A NORTH Yorkshire hotel restaurant has been named as a finalist in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

Samuel’s, the fine dining restaurant at Swinton Park, near Masham, North Yorkshire has reached the finals in the awards’ Taste of England category.

Staff at the restaurant will hear whether they have won the gold award at a ceremony held in May at Old Trafford in Manchester. All finalists in the award are guaranteed to receive either a gold, silver, bronze or highly commended award when the results are announced.

Commenting on the finalists, James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive said: “We received 320 applications and the quality of submissions was higher than ever.

“It is, therefore, no small achievement for Samuel’s to become a finalist and justifiably take credit and pride in earning a coveted place in the top five in their category in England.”

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, proprietor of Swinton Park, said: “We are really excited to have been selected as finalists for such a prestigious award at a national level. We have always championed Yorkshire and local produce and we are very proud to be a Taste of England finalist.”