Celebrity chef Stephen Terry and his team at The Hardwick near Abergavenny have won a coveted Cesar Award as one of The Good Hotel Guide 2017’s top ten hotels of the year.

Named after Cesar Ritz, the most celebrated of hoteliers, these are the Oscars of hotel keeping. They’re presented to the winners of ten separate categories - The Hardwick being top choice as a ‘restaurant with rooms’.

According to the inspector’s review, ‘a contented buzz fills this sophisticated yet unpretentious restaurant-with-rooms in an attractive sheep-grazed setting, where chef/patron Stephen Terry and his wife, Joanna, extremely hands-on hosts, lead a team of friendly, efficient staff’.

The Hardwick made the top ten from 414 entries from across the UK. The winners were handpicked by an independent board.

Other category winners included a pub in Devon, a former hostel in Yorkshire and an Elizabethan manor in Sussex.

Congratulating Stephen Terry and his team on the award, Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay said, “Monmouthshire is renowned as a food destination and this prestigious award for The Hardwick further enhances its reputation.

“Well done to everyone concerned.”