TWO Warrington restaurants have made the cut among the best in the UK.

The Park Royal in Stretton and The Church Green in Lymm have been rewarded for their culinary excellence in the 2020 AA Hospitality and Hotels guide.

The 27th edition features 2,000 of the finest restaurants in the country, including 28 in the Cheshire area.

To gain one rosette, restaurants must achieve standards that stand out, from food preparation skills to quality ingredients.

At two or more rosettes, the standard is higher still, with better consistency, precision and ingredient selection.

The Church Green British Grill – run by celebrated chef Aiden Byrne – picked up two rosettes in this year’s guide, which is the 11th year in a row the Higher Lane restaurant has been included.

The guide said: “Chef-patron Aiden Byrne will be a familiar face to Master Chef fans, and his focus is on traditional British grill cooking, with excellent prime materials and touches of modern technique. On the menu might be a serving of home-made black pudding with a crisply poached egg (quite a feat) and caper and rocket salad, and comfort pud finales like Bakewell tart with black cherry and Amaretto ice cream.”

Aiden added: “We are so proud to be included in the guide for the 11th year running. Without all of the hard work and commitment of our long serving staff we would not be able to continue.

“We’ve a great team in the kitchen headed by Richard, while my wife Sarah and our general manager Martin head the front of house. It’s like one big family.”

The Park Royal, led by chef Andrew Richards, was awarded one rosette, demonstrating creativity, local produce and consistent style.

Warrington Guardian:

The guide said: “The opulent country hotel at Stretton began life more humbly in late Georgian times as the vicarage for nearby St Matthew’s, but has grown in grandeur with the years.

“Its expansive restaurant, Topiary in the Park, takes its name from the sculpted greenery on view.”

Mark Illingworth, general manager of Park Royal, added: “We are delighted to have been included in the AA restaurant guide for 2020. Our Topiary in the Park restaurant is focused on creating modern interpretations of classic British dishes and is committed to providing all of our customers with exceptional food and service in a relaxed, contemporary setting, so it’s great that our hard work has been recognised.

“To be included as one of only two Warrington restaurants in the guide is testament to the work of both the kitchen and front of house staff, who should all be very proud of themselves.”

More than 140 new restaurants have made it into the guide for the first time this year.

Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Media, said “We are pleased to see the hospitality industry going from strength to strength, with more than 140 new dining destinations being added to The Restaurant Guide 2020.

“The establishments in this year’s guide demonstrate the high quality of culinary experiences across the country, offering delicious food and impeccable service.”