of the Year award.
Grossi said: "I am very impressed with the quality of this year's winners, who have demonstrated intense ambition and a passion for excellence, as well as superb technical skills and innovative menus.
"I am delighted that there are a plethora of establishments that continue to raise the standards and encourage excellence in the industry."
More than 700 guests at the awards, hosted by newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky, enjoyed a meal created by Eric Chavot, Chris Galvin and Gary Rhodes with the Hilton Park Lane kitchen team and entertainment from Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity.
The awards coincided with the release of the 2009/10 AA Hotel and Restaurant guides, available to buy from today.
The 2009/10 winners are:
AA Small Hotel Group of the Year - Exclusive Hotels
AA Hotel Hotel Group of the Year – Von Essen
AA Hotel of the Year (England) – Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa, Yorkshire
AA Hotel of the Year (Scotland) – The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire
AA Hotel of the Year (Wales) – Penmaenuchaf Hall Hotel, Snowdonia National Park
AA Hotel of the Year (London) – The Connaught, Mayfair
AA Restaurant of the Year (England) - Purnell's, Birmingham
AA Restaurant of the Year (Scotland) - Plumed Horse, Leith - Edinburgh
AA Restaurant of the Year (Wales) - Y Polyn, Carmarthenshire
AA Restaurant of the Year (London) - Corrigan's Mayfair, Mayfair
AA Pub of the Year (England) – The Trout at Tadpole Bridge, Faringdon - Oxfordshire
AA Pub of the Year (Scotland) – The Inn at Inverbeg, Luss - Glasgow
AA Pub of the Year (Wales) - The Queens Head, Llandudno
AA Wine Award (England) – The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon - Cambridgeshire
AA Wine Award (Scotland) – The Cross at Kingussie, Kingussie
AA Wine Award (Wales) - The Bell at Skenfrith, Skenfrith - Monmouthshire
AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year Award – Marcus Wareing
AA Lifetime Achievement Award – Raymond Blanc
AA Five Rosettes – Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
AA Four Rosettes – Hibiscus, London; The Connaught Hotel, London; and The Latymer at Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa, Bagshot
The three AA rosette winners for 2009 are:
The Church Green, Lymm, Cheshire
Auberge du Lac, Welwyn, Hertfordshire
The Bath Priory Hotel, Restaurant & Spa, Bath
The Burlington Restaurant at The Devonshire Arms, Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire
Casamia Restaurant, Bristol
Gilpin Lodge Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Windermere, Cumbria
Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Kinloch Lodge, Isleornsay, Highland
Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond, Balloch, West Dunbartonshire
The Peat Inn, Peat Inn, Fife
Seaham Hall Hotel - The White Room Restaurant, Seaham, Co Durham
The Bingham, Richmond-upon-Thames, London
Corrigan's, Mayfair, London
The Crown at Celtic Manor, Newport, South Wales
Galvin at Windows, Mayfair, London
Min Jiang, Kensington, London
Murano, Mayfair, London
The Pass, West Sussex
Purnell's, Birmingham
Robert Thompson, The Hambrough, Isle of Wight
Rousillion, London
York & Albany, London
