Award sponsored by

About the award

Each year the AA independently inspects hundreds of restaurants across the British Isles. Introduced in 2000, this award recognises restaurants that provide cuisine of a truly excellent standard, as well as demonstrating innovation and ambience and providing a high standard of hospitality.

The Cellar, Anstruther, Fife

The charming fishing harbour of Anstruther is a fitting location for chef Billy Boyter’s restaurant, housed in a 17th-century former smokehouse and cooperage just off the quayside.

With beamed ceilings, stone walls and wood-burning stoves, the ambience is calmly rustic, with thoughtfully chosen artworks and beautiful wooden and ceramic dishes. Boyter’s inventive modern Scottish cooking sticks faithfully to the seasons, making excellent use of local and foraged produce on the nine-course tasting menu at dinner (six at lunch).