Rick Stein leads our restaurant elite

EIGHT Westcountry restaurants have been voted among the top 100 in Britain.

Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall, was voted 10th best restaurant by Restaurant Magazine, while Michael Caines's Michelin-starred Gidleigh Park on the edge of Dartmoor was 34th.

Meanwhile, Porthminster Beach Cafe in St Ives, West Cornwall, was ranked 36th, with No 6 in Padstow, North Cornwall, coming 63rd and the Oyster Shack in Bigbury, South Devon, being voted 67th.

Combe House Hotel in Gittisham, near Honiton, East Devon, came 79th while the Masons Arms, Knowstone in North Devon, was 90th. The Castle Hotel in Taunton came 98th.

It is the first time the magazine has run the competition, which saw Gordon Ramsay's Maze at the London Marriott scoop top spot.

A spokesman for Rick Stein said being ranked 10th in the country was fantastic news, especially as the restaurant had been operating since 1975.

He added: "It's very exciting and nice to be recognised by your peers. It shows the hard work everyone here has put in, especially since we refurbished it last January."

Michael Smith, owner and executive chef at the seafood Porthminster Beach Cafe, said of being in the top 100 restaurantsy: "We're chuffed – we're up there with some big names such as Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, which shows that people don't always go for the Michelin-star restaurants but seek out quality regardless of awards."

Chris Yandell, of the Oyster Shack, said being listed 67th was a very "fitting reflection of the hard work carried out by the team".

He added: "To get anywhere in the top 100 is a superb achievement, but we are delighted with number 67.

"Our customers consistently provide us with positive feedback, but to get this kind of recognition on a national scale is outstanding for us."

Organisers of the top 100 said the list had been carefully put together over a long period by chefs, restaurateurs, food critics and experts in the industry.

Judges scoured every part of the UK, searching for establishments offering customers the finest food and high-quality service with flair and imagination.

Mark Dodson, owner of the Masons Arms, said: "Being ranked 90th is great. It's a good achievement and shows we must be doing something right."

But Michael Caines, whose restaurant was ranked 34th, said: "It's great to be in it, but it looks more like a celebrity contest. And Gidleigh Park is never going to win the celebrity contest.

"We're too much of a niche market restaurant. I feel being 34th is not representative of our work and the quality of the food we serve."