15th August 2011

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The Good Food Guide 2012 Editors' Awards

Every year, The Good Food Guide team award ‘Editors’ Awards’ to restaurants who we feel deserve the highest recognition. For the 2012 edition, the team is delighted to confer the following awards:

 

BEST NEW ENTRY 2012 Pollen Street Social, London	UP-AND-COMING CHEF OF THE YEAR Paul Foster, Tuddenham Mill, Tuddenham, Suffolk
PUB OF THE YEAR The Duke of Cumberland Arms, Henley, West Sussex	FISH RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Café Fish, Isle of Mull, Scotland
WINE LIST OF THE YEAR ramsons, Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester	BEST VALUE FOR MONEY Kitchen, Sheffield, Yorkshire
CHEF OF THE YEAR Angela Hartnett, Murano, London	ALFRESCO RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Vineyard Café, Ashprington, Devon

 

*Best New Entry 2012*

Pollen Street Social, London

Judging by the energy, confidence and good vibrations coming from Pollen Street Social, there’s magic being worked by the combination of Jason Atherton’s deep English roots, global experiences and modern interpretation of classic cooking. PSS is one of the most fascinating new restaurants on the UK scene, the kind of big city eatery that is genuinely user-friendly – and fun.

 

 

*Pub of the Year*

The Duke of Cumberland Arms, Henley, West Sussex

It's hard to think of a more perfect country pub: infectiously welcoming, centuries old, in a glorious location and with all the seasons covered, from winter fires to fantastic alfresco opportunities. Drinkers are truly welcome and Simon Goodman’s menu keeps pace with a nifty mix of the traditional and the cosmopolitan. It’s a simple recipe for success, but not many manage to get it so right.

 

 

*Wine List of the Year*

ramsons, Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester

Chris Johnson has accrued an extraordinary and lovingly compiled cellar of wines from Italy’s regional vineyards. His knowledge, passion and sheer commitment show in every bottle, with pithy summaries and illuminating descriptions offering guidance for novices and experts alike; his personal recommendations are also beyond reproach.

 

 

*Chef of the Year*

Angela Hartnett, Murano, London

Why does Britain have so few top female chefs? Not since the 1980s, when Joyce Molyneaux and the Carved Angel grabbed the headlines, has this country had such a celebrated woman chef. Angela Hartnett is an inspiration – she made her way to the top of a profession heavily dominated by men through a mixture of grit, steely determination and hard graft. Now, her instinctive feel for food combined with a refreshing down-to-earth approach is being given free reign in the restaurant she made her own in late 2010, when she bought out Gordon Ramsay. 

 

 

*Up-and-Coming Chef of the Year*

Paul Foster, Tuddenham Mill, Tuddenham, Suffolk

While there’s a hint of Sat Bains in the cooking, there’s no doubting that Bains’s former sous chef is now his own master with a vigorous streak of culinary daring running through the Tuddenham Mill menus. Coupled with an extraordinary attention to detail, this is a young chef aiming for the top.

 

 

 

*Fish Restaurant of the Year*

Café Fish, Isle of Mull, Scotland

With breathtaking harbour views and fantastically fresh local seafood, what more could you want? Café Fish deals in honest, unpretentious cooking, the staff have a knack of making you feel you are the most important person there, and the whole experience is well worth the long drive.

 

 

 

*Best Value for Money*

Kitchen, Sheffield, Yorkshire

When glimpsed fleetingly from the M1, Sheffield probably still means steel and cutlery to many of us. But take time to stop, for the city is developing a reputation for food with some very good, affordable restaurants; we're delighted that one of them has won this award. Kitchen certainly is the pick, noted for its good portions of unfussy food at highly attractive prices.

 

 

*Alfresco Restaurant of the Year*

Vineyard Café, Ashprington, Devon

With every climatic eventuality covered, Vineyard Café is an object lesson in how to deal with the vagaries of the British climate. The Good Food Guide team are not the only ones who wish it were open for longer during the year, for we never cease to be amazed at how Rosie Weston is able to produce such incredible food from such a small space. A genuine hidden gem.