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2008 AA Centenary Awards winners announced
The winners of the AA Centenary Awards have been revealed at an event in London.
The ceremony, which was held at Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, honoured a number of AA-inspected hotels, pubs and restaurants throughout Britain. Among the major winners at the ceremony was Rick Stein, the seafood chef and co-owner of four restaurants, who received the AA Lifetime Achievement Award. The annual Chef's Chef of the Year award was won by Philip Howard, head chef and co-owner of The Square, Mayfair.
The Hotel of the Year accolades were handed to Jesmond Dene Hotel in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England; to Norton House Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland; and to Lake Country House Hotel & Spa in Llangammarch, Wales. England's AA Pub of the Year Award went to The Queens Arms in Corton Denham, Somerset, while in Wales the gong was given to The Bush Inn at St Hilary on the English border, and in Scotland to The Torridon Inn in the Highlands.
AA Hotel Services manager, Simon Numphud, said: "We have seen a lot of outstanding candidates this year, and the final decisions have been difficult, but we are confident that the best establishments have been selected. They are all deserving winners and should be acknowledged for their quality and excellence." Prominent chefs, hoteliers and hospitality figures from around the world attended the ceremony, which saw a total of 18 awards handed out.