A RESTAURANT in Kings Langley has been named the best of the year.

La Casetta in High Street was presented with awards for chef of the year and restaurant of the year at the first Hertfordshire Food and Wine Awards ceremony, held in Hitchin on Friday.

The event was attended by celebrity chef Brian Turner.

This is the first set of awards for the Italian and Mediterranean restaurant, set in a 16th century cottage in the village. Judges were impressed by the quality of customers' comments about the restaurant.

Proprietor Spencer Tagg said much of the praise must go to the restaurant's new head chef, Mr Marco Major, who joined the team in August last year.

Mr Major, who trained under Michelin Star chef Bruno Loubet, has brought new dishes to the restaurant, purchased by the former distribution contract manager more than two years ago.

The cottage has been a restaurant since just after the Second World War, when it was known as The Little Cottage. Its name was changed to La Casetta, which means "the little cottage" in Italian, two decades ago.

Mr Tagg said the establishment was pulling in diners from further afield since its menu, which changes every five to six weeks, was switched from traditional Italian food to a more contemporary cuisine.

He hopes the award will encourage locals to visit the restaurant again.

July 10, 2002 17:00