Peterborough restaurant makes the prestigious Good Food Guide

The Priestgate fine dining venue makes it second appearance in the guide, having only been open for two and a half years.

It maintained its “3” rating - recognising its “good cooking, showing sound technical skills and using quality ingredients”.

Head chef and patron Lee Clarke described the inclusion as “quite an achievement being the only Peterborough restaurant listed, especially when you compare it to, say, Michelin Guide which recognises more than a handful locally.”

He added: “I got a nice write up but I am a little disappointed not to improve my score - but I will keep pushing.”

The Guide says: “ Lee Clarke’s highly accomplished venue is a snapshot of where we are in 21st-century restaurateuring. An expansive space with laminate floor, smartly clothed tables and a view into the black-tiled kitchen creates a wholly relaxed atmosphere, and the menu formats allow for a succession of three, five or nine courses, supplemented by a bargain lunchtime set menu.

“It’s all in the art of combination, an approach that mostly works with the grain of principal ingredients rather than trying to trip them up.

“Salmon is matched with horseradish and beetroot, a clam with monk’s beard and cauliflower, while the main-course alternatives (the only stage requiring a choice) might be baked brill with parsnip and anchovy butter, or full-flavoured hogget with artichoke and rosemary gravy.

“For the cheese course, a crumpet makes an elegant vehicle for brie and celery, and the closing note could be opulently rich chocolate marquise with whisky ice cream. Wines include some vivid southern hemisphere varietals in among the high-toned European classics. The starting price is £20.”

The Old Bridge at Huntingdon and The Pheasant at Keyston are the nearest Cambridgeshire restaurants listed, while nearby Rutland is represented by Michelin starred Hambleton Hall , which makes the Top 50, The Olive Branch at Clipsham, Fox and Hounds at Exton and Lake Isle at Uppingham.