A COUPLE who took over Ilkley's world famous Box Tree restaurant have realised their main ambition just four months after reopening.

Husband and wife team Simon and Rena Gueller who began running the Church Street restaurant in June last year, have been awarded a coveted Michelin Star.

And it makes a hat-trick for head chef Mr Gueller who has also held a Michelin star at each of his two previous restaurants in Leeds.

The Box Tree has a long history of appearing in the Michelin Guide including an unbroken run of stars between 1974 and 1991. And for ten years the restaurant boasted a double star status. But since 2002 it had failed to achieve a star rating.

Mrs Gueller, who is a director in the business, said: "It took us three months during the summer to restore it to its former glory.

"We have all worked very hard and put a lot of love and attention into it. It was a real shock to us to get the star, overwhelming really.

"We really didn't anticipate it this year. We were concentrating on the refurbishment and finding our feet."

Mr Gueller said: "To achieve a Michelin Star here at the Box Tree is simply stunning. We have worked hard to reposition the restaurant as one of the best in the country and I am delighted with this award, which makes all the effort worthwhile!"

The Michelin Guide, published every year, is a selection of 5,445 hotels and restaurants across Europe. Inspectors work anonymously and judge restaurants on the quality of the cuisine, service and comfort at the table.

Stars are awarded only to restaurants which offer fine cuisine, and these are judged on the quality of the food only, including the cooking, the quality of the ingredients, their preparation, the combination of flavours, imagination and above all a consistent standard of all these qualities throughout the meal.

There are three levels of stars with three stars being the most prestigious. A single star indicates 'A very good restaurant in its category, a good place to stop on your journey' while three stars indicate 'exceptional cuisine worth a special journey."

Single stars were awarded to 105 restaurants this year, two-star ratings were given to 12 and just three restaurants were given three stars.

In West Yorkshire there is just one other Michelin starred restaurant, which is in Leeds, and in North Yorkshire there are three - at Bolton Abbey, Helmsley and Pateley Bridge.

Mrs Gueller said the restaurant had started to attract back locally-based customers, but remained popular with customers from around the world.

She described the food as "French Modern-Classical, very simple, with emphasis on fresh and high quality ingredients".

She praised the work of all the staff in achieving the status in such little time.

The Box Tree's award makes it a double accolade for Wharfedale as the Burlington Restaurant at the Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel has retained the star it was awarded in January last year.

Michael Wignall, executive head chef said: "I'm very pleased for the whole brigade. Head Chef Phil Phillips, and Restaurant Manager Eric Arens lead a talented team who are as passionate as I am to consistently produce the very best both in terms of food and service.

"An hotel, as opposed to a stand alone restaurant, has to work particularly hard to gain a Michelin star because there is so much else going on.

"We are operating 24 hours a day 365 days a year and the demands on the kitchen are huge.

"As this is our third year with this award it's testimony to the commitment and passion of all who work in the kitchen and it's an opportunity for me to congratulate them all."

Michael Wignall oversees three kitchens at The Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel. He joined The Devonshire in May 2002 from Michael's Nook in Cumbria which, whilst he was head chef there, was the highest rated restaurant in the North-West. This is his tenth year of being awarded a Michelin star