Dorset Tourism Awards Success and Two AA Rosettes

Wow, what a week! We won three times over at the Dorset Tourism Awards last night and earlier in the week, Arbor were awarded not one but two AA rosettes.

The Green House, Bournemouth’s luxury boutique hotel, and home of the amazing Arbor restaurant, is celebrating a triple and a double!

Last night we won three times over – two Gold Trophies and a Bronze – at the Dorset Tourism Awards at the Tank Museum in Bovington. This was only the second year of these Awards so to have been just about the biggest winner of the night was very special.

Arbor, which scooped a Silver in the Eating Out category last year, went all the way this year to take Gold, an amazing achievement for Head Chef Andy Hilton and his team. We also won the Gold Trophy in the Sustainable Tourism category, and Bronze in the Small Hotel Of the Year.

And the double? Earlier in the week we also discovered that Arbor had been awarded not one but two AA rosettes. Two rosettes are reserved for the best restaurants that achieve excellent standards, consistency and precision in their cooking, and “obvious attention to the selection and quality of ingredients,” according to the AA. We are now one of only a handful of restaurants in Bournemouth with two AA rosettes and it puts us in the AA’s top 4% of restaurants nationwide.

The rosettes aren’t really something you can chase – it all depends on the inspector’s experience on the night – so this was another huge achievement for Andy and the Arbor team.

For us it really is all about the quality of our raw materials. We’re passionate about creating dishes that make the most of the world-class produce we have on the doorstep, whether that’s amazing free-range meat and wild game, super-fresh fish and seafood, or beautiful Dorset and Somerset cheeses. We like to keep things honest and uncomplicated – when the ingredients are this good, you don’t need to get too fancy about it. It’s more about combining flavour, texture and colour in new and exciting ways.

And it’s about going with what’s in season too. We’re currently putting the finishing touches to the winter menu which launches soon – lots of rich, hearty slow-cooked dishes to warm the cockles!

We are delighted to have been recognised in the sustainable tourism and small hotel of the year categories of the Dorset Tourism Awards, too – ever since we opened in 2010 we have incorporated the twin principles of sustainability and quality into every aspect of what we do. Recently awarded a Platinum Green Leader rating on TripAdvisor, the Green House puts eco-principles at the heart of everything we do. They are in the fabric of our Grade II listed Victorian building, thanks to our painstaking 18-month eco-refurbishment back in 2010; in the environmental ethos shared by every member of the team; and in the work we do with our wonderful local suppliers.

Our commitment to sustainability means supporting the local economy wherever possible, which is why it means so much to us to be winners in the 2014 Dorset Tourism Awards. Everything we do is aimed at ensuring our treasured guests keep coming back to the Green House, so that they can experience everything Bournemouth and the wider area has to offer.

So if you fancy a gold-standard eating out experience at a top Bournemouth restaurant, then call us on 01202 498900 or email enquiries@arbor-restaurant.com to reserve a table and avoid disappointment.