THE Crown at Whitebrook and its chef James Sommerin are celebrating after being named AA best restaurant in Wales.

The Crown, a Michelin star restaurant since 2007, was also awarded three AA rosettes becoming one of just a handful in Wales to gain this coveted accolade. One other is sister restaurant The Crown at Celtic Manor.

The announcement of the recognition, which will appear in the prestigious AA Restaurant Guide 2011-12, came at an awards ceremony at London's Park Lane Hilton.