STAFF at a hotel near Swindon the Sudbury House Hotel in Faringdon are bubbling with enthusiasm after earning a mention in a review guide dubbed the gastronome’s bible.

The award-winning Sudbury House Hotel in Faringdon has two restaurants and won praise from diners who contributed to the 2018 Hardens guide during the past year. Restaurant 56 was rated very good in all three categories – food, service and ambience. It described chefs Andrew Scott’s and Nick Bennett’s cuisine as ‘exceptional’.

And the Magnolia Brasserie was judged good for food, service and ambience. Hardens said: “Limited but all-round upbeat feedback on the cheaper of the two dining options at Sudbury House Hotel, which features an open kitchen which majors in wood-fired pizza and char-grilled steaks.”

Sous chef Nick, who is from Highworth, earned himself and the hotel national fame two years ago when he reached the final of the BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals.

Executive head chef Andrew, who oversees the restaurants, said: “It is a guide that I really respect and rate and all the hard work we have put in over the past four years has paid off. I am very proud of both teams.”

General manager Ronan Hunter added: “Having recently won the Tourism South East Award for Top Restaurant/Bistro for Restaurant 56 and now gaining entry into the Harden’s Guide is a great start for the New Year. We look forward to welcoming new and returning guests to both restaurants over the next 12 months as we have a number of fabulous new dishes and events planned.”

The hotel underwent a major renovation in 2015, two years after the arrival of Andrew, who won his first Michelin star in 2014 and starred in BBC2’s Great British Menu.

His sous chef Nick Bennett featured in the Advertiser a year ago when he made the final three in Masterchef: The Professionals.

Hardens has been producing restaurant reviews for the past 25 years. Until recently it concentrated on London eateries, but recently it has started branching out into the regions.

Its ratings go from poor at 1 to exceptional at 5 and are put together from tens of thousands of reviews from ordinary members of the restaurant-going public over the space of a year.