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Chef Gareth Ward of Ynyshir and sommelier Nataliia Maiseionok of Fischer’s Baslow Hall were among the headline winners at the AA Hospitality Awards 2025 in London.
The event, held at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, brought together more than 960 guests from across the sector.
Awards were presented in 18 categories, including chefs, hotels, spas, inns and bed and breakfasts. Television presenter Vernon Kay hosted the ceremony.
Ward was named AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year, an accolade voted for by his peers. He has developed Ynyshir into a fine-dining restaurant known for its use of Welsh produce alongside Japanese influences.
Ward said: “It’s super humbling – I’m blown away. My name has been up there a few times, but you don’t ever think you’re going to win it, but when you do, you have the most massive appreciation to all the people in our beautiful industry. It means more as an award that has been voted by all my peers as we’re all in it together and we all have mutual respect for each other.”
The Rising Star Award was introduced this year to recognise early-career talent in hospitality. It was won by Maiseionok, who moved to the UK from Ukraine in 2022 and worked her way from waitress to sommelier through self-funded training.
Maiseionok said: “Winning this award means that I’ve been on the right path and the effort, dedication, and commitment I’ve invested in gaining knowledge in a field I’m truly passionate about has not been in vain. I feel genuinely at home in this profession, and while there is still so much more to learn, this only adds to the joy because for a true explorer, discovery is the greatest reward. I see this not as the final destination, but as a powerful step forward.”
Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Media, said: “This celebration highlights the passion, creativity and resilience that define UK hospitality. The teams have turned challenges into opportunities, inspiring us with their innovation and dedication.
“Congratulations to all winners, nominees and new Rosette holders – your achievements deserve recognition today and set a shining example for the future of our industry.”
The full list of winners are:
Chefs’ Chef of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award
Outstanding Contribution Award
Restaurants of the Year
Hotels of the Year
Group of the Year
Small Hotel Group of the Year
Wine Award
Rising Star of the Year
Housekeeper of the Year
Sustainable Award
Inn of the Year
B&B of the Year
Restaurant with Rooms of the Year
Spa Hotel of the Year
Restaurant Team Award
College Restaurant of the Year
New 5 Rosettes
New 4 Rosettes
New 3 Rosettes
New 5 Red Stars
New 4 Red Stars
New 3 Red Stars
Chef Gareth Ward of Ynyshir and sommelier Nataliia Maiseionok of Fischer’s Baslow Hall were among the headline winners at the AA Hospitality Awards 2025 in London.
The event, held at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, brought together more than 960 guests from across the sector.
Awards were presented in 18 categories, including chefs, hotels, spas, inns and bed and breakfasts. Television presenter Vernon Kay hosted the ceremony.
Ward was named AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year, an accolade voted for by his peers. He has developed Ynyshir into a fine-dining restaurant known for its use of Welsh produce alongside Japanese influences.
Ward said: “It’s super humbling – I’m blown away. My name has been up there a few times, but you don’t ever think you’re going to win it, but when you do, you have the most massive appreciation to all the people in our beautiful industry. It means more as an award that has been voted by all my peers as we’re all in it together and we all have mutual respect for each other.”
The Rising Star Award was introduced this year to recognise early-career talent in hospitality. It was won by Maiseionok, who moved to the UK from Ukraine in 2022 and worked her way from waitress to sommelier through self-funded training.
Maiseionok said: “Winning this award means that I’ve been on the right path and the effort, dedication, and commitment I’ve invested in gaining knowledge in a field I’m truly passionate about has not been in vain. I feel genuinely at home in this profession, and while there is still so much more to learn, this only adds to the joy because for a true explorer, discovery is the greatest reward. I see this not as the final destination, but as a powerful step forward.”
Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Media, said: “This celebration highlights the passion, creativity and resilience that define UK hospitality. The teams have turned challenges into opportunities, inspiring us with their innovation and dedication.
“Congratulations to all winners, nominees and new Rosette holders – your achievements deserve recognition today and set a shining example for the future of our industry.”
The full list of winners are:
Chefs’ Chef of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award
Outstanding Contribution Award
Restaurants of the Year
Hotels of the Year
Group of the Year
Small Hotel Group of the Year
Wine Award
Rising Star of the Year
Housekeeper of the Year
Sustainable Award
Inn of the Year
B&B of the Year
Restaurant with Rooms of the Year
Spa Hotel of the Year
Restaurant Team Award
College Restaurant of the Year
New 5 Rosettes
New 4 Rosettes
New 3 Rosettes
New 5 Red Stars
New 4 Red Stars
New 3 Red Stars
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The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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