AA Hospitality Awards 2022: First list of a AA Rosette Restaurants released for the year

The Staff Canteen

Editor

AA Hospitality has released its first list of AA Rosette restaurants for 2022

In a pre-recorded virtual ceremony published on the company's website this morning, it announced that the following restaurants have been awarded AA Rosettes:

New three AA Rosettes

Prévost at The Haycock, The Horn of Plenty, The Dial House in Reepham, The Camilla Restaurant at South Lodge, The Auldgirth Inn, The Glenturret Lalique, Henrock at Linthwaite House, Gem 42 in Newport, Dean Banks at The Pompadour, The Nut Tree Inn, Tamburini and Wishart, Bohemia at The Club House Hotel and Spa, Blas Restaurant Twry Felin Hotel, The Ingham Swan, Goldsborough Hall

New four AA Rosettes

Àclèaf at Boringdon Hall, Allium at Askham Hall

Host Simon Nuphud also announced that the AA Hospitality Awards will take place in person later this year, at Grosvenor House on Monday, 26th September 2022.

The AA Restaurant Guide

The guide was first published in 1956 and was the UK's first nationwide food guide - as it took Michelin until the seventies to expand across the channel. Its much coveted accolade scheme assesses restaurants on everything from food and service to the overall quality of the dining experiences, offering a maximum of 5 Rosettes to those restaurants considered the best in the country.

There are currently 17 5 AA Rosette restaurants, 45 4 AA Rosette restaurants and 221 3 AA Rosette restaurants across the UK.

Restaurants are graded according to the following criteria:

One rosette

Chefs should display a mastery of basic techniques and be able to produce dishes of sound quality and clarity of flavours, using good, fresh ingredients.

Two rosettes

Innovation, greater technical skill and more consistency and judgement in combining and balancing ingredients are all needed at this level.

Three rosettes

This award takes a restaurant into the big league. Expectations of the kitchen are high: exact technique, flair and imagination must come through in every dish, and balance and depth of flavour are all-important.

Four rosettes

At this level, not only should all technical skills be exemplary, but there should also be daring ideas, and they must work. There is no room for disappointment. Flavours should be accurate and vibrant.

Five rosettes

The supreme accolade awarded only when the cooking is at the pinnacle of achievement. Flavours, combinations and textures show a faultless sense of balance, giving each dish an extra dimension.

Controversially, since 2020, restaurants wishing to be included in the AA Restaurant Guide will now have to pay an annual fee of £180 or risk losing their Rosettes, a move which the company said this would help it continue to provide "this valuable service" to restaurants.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.