The Black Bull in Sedbergh wins four 'prestigious' AA awards

The Black Bull in Sedbergh has retained its second Two AA Red Rosette for Culinary Excellence for the second year in a row.

The pub has also received the AA five-star Inn Award, moving up from four stars previously, and has also added the AA Breakfast Award and a Notable Wine List Award to its haul.

The gastropub has retained its second AA Red Rosette for Culinary Excellence for the second year in a row (Image: Supplied) James Ratcliffe, co-owner of the gastropub, said: "We’re delighted that we’ve maintained our Two AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence.

"Adding the AA five-star Inn Award, an AA Breakfast Award, and the fact that the AA has also chosen to recognise the strength and depth of our wine list with a Notable Wine List Award too is the icing on the cake.

"We’d like to thank them for the commitment they’ve shown in helping us work towards our goals for the Black Bull across all areas of the business.

"I’m sure when we all have five minutes the entire team will take stock and celebrate a little – I’d just like to add these awards are a testament to every member of the team from housekeeping to the front-of-house and pot wash to the chefs themselves and I’d like to say a huge thank you to them for all their hard work this year so far."

One of the rooms that has landed the hotel the five-star inn award (Image: Supplied) The AA introduced a star rating system to classify hotels in 1912, and in 2006 they developed Common Quality Standards for inspecting and rating accommodation.

These standards and rating categories are now applied throughout the British Isles.

The AA Hotel Services’ Hotel and Restaurant Inspector said: "An ever-refining dining product here which now features a tasting option, giving a chance to lift quality and consistency.

"Aside from this, wider menus offer a good choice and certainly value vs the quality and content.

"At dinner, there was a good sense of luxury ingredients handled with care and an adherence to principles of sustainability.

"Wine lists read very well indeed and cover a huge amount of ground offering a superb depth and choice.

"Breakfast menus are concise with the focus rightly on quality - The AA Breakfast award is now in place too."

Some of the breakfast selection (Image: Supplied) The ratings provide businesses with an independent national quality marque, which in turn enables potential guests to make informed decisions about where to stay.

An AA Red Rosette award is only presented to restaurants that are achieving standards that 'stand out' in their area.

These are restaurants that serve food prepared with 'care, understanding, and skill', using good quality ingredients, which enables diners to make informed decisions about where to eat.

The AA introduced a new award in 2019, the AA Breakfast Award, specifically designed to celebrate the 'best start to the day'.

Introduced in 1998, the AA Notable Wine List Award can be awarded to an establishment based on the overall quality of their wine selection, as well as an 'outstanding contribution' to promoting wine understanding and appreciation