St Michael's Hotel & Spa's Flying Fish restaurant has been awarded two AA Rosettes, not long after new executive chef, James Knight-Pacheco, who has worked with Gordon Ramsey and Raymond Blanc, joined the kitchen team.

Since James arrived at the hotel he has been busy developing the menus and both his food and presentation have been delighting guests since. These enhancements have been reflected in the award for culinary excellence.

James said: “I am very excited to be part of the award winning team here at St Michael's Hotel and equally thrilled to have attained two AA Rosettes after such a short period of time. The accolade could not have been possible without my talented head chef, Anthony Theobald, whose support and cooking skills ensured we achieved this fantastic result.”

James has worked with Gordon Ramsey at Claridge's, with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons and has appeared on BBC2's The Restaurant and had his own BBC show, Out of the Frying Pan. He joins St Michael's in Falmouth on his return to the south west after a period working at a luxury hotel in Oman.

St Michael's general manager, Karl Taylor, said: “We firmly believe in provenance of our food and it is wonderful to see these high standards acclaimed with this award. It really is fully deserved and I am delighted that the quality of our food in the Flying Fish restaurant has been recognised and increasingly enjoyed.”

The AA award caps an “amazing” year for St Michael's Hotel & Spa after winning Best Spa of the Year at the Cornwall Today Awards, Large Hotel of The Year at the Cornwall Tourism Awards and Gold in the Green Tourism Business Scheme.