Glenapp Castle Awarded Four AA Rosettes

The restaurant at Glenapp Castle Hotel, the luxury five-star Relais & Châteaux Castle hotel in Ayrshire, has been awarded 4 AA Rosettes, making it one of only a handful of elite restaurants in the country to secure the coveted accolade.

The honour is the latest in a string of awards to be showered on the hotel over recent years following the appointment of head chef Adam Stokes in 2008.

Commenting on the award, Stokes said: "I am absolutely delighted to be awarded 4 AA Rosettes.

"Over the last four years at Glenapp Castle, the food has progressed and developed into a modern, stylish culinary journey embracing traditional food marriages with inventive twists."

A Scottish baronial castle, secluded within 36 acres of garden and woodland on the rugged and beautiful Ayrshire coast in Ballantrae, Glenapp Castle restaurant’s team is led by manager of 10 years, John Orr and his assistant and head chef’s wife, Natasha Stokes.

Fay Cowan, who runs Glenapp Castle alongside her husband Graham, said: "We’re delighted that Adam and his team have received this tremendous recognition for the excellence of their food and service in our fine-dining restaurant.

"Achieving 4 AA Rosettes is no small feat and is the culmination of a series of detailed inspections over a number of years.

"Since his first season at Glenapp Castle, Adam Stokes has achieved and maintained substantial accolades for the food served and the service continues to delight guests and reviewers alike."

A restaurant’s food quality is assessed by the AA inspectorate, which awards AA Rosettes to establishments demonstrating mastery and excellence in this field.

AA Hotel Services manager, Simon Numphud, said: "We are 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.

"It is encouraging and refreshing to see that there are a number of establishments that continue to raise the standards and encourage excellence in the industry."

Each evening the restaurant at Glenapp serves a six-course gourmet menu, expertly prepared by Adam and his team. While all resident guests have an automatic dinner reservation, the dining rooms at Glenapp are also open to non-resident guests by prior reservation for lunch and dinner.

This summer Glenapp Castle won Restaurant of the Year in the prestigious CIS Excellence Awards. Among other accolades won by the restaurant are an EatScotland 2011 Gold Award, while Adam Stokes won the Gourmet Menu of the Year category at the 13th Annual Scottish Chef Awards.

Meanwhile, Graham and Fay Cowan were recently presented with a Gold Laurel Outstanding Achievement Award at the Scottish Hotel Awards for the restoration of the beauty of Glenapp Castle and Gardens while Glenapp was named Romantic Hotel of the Year 2011.

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