FOODIES flock to Cumbria when looking to enjoy good food and drink, according to a top hospitality industry publication. 

AA Publishing has launched The Restaurant Guide 2023, the perfect guide to the UK’s top dining destinations, featuring over 1,400 restaurants which have been awarded Rosettes for culinary excellence by the AA’s professional inspectors.

And Cumbria is among the top three UK destinations for foodies outside London, with 57 restaurants featured in the prestigious guide – including Forest Side in Grasmere, Rogan & Co Restaurant in Cartmel and Rothay Manor Hotel in Ambleside.

Simon Numphud, Managing Director of AA Media, said: “We are delighted to publish the leading guide to the UK’s top dining destinations, with 150 new establishments added to The Restaurant Guide 2023. From Northern Stars to the Heart of England, Scotland to the capital, the restaurants in this year’s Guide demonstrate the high quality of culinary experiences across the country, offering delicious food and service of the highest standard.”

The top counties in the UK with the highest number of restaurants featured in The Restaurant Guide 2023 are: London (with 172 restaurants in the Guide this year), North Yorkshire (68), Devon (59), Cumbria (57), Cornwall (42), Gloucestershire and Norfolk (38), and Hampshire (36), Suffolk (32), Kent (31) and Oxfordshire (30).

Now in its 29th edition, The Restaurant Guide 2023 provides food lovers with breakdowns of restaurants by county, including a detailed description of each destination, information on latest chef changes, opening times, sample menu prices and images of many of the featured locations. And for those looking for the best establishments in the UK’s culinary scene, ‘The Top Restaurants of 2023’ features all 3, 4 and 5 Rosette restaurants.