The Alford Arms has been judged to serve the best freefrom food (gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soya-free) in the inaugural FreeFrom Eating Out Awards which were launched to raise awareness of the new allergen declaration regulations coming into force this December.
One judge said of the Alford Arms: "As someone with multiple serious allergies, I have never been so well fed and cared for. They prepared me a special menu with multiple choices of excellent fresh, imaginative and delicious food, and checked it with me three times, yet on the night I was treated like any other guest - absolutely no embarrassing fuss!"
Runners up for the overall award included Pizza Express who now offer a full, Coeliac UK-accredited, gluten free menu with dairy and soya-free options though out their 400 nationwide restaurants.
Awards director, Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, said: "We are very excited about the possibilities offered to the food service industry by the freefrom movement and expect freefrom in food service to grow at an even faster rate than the 15% year on year that it has achieved in the retail market."
The Alford Arms also won the Pub Restaurants category. A highly commended went to the Peacock in Warwickshire and a commended to Tea 42 in Manchester.
Other category winners include Ravenstone Manor in Cumbria for the B&Bs and Guest Houses category and Costa Coffee for Coffee House Chains. Pizza Express was winner of the Restaurant chains category with a commended for ASK Italian.