A HAMPSHIRE restaurant has won a top award at a black-tie ceremony held to recognise the best eating establishments in the UK.

The Cambium restaurant, part of Careys Manor Hotel in Brockenhurst, has been crowned Hotel Restaurant of the Year South in the Food Awards England 2017.

Bosses say the Cambium reflects the hotel’s “love affair” with the Forest, with head chef Alistair Craig creating dishes that showcase the area’s rich resources.

The restaurant also boasts one of the largest collections of English wine in the country, featuring vineyards such as Camel Valley, Ridgeview and Chapel Down.

Sunil Kanjanghat, the hotel’s general manager, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that our efforts to make Cambium one of the best hotel restaurants in the south have been recognised with this award.

“Alistair works tirelessly to explore new ways to showcase the classic ingredients we all love, and the whole team works hard to give our guests an experience to savour.”

More than 300 people attended the fourth annual Food Awards England ceremony, which was held at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel to celebrate the best of British hospitality.

Voted for by the public, the awards recognise the efforts of England’s eateries as well as shining a spotlight on local producers who provide the ingredients.

Starters at the Cambium include goats cheese panna cotta, served with beetroot hand-picked from the garden or pickled white crab, sourced from S&J Shellfish in Lymington.

Main courses feature beef sirloin from Pond Head Farm near Lyndhurst, accompanied by oxtail ravioli, celeriac, rainbow chard and nasturtium or tarragon gnocchi served with smoked mushroom, courgette and herb purée, all built around courgettes picked from the kitchen garden.

Desserts range from a baklava accompanied by pistachio, almond, cherry and mascarpone ice cream to a chocolate delice with milk ice cream, rum and raisin.

The award comes just months after the Cambium launched one of the UK’s biggest English wine lists.

Speaking earlier this year, sommelier Michael Driscoll told the Daily Echo: “We are seeing a surge in the popularity of English wine.

“As a modern-British restaurant in a quintessentially English country hotel, it makes sense for us to redefine our selection in time for this celebration of homegrown wines – particularly when there are so many decent English wines around at the moment.”

“Sparkling wine is the absolute strength of the English wine industry.”

To celebrate its award, the Cambium is offering diners a complimentary bottle of wine for their table if they book their table before October 31.