The team at an award-winning Dales pub are celebrating this week after receiving two prestigious awards from the AA recognising the quality of their hospitality and their food.
The Black Bull, Sedbergh, in Cumbria’s Western Dales has been awarded four AA Gold Stars and its first AA Rosette for Culinary Excellence.
Co-owner of the gastropub with rooms, James Ratcliffe said: “We’re absolutely delighted. September is proving to be a very special month for us, and these accolades are a marvellous celebration of what we do and what our team delivers day in day out.’’
“We’re busy celebrating another major accolade, as we’ve been awarded our first AA Rosette for Culinary Excellence and have also achieved AA Four Star Gold Inn status, so we couldn’t be more delighted. It’s been a wonderful year for us, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank our customers, suppliers and the whole team at the Black Bull, as everyone is a part of our success.”
The AA Hotel Services’ Hotel & Restaurant Inspector commented: “Service and hospitality were key strengths here with a professional yet engaging approach from the everyone. All team members were friendly and made every effort to make guests feel welcome. Physically the property is impressive having undergone a full refurbishment in recent years. Food output was excellent, and dishes sampled meet the requirements for One AA Rosette to be awarded as a reflection of the cookery and quality produce used.’’
The Inspector further commenting: ‘’This is a well-managed property with a skilled team who are clearly committed to delivering high standards. In terms of AA Quality Standards, The Black Bull Inn is rated as a 4 Gold Star Guest Accommodation with the Inn Designator.’’
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.
These well-established and nationally recognised ratings provide businesses with an independent national quality marque, which in turn enables potential guests to make informed decisions about where to stay based on information collated by one of the UK’s most trusted brands.
In turn an AA Red Rosette award is only presented to restaurants that are achieving standards that stand out in their local area. These are restaurants that are serving food prepared with care, understanding and skill, using good quality ingredients, enabling diners to make informed decisions about where to dine.
