Five star accolade and 'best breakfast award' for Peak District hotel run by Sheffield restaurant owners

The AA has given Rafters at Riverside House five gold star status for a restaurant with rooms – which is the highest accolade available – and a special breakfast award for supplying ‘one of the best breakfasts in the country.’

The restaurant at the 14 bedroom boutique hotel, based in beautiful Ashford-in-the-Water near Bakewell in the Peak District, is also receiving two AA rosettes.

Rafters at Riverside House reopened in May and was transformed into a luxury hotel by Alistair Myers and his business partner Tom Lawson who also run Sheffield’s popular Rafters restaurant, in Nether Green.

It initially opened last year but had to close after just three days due to the Covid-19 lockdown which took place in the run up to Christmas 2020.

Alistair said: “We had done a massive refurb, a crazy refurb, and were only open for three days before we had to shut down for lockdown which we thought would be for four weeks. And then it wasn’t until May we were able to do anything.

"To bag the AA and at this level early on, everyone just thought ‘wow.’

"The team have worked so incredibly hard for us – they are so deserving of this award.”

Breakfasts at Rafters at Riverside House are not just for guests, but can be enjoyed by people visiting the Peak District for the day.

Alistair said they included locally sourced hot drinks, home-made yoghurt and Rafters granola, Welbeck sourdough bread and eggs Royale Rafters-style or a full English breakfast.

He added: “It’s about high quality ingredients cooked perfectly.”

Many guests come from Sheffield, he added, as well as Manchester and London.

"A lot of our business is people that know the restaurant in Sheffield, or people who know the brand and want to go out to the country.

"We also get people from Manchester doing the same from the opposite side and people up for the weekend from London. We are hoping to become a destination place for a luxury break.”