Porthminster Beach Café in St Ives has been recognised as one of the top dining destinations in the UK at an awards ceremony which took place at The Hurlingham Club in London.

The restaurant, which is housed in an art deco building and commands impressive views across St Ives Bay, was one of only three establishments in Cornwall to be recognised at the National Restaurant Awards which are voted for by industry experts and cannot be entered. Restaurants have to be nominated by their peers - chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and critics - the number of nominations are then counted to reveal a list of the top 100 places to eat in the UK.

Ryan Venning, who has been head chef at Porthminster for the last three years, said he was overjoyed with their ranking of 61, saying: "It's such a great achievement to be recognised as one of the best 100 restaurants out of every single establishment nationwide. On this list we are ranked alongside so many restaurants that we as chefs really admire, and have been placed there by industry experts."

Porthminster Beach Café has made a name for itself over the last decade, emerging as one of the best places to enjoy fresh Cornish seafood - which is cooked with Mediterranean and Asian influences by a talented brigade of chefs.

Michael Smith, executive chef and one of the restaurant's owners, said: "We have a fantastic team in place at Porthminster Beach Café under Ryan's experienced guidance; this national recognition is a testament to everyone's hard work.

"To me this shows the continued strength of our offering at Porthminster, and proof that a busy restaurant on the beach can compete on quality with fine-dining establishments, which serve far fewer numbers."

Ryan and front of house representative Pete Foulkes attended the lavish awards ceremony on the banks of the River Thames, where they mingled with other stars of the industry and sampled food and drink.