A SUPERB Shipley restaurant has spoken of its joy after it was awarded the prestigious Gold Seal in this year’s Good Food Awards.

The Waterside Restaurant and Bar in Wharf Street has received the Gold Seal - the highest accolade that can be given by Good Food Awards - and is the only restaurant in the Bradford district and one of only two in West Yorkshire honoured in this year’s awards.

The restaurant is run by Ian Johnson and his son-in-law Paul Huddleston, who is also the head chef, and brings experience from two and three-Michelin Star restaurants in the UK and France to the Shipley eatery, which overlooks the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

In the few years since they took over the restaurant it has been totally overhauled to provide a high-end eating experience, providing “Michelin standard food at reasonable prices”.

To receive the Gold Seal, the Good Food Awards, the restaurant has had to receive the Good Food Award for three years in a row.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

The Awards said: “Premises must maintain the same exceptional standards that gained them initial entry into our awards over a three year period, truly making this achievement the marque of distinction.

“These premises have demonstrated exceptional levels of food quality, service and value when compared to our industry benchmarks.”

On the recognition, Mr Johnson said: “We are just trying our best to provide some good food in the area, so it’s a bit of a surprise to be honest.

“We have a really good team coming together now, and my son-in-law has worked in restaurants at two or three Michelin star level.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

“So we’re bringing something a little bit different to Bradford and all we’re trying to do is serve consistently good food at reasonable prices.

“In the main, our customers are blown away by our food, and have said they would have to travel quite far to get something equivalent and it would usually be a lot more expensive.

“We’ve had the notable restaurant critics Giles Coren and Jay Rayner visit and both were really positive about their experience.”

In his review, Jay Rayner praised the wide array of dishes all finished to perfection and saluted Mr Huddleston for taking everything he had learned working for Marco Pierre White in London’s Criterion and then under Alain Ducasse at Le Jules Verne on the Eiffel Tower’s second floor, and finally at Monaco’s glitzy Louis XV, and bringing it back home to Shipley.

Mr Johnson, chatting before another busy lunch rush, added: “We’ve become a place people want to travel to, a destination restaurant with customers coming from all over.

“I’ve put my faith in Paul and he’s driving us towards a Michelin Star standard experience in Bradford, and food wise we are pretty much there.”