Michelin-starred chef tom kerridge wins the Chefs' Chef Award at the AA Awards 2014.

Speaking to The Staff Canteen after the event Tom said: “The chef award was just incredible. I was completely surprised. I was blown away by it. I couldn’t believe the amount of love we got from the room. I actually blame Daniel Clifford, Sat Bains and Claude Bosi for rigging the vote!”

Tom Kerridge's restaurant, The Hand and Flowers in Marlow also received four AA rosettes and to top it all, it came on the same night that the first episode of his series, Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food, premiered on BBC 2.

“The four rosettes is fantastic,” said Tom, “because of us being a pub and as a recognition of the team effort. It was just phenomenal. My phone had already gone into meltdown because it was the first night of the TV show as well!”

Among the other top glitterati were Daniel Clifford and Michael Caines whose restaurants, Midsummer House in Cambridge and Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, both joined the ranks of five-rosette establishments.

Daniel Clifford spoke to The Staff Canteen about the achievement saying: "We are completely overwhelmed with this award. We've spent 15 years progressing the business at Midsummer House and have finally achieved the coveted five rosettes. I am so proud of my team."

Michael Caines added: "I am really chuffed – it’s a great achievement for me personally and for all the team at Gidleigh Park.  To achieve five rosettes again makes you appreciate them even more, especially as I approach 20 years at Gidleigh Park.

"Midsummer House and Gidleigh Park join a select group of five-rosette establishments which already includes: Marcus Wareing at The Berkley, London; Tom Aikens, London; Hibiscus, London; Sketch (Lecture Room & Library), London ; The Fat Duck, Bray; L’Enclume, Cartmel; Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham; Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton; and Michael Wignall at The Latymer, Bagshot.

There were six new four-rosette establishments named at the awards: Alan Murchison’s L’Ortolan in Shinfield, Berkshire; Tim Allen’s Launceston Place in London; Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London; Angela Hartnett’s Murano in London and Martijn Kajuiter’s Cliff House in County Waterford, Ir
eland as well as Tom Kerridge’s The Hand and Flowers.

One of the four-rosette winners, Alan Murchison, shared his feelings with The Staff Canteen. He said: “It’s good to get recognition from any of the restaurant guide books. Obviously this hasn’t just come in the last six months; it’s taken 11 years to get to this point. It’s great for the team – being outside London you sometimes feel a bit off the radar with all the focus going on the new London restaurants, so it’s really nice to be seen to still be progressing.”

Another four-rosette winner was Martijn Kajuiter of The Cliff House Hotel in County Waterford Ireland. Martijn told The Staff Canteen: "As I am reading the AA guide and see what kind of company we are in, it makes the four rosettes very special, especially as you see that of the 29 restaurants with that accolade only two are in Ireland." There were also 29 new recipients of three rosettes including Abbey Hotel in Bath, headed by Chris Staines and Jo Mercer Nairne’s Medlar in London. The full list of three-rosette winners is below:   

The Ardeonaig Hotel and Restaurant, Killin Linthwaite House Hotel and Restaurant, Windemere Airds, Port Appin Abbey Hotel, Bath Artichoke, Amersham Medlar, London Greenhouse, London Outlaw’s at the Capital, London The Olive Tree at the Queensberry Hotel, Bath Ye Olde Bulls Head, Beaumaris Coworth Park, Ascot The French by Simon Rogan, Manchester Winteringham Fields, Winterinham Brasserie Chavot, London Rushton Hall, Kettering Restaurant 23 and Morgan’s Bar, Royal Leamington Spa Brockencote Hall, Chaddesley Corbett Pompadour by Galvin, Edinburgh The Samling, Windemere Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, Windermere The Halkin, London Bohemia, St Helier Social Eating House, London The Angel Inn, Hetton Rockliffe Hall, Darlington Glennap Castle, Ballantrae Alexander House, Turners Hill Lords of the Manor, Upper Slaughter Longshott Manor, Horley