Last Year's Winners
Orwells, in Shiplake, beat stiff competition to be crowned as the overall winner of The Good Food Guide's prestigious Readers’ Restaurant of the Year Award, 2012. The award was presented to Orwells by renowned chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc OBE at a ceremony in central London.
Over 27,500 diners nominated their favourite restaurants, pubs and cafés from around the UK in the quest to find this year’s The Good Food Guide Readers’ Restaurant of the Year.
The ten regional winners were:
- Wales – Cwtch, Pembrokeshire
- East of England – Roger Hickman’s, Norwich
- London – Retro Bistrot, Teddington
- Midlands – Edmunds, Birmingham
- Northern Ireland – Molly’s Yard, Belfast
- North West – Spire, Liverpool
- North East – Salvo’s, Leeds
- Scotland – Ondine, Edinburgh
- South East – Orwells, Shiplake
- South West – The Mill Tea & Dining Room, Lyme Regis
What the winners had to say...
'Since winning the award business has really picked up and we seemed to have increased our covers by at least 40%. It has created awareness, and interest in Orwells has been extremely positive, we have had great feedback from our guests.'
Ryan Simpson, Orwells - Winner of Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2012
'Since winning the award our bookings have increased, website viewings have doubled and it is also perceived as tangible proof of our excellent reputation amongst the locals. Furthermore, it has given us confidence in the quality of our business during a difficult economic time.'
Eleanor Bursey, The Mill Tea & Dining Room - Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2012 – South West
'Primarily it was a wonderful boost for us and our team, it means so much to receive this kind of diner-voted accolade. It's also great when our customers come in and mention the award – perhaps it has made them think to dine with us again – either way it has been a big boost across the board!'
Vincent Gerbeau, Retro Bistrot - Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2012 – London
'The first obvious impact of winning the award was the enormous boost to staff morale but the business benefits have also been tremendous. Our profile has substantially increased thanks to media interest and subsequent reviews from restaurant critics. In the first month following our win, restaurant sales have increased by over 40% on the same period last year.'
Siobhán Scullion, Molly’s Yard - Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2012 – Northern Ireland
'Winning an award [like this] is a great boost to the business but more importantly the staff feel the hard work and commitment they put into making the restaurant what it is has been noted and appreciated.'
Geppino Dammone, Salvo’s – Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2012 – North East