Green Greater Manchester restaurant with surprise menu joins elite at AA Hospitality Awards - full winners

A Greater Manchester restaurant has been recognised in this year’s AA Hospitality Awards, joining the ranks of the top 10% in the country.

Where the Light Gets In in Stockport has been awarded Four Rosettes, becoming only the third Manchester restaurant to receive the prestigious accolade. Together, the restaurants awarded with three, four of five rosettes make up just 10% of all recognised restaurants in the country.

The other two restaurants with four rosettes in Manchester are the Michelin-starred Mana in Ancoats and Adam Reid at the French, the restaurant at the city centre’s luxury Midland Hotel. There are no three or five-Rosette restaurants in Manchester.

It’s not just restaurants recognised at the AA Hospitality Awards. There were also awards for the best hotels, spa hotels, sustainability, wine, food service to name but a few, as well as individual awards for lifetime achievement and best housekeeper – although no other Greater Manchester spots made the list.

The Best Restaurant of the year award for England went to The Old Stamp House Restaurant in Ambleside, while Chutney Mary won the London award, The Jackdaw in Conwy won in Wales and  Cail Bruich in Glasgow won for Scotland.

The full list of award winners can be found on the AA Hospitality Awards website.

What is Where the Lights Gets In?

Since opening in 2016, the restaurant has certainly earned its place among the best in the region, if not the country, and is featured in both the Michelin Guide and the Good Food Guide.

Sustainability and waste avoidance are central to the restaurant’s ethos, which is why it has also been awarded a Michelin Green Star. All ingredients are gathered from the restaurant’s farm or locally sourced from suppliers that only use heritage methods and no chemicals.

They only offer a surprise menu as it is completely dependent on availability of produce. This taster menu costs around £110 per person for evening service and £95 for lunch. The meal is designed to be experienced fully, with each service lasting around 2-3 hours, according to the restaurant’s booking website.

How are the Rosettes awarded?

The AA Rosettes were introduced in 1956 and were the first nationwide scheme for assessing the quality of food served by restaurants and hotels, according to the AA website.

Rosettes are awarded based on a meal visit or visits by one or more AA inspectors, who assess the overall quality of the food and dining experience. Of all the restaurants in the UK, around 10% are worthy of at least one Rosette.

AA Hospitality Awards – full 2023 winners

Chefs’ Chef

Paul Ainsworth of Paul Ainsworth at No.6

Accessible Award

Pan Pacific London, London

Sustainable Award

THE PIG Hotel Group

Lifetime Achievement Award

Jonathan Raggett, Red Carnation Hotels

Outstanding Contribution Award

Angela Hartnett

Housekeeper of the Year

Nicola Burton from Hartwell House & Spa, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Restaurant of the Year

England – The Old Stamp House Restaurant, Ambleside

London – Chutney Mary, London

Wales – The Jackdaw, Conwy

Scotland – Cail Bruich, Glasgow

Hotel of the Year

England – Forest Side, Grasmere

London – The Lanesborough, London

Wales – Penally Abbey Hotel, Penally

Scotland – Fingal, Leith, Edinburgh

Northern Ireland – Killeavy Castle Estate, Killeavy

Restaurant with Rooms

England – The New Inn, Hereford

Wales – Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Eglwys Fach

Scotland – Cail Bruich, Edinburgh

Spa Hotel of the Year

South Lodge, West Sussex

Group of the Year

The Coaching Inn Group

Small Hotel Group of the Year

Crerar Hotels

Food Service Award

The Strathearn, The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder

Finalists: Arkle, The Chester Grosvenor. Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park

Wine Award

England – Allium at Askham Hall, Cumbria

Wales – Palé Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Gwynedd

Scotland – The Little Chartroom, Edinburgh

College Restaurant of the Year

@thirty-four Restaurant, Exeter College

Finalists: Senara Restaurant, Truro & Penwith, The Classroom, Cardiff and Vale College

New 5 Rosettes

Muse, London

Steve Smith at Latymer, Surrey

New 4 Rosettes

The Cellar, Fife

Where The Light Gets In, Manchester

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, North Yorkshire

MO, Dormy House, Worcestershire

The Samling, Cumbria

Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, West Sussex

New 3 Rosettes

Next Door, Cheshire

1863 Restaurant with Rooms, Cumbria

The Wildebeest, Norfolk

The George at Alstonefield, Staffordshire.

Forge, North Yorkshire

The Lantern Room, West Yorkshire

1921 Angel Hill, Suffolk

Restaurant Roots, Dorset

The Cottage in the Wood, Worcestershire

The Idle Rocks Restaurant, Cornwall

The New Inn, Herefordshire

The Lanesborough Grill, London

The Cygnet at The Swan Inn, Oxfordshire

Crockers Tring, Hertfordshire

8 By Andrew Sheridan, Liverpool

The Newport Restaurant, Fife

Legacy, North Yorkshire

London Stock Restaurant, London

The Clock House, Surrey

The Bulls Head Inn, Derbyshire

Behind, London

The Star Inn at Harome, North Yorkshire

Cedar Tree Restaurant by Hrishikesh Desai, Cumbria

The Terrace Restaurant at The Montagu Arms Hotel, Hampshire

Culture Restaurant, Cornwall

The Killingworth Castle, Wootton, Oxfordshire

The Wild Rabbit, Kingham, Oxfordshire

The Ethicurean, Bristol

Crossbasket Castle, South Lanarkshire

The Fish Hotel, Worcestershire

Thornbury Castle Hotel, Gloucestershire