A SOUTH Cumbrian chef has been recognised for his creative cooking efforts.

Craig Sherrington, of Virginia House in Ulverston, has has been awarded two AA Rosettes.

AA Rosettes are given to restaurants that aim for, and achieve, higher standards, better consistency and where a greater precision in the cooking is apparent.

Mr Sherrington and his wife Louise, owners of Virginia House, said: “We are over the moon. It is thanks to all our hard working and dedicated team.”

The couple bought the restaurant less than 18 months ago and are causing much excitement on the local gastronomic scene.

Located in a seven-bedroom Georgian house, the Ulverston-based hotel and restaurant serves local, national and international customers.

“ It was a very special moment opening Virginia House, it really was a dream come true," said Mrs Sherrington. "It is something we wanted so much ever since we married. A place of our own to make people feel special. Virginia House is restorative: of mood and hope, of faith and good old appetite.”

Mr Sherrington, has honed his craft working with Michelin chefs David Everitt-Matthias of Le Champignon Sauvage, and Eric Chavot at a two Michelin star hotel, The Capital, in London.

"When I cook, I want people to love it and to say: 'I've never had this experience before.' And then I want them to crave that experience, dream about it and come again to be surprised," he said.

Virginia House is ideally located between the woods and the shores of Morecambe Bay for the family’s foraging trips, and the kitchen is committed to sourcing quality local seasonal produce.

With more than 25 years of experience, the team delivers modern British cuisine.

The menus change every three months, paired with unusual wines.

Mr Sherrington's cooking skills make play of all the local produce showcased on both his menus, and is bold enough to serve his own versions of lemon meringue pie and prawn cocktail.