The Ledbury crowned UK’s best restaurant

The Ledbury in Notting Hill has been crowned the best restaurant in the UK at the National Restaurant Awards for the third year running.

Brett Graham, head chef of The Ledbury

The two Michelin-starred restaurant, run by Australian chef Brett Graham, saw off competition from Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social and Marlow pub The Hand and Flowers, which came in second and third respectively.

Owned and run by Tom Kerridge, The Hand and Flowers, the world’s first pub to be awarded two Michelin stars, was also named Gastropub of the Year.

Five of the top ten restaurants on this year’s list are in London, with Quo Vadis in Soho, run by Jeremy Lee, the highest new entry at number 9.

Master sommelier Xavier Rousset’s Texture in Marylebone bagged the Wine List of the Year award, while Lima London in Fitzrovia was voted the One to Watch.

Phil Howard meanwhile, of two Michelin-starred The Square in Mayfair, was voted Chef’s Chef, while Dinner by Heston Blumenthal picked up the Hotel Restaurant of the Year award.

Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, owners of celebrity favourites The Wolseley and The Delaunay, along with the newly opened Brasserie Zedel, scooped the Personality of the Year award.

In a new category for this year, The Pig at Brockenhurst won the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award for its green practices, having scored the highest sustainability rating in the areas of sourcing, environment and society.

Xavier Rousset MS scooped Wine List of the Year

Earlier this year, the Ledbury climbed 20 places to number 14 at The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards, making it the highest climber on the list.

And if running the UK’s best restaurant wasn’t enough, Graham and his team heroically protected diners last August when the restaurant was attacked during the London riots, chasing away masked looters with rolling pins.

Now in their fifth year, the National Restaurant Awards aim to highlight the best restaurants in the UK and reward the nation’s top chefs and restaurateurs.

The restaurants are voted for by a team of 150 chefs, restaurateurs, food critics and journalists across 12 UK regions. Chefs are not allowed to vote for their own restaurant.

The Top 10 Restaurants in the UK

1: The Ledbury, London

2: Pollen Street Social, London

3: The Hand & Flowers, Marlow

4: Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham

5: The Fat Duck, Bray

6: The Sportsman, Seasalte

7: The Square, London

8: The Kitchen, Edinburgh

9: Quo Vadis, London

10: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London