A POPULAR family-run gastropub has celebrated maintaining its five-star food hygiene rating. 

Butterflies Bar and Kitchen in Blaenavon is delighted to receive the accolade.

It was recently crowned the Best Restaurant in Wales at the Best of Welsh Business Awards in March. 

They were also named  ‘Best Family Run Business in Wales’ at the Best of Welsh Business Awards earlier this year.

The pub, found on Queen Street in Blaenavon, is run by head chef Dayne Watkins and his husband Curtis, alongside a "brilliant" and "devoted" team. 

Mr Watkins has worked at Butterflies since he was 15 and has previously put their popularity and success down to the "wonderful cosy and homely feel". 

After completing their food hygiene inspection on Wednesday evening, the team posted the good news on their official Facebook. 

The post read: "We are proud to announce we had our food hygiene inspection this evening and scored the highest mark of five. 

"We had 102 guests booked in and the team worked exceptionally well with the added pressure. 

"Just what was needed to get us back form our holiday for 36 hours." 

Food hygiene ratings are inspected on three categories, hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building and management of food safety.

In each of these three categories, Butterflies was rated 'good', resulting in their overall maximum rating of five stars. 

Butterflies has also had plenty to celebrate over the past few years, including being named the Best Family Restaurant in Wales at the prestigious Welsh Restaurant Awards in 2023 and the Best Restaurant in South Wales at the Welsh Restaurant Awards in 2022. 

Since the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant has served an average of 750 customers a week and there is hope among the staff that this award will encourage more customers to try out what Butterflies has to offer.

The Food Hygiene Rating Act 2013 became law in Wales on March 4, 2013, requiring all businesses selling food in Wales - including pubs, cafes, restaurants, hotels, takeaways, schools, hospitals, canteens, care homes and corner shops – to display hygiene ratings in a prominent place, and to provide the information verbally if requested over the phone.