to add an item to your Itinerary basket..Three AA Rosettes for Lawns at Thornton Hall Hotel
30th September 2011
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From Liverpool Daily Post
Merseyside chef David Gilmore was last night celebrating joining the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Michel Roux Jr and Pierre Koffmann, after the Lawns restaurant at Thornton Hall Hotel was awarded three AA Rosettes.
The restaurant was awarded its third Rosette at the AA Hospitality Awards at London’s Park Lane Hotel.
Mr Gillmore, who trained at some of Europe’s top Michelin-starred eateries, last night said it was “an honour” to be recognised.
He said: “We are keeping fine company with some of the North West’s leading restaurants.
“It is testament to the hard work of both the kitchen and front-of-house staff, who work tirelessly every day to provide the best fine dining experience as possible to all our customers.
“The restaurant already has an excellent reputation across the region for fine dining, which I am aiming not just to maintain but to enhance and develop. It is very much family-run and about customer experience.”
The other restaurants to receive three Rosettes this year included London’s Dinner, by Heston Blumenthal, Roux at Parliament Square and Koffmann’s at The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge.
The AA Guide website states three AA Rosettes are awarded to restaurants where “the cooking is underpinned by the selection and sympathetic treatment of the highest quality ingredients.
“Timing, seasoning and the judgment of flavour combinations will consistently be excellent.
“These virtues tend to be supported by other elements, such as intuitive service and a well-chosen wine list.”
The Lawns is the only hotel restaurant in Merseyside to achieve the coveted three AA Rosette status, awarded to “outstanding restaurants which achieve standards demanding recognition well beyond their local area”.
The kitchen at The Lawns has had a very successful year, introducing Mr Gillmore as executive chef, launching a new fine dining experience and now culminating in the award of a third AA Rosette.
Thornton Hall was built in the mid-1800s and was the home of shipping magnates the Bamford family.
The restaurant is housed in the ornate Italian Room and retains its original oak carvings.
Andrew Thompson, chairman of Thornton Hall Hotel, added: “This is a terrific independent endorsement of the quality we work so hard to achieve.
“We have invested heavily in The Lawns in terms of refurbishment, staff and training, as we know there is a real demand for a genuine fine dining experience in Wirral and Merseyside.
“Here is proof that The Lawns is one of the leading restaurants in the North West and we are a match for many of London’s top venues.
“This is a fantastic tribute to David and his kitchen team, not to mention the restaurant staff and David’s network of dedicated local suppliers.
“David has a great pedigree and his menus have been a breath of fresh air – he spends a lot of time in our kitchen creating and developing new dishes and we are delighted to have him here.
“We want to be the best fine dining experience in the region, and this award is another step towards that goal. Our next goal is to be awarded a Michelin star."
