FOOD experts have served up a top honour to a Gwent inn after deciding it had all the right ingredients to make it the best place to eat in Wales.

The Newbridge Inn, Tredunnock, near Usk, has been voted the AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales in this year's Hospitality Awards.

It could be described as the icing on the cake for the eatery which already boasts two rosettes from the AA and earlier this year was named as one of the best in the country in food guide, Dining Out In Wales 2004.

Peter Birnie, AA's Chief Hotel Inspector, said: "The menus spotlight the best of the area in the form of Gloucestershire pork and Welsh lamb. Tempura shrimp with sweet chilli and stuffed artichoke take their inspiration from a little further afield.

"Chef Iain Sampson's simple execution of dishes shows how the quality of ingredients can make a good dish great."

There has been an inn on the site for over 200 years and it is now under the direction of general manager Michael O'Bray. He and Mr Sampson have been at the Inn for two years.

A delighted Mr O'Bray said news of the award was a "pleasant surprise" but added that accolades were a by-product of their aim to set a high standard.

A GWENT pub has been chosen as the best for dining-out in Wales in the new edition of the Good Pub Guide.

The Clytha Arms, in Raglan, Abergavenny, has been named Wales Dining Pub of the Year in the 2005 Guide.

The Clytha Arms' entry reads: "This beautifully positioned old white house is a great all rounder that delights reader after reader."