AN Ulverston restaurant with rooms has received a prestigious award from the AA just 12 months after opening.
Virginia House, in Queen Street, only opened on October 28 last year but is already on the radar of foodies far beyond Furness.
The business has received a three-star gold standard status for the quality of the guest bedrooms, while the kitchen has achieved an AA Rosette for “culinary excellence”.
As such, it is set to be included in the AA Hotel and Restaurant Guide .
Owners Craig and Louise Sherrington bought the building in September after moving on from managing the General Burgoyne pub in Great Urswick.
The pair did the majority of refurbishment work themselves and turned the guest house into a fine-dining restaurant and gin parlour, as well as continuing to offer letting rooms.
Mr Sherrington said: “This is an amazing achievement in such a short space of time.
“We are very proud of our staff and all the hard work they have put into Virginia House, from the refurbishment to the day to day running and looking after customers.”
Mr Sherrington trained at Lancaster and Morecambe College and went on to work in Michelin-starred kitchens under the mentorship of respected chefs such as David Everitt-Matthias of Le Champignon Sauvage, and Eric Chavot of Brasserie Chavot in London.
While pleased with the AA accolade, he is ambitious to take Virginia House to the next level.
He said: We will not stop here, our aim is to keep improving and raising the bar on a daily basis.
“We have plans for further refurbishment works at Virginia House, starting with the cellar and garden and are sure our business will go from strength to strength in giving the town the very best choice in dining, drinks and accommodation.”
The gin parlour is an unusual feature, capitalising on the huge increase in interest in artisan gins over the last few years.
Guests can select from a range of more than 60.
In addition to the AA plaudits, the new venture is also winning rave reviews on the web site TripAdvisor.
Of the 63 reviews posted by guests and diners, 59 rate it as "excellent" or "very good", and none scores it "terrible".
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