A ROMSEY restaurant has been stamped with a Blue Ribbon at the Good Food Awards, recognising those who strive for culinary excellence within their field.

Chosen for the quality of their food, service and value, Bell Street Indian restaurant Suan Thai has won this years Good Food Award.

Founded on independence and integrity in 2002, the Good Food Award has a host of categories and rate a number of titles from: fish and chips, gastro pubs, cafes and takeaways, while their sister publication Good Hotel Award launching in 2014.

Hampshire Chronicle: Suan Thai, RomseySuan Thai, Romsey

Speaking on what the award means, restaurant manager Tahirul Tarafdar said: "It has meant that we are being recognised in our town for our excellence of hard work. The passion that our chefs are putting in on a daily basis to prepare top class Thai meals is being recognised, which makes us feel proud and gives us the motivation and encouragement to keep on inspiring and being the best.

Hampshire Chronicle: Suan Thau, RomseySuan Thau, Romsey

"I intend to give my absolute best and ensure that every guest feels as if they are a celebrity - to feel special when they are dining with us at Suan Thai. We will encourage and motivate our staff through winning this award and to initiate more inspiration in the kitchen and in the front of house so we will use our recognition to inspire our staff."

Suan Thai has a rating of 4.5 on Google reviews, with one customer writing: "What a fantastic evening we've had at Suan Thai. The service and food was excellent. Really good banter with the waiters. They created us a bespoke starter platter as there were 7 of us. Drinks were flowing and food was lovely and hot and very tasty. What a surprise to receive a birthday cake from the restaurant. Such a nice gesture. We will certainly be back. Thanks for a great evening."

Hampshire Chronicle: Suan Thai, RomseySuan Thai, Romsey

The Good Food Awards said: "With some 596,140 eating establishments within the UK, competition for our Good Food Award was unsurprisingly tough.

"It was heartwarming to see the support our finalists received given the adversity everyone faced.

"The Good Food Awards recognise the hard-working teams who strive for excellence within their field. Chosen for their food quality, service and value, our prestigious awards are bestowed upon those with high customer ratings/votes and are known as – the Blue Ribbon for Delicious Dishes."