Richard, 32, worked as executive chef at the hotel's previous restaurant, The Blue Room, over five years ago where he won the first two AA rosettes of his career. He said: "To come back to the Barceló Redworth Hall Hotel, which is so close to my heart, and to win it an AA Rosette in such a short timescale is unbelievable – it's a dream come true. I wanted to put the hotel back on the map in terms of culinary excellence and this is a great start – I can't wait to win the next one now." Richard describes his style as "traditional cooking with an exciting modern twist". He is passionate about local seasonal produce and specialises in simple yet elegant dishes where quality ingredients do all the talking. General manager of the Barceló Redworth Hall Hotel, Jonathan Pritchard, says: "I am extremely proud of Richard and his fantastic team for this amazing achievement. We are extremely glad to have him back with us and we are looking forward to more exciting developments with Restaurant 1744 in the next few months". Richard, who was born in Harrogate, has worked in a variety of award winning hotels and restaurants including the Michelin starred Rascasse restaurant in Leeds. He was most recently Head Chef at The Sage in Gateshead. The Barceló Redworth Hall Hotel is a four star country hotel in County Durham, which dates back to 1693. The hotel boasts 143 modern bedrooms and restaurant 1744 is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as offering a changing Table D'hote menu.