A POPULAR Chester restaurant has retained its two AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence.

The Forge, located within Hotel Indigo Chester, first received the prestigious award in 2023, two years after it first opened.

The AA Rosette award, which debuted in 1956, was the first nationwide scheme for assessing the quality of food served by restaurants and hotels. The team of inspectors have an unrivalled wealth of experience in assessing quality throughout the UK so receiving an award is a huge achievement.

Led by Head Chef, Dan Regan, The Forge is regarded as one of Chester’s best restaurants. The 70-seater restaurant has a passion for wild, sustainable British ingredients.

The open kitchen cooks over wood and charcoal, using wild and locally reared meat, that is aged on the premises.  Dan, who has worked at The Forge since 2021 as Sous Chef, before being promoted to Head Chef, has enormous enthusiasm for sustainable wild food and seasonal produce.

Although predominately meat-led, The Forge also offers diners a choice of fish, vegan and vegetarian dishes including Wild Sea Bass-Bouillabaisse with Smoked Aubergine, Courgette & Tomato and Celeriac with miso, seaweed, mushroom and dashi.

Scott Rankin, General Manager of Hotel Indigo Chester said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have retained our 2 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence at The Forge. Being credited with this prestigious award is testament to our brilliant team who work incredibly hard in producing a first-class dining experience. To achieve this coveted accolade is a great privilege.”

For more information about Hotel Indigo Chester, visit https://chester.hotelindigo.com/.

For more information about The Forge, visit https://theforgechester.co.uk/.