RESTAURATEURS have been celebrating after their eatery made a prestigious gastronomic publication.

The Bell House Hotel in Saxmundham has been included in the Michelin Guide 2013 – receiving a “two fork” rating.

They have also just received an “Award for Excellence” from travel website Trip Advisor, which was voted for by the public.

General manager Anne Hagen and her head chef husband Bernhard have said they are delighted with the recognition.

She said: “All of us at The Bell House are exceedingly proud to have this outstanding recognition. We also recognise the responsibility of maintaining and exceeding these standards.

“These awards will definitely benefit the hotel but also the community in Saxmundham and Suffolk at large.”

It caps an impressive year for the hotel, which also recently hosted a “Sommelier Evening” for wine merchants Corney and Barrow, Royal Warrant Holders for the Queen and Prince Charles.

Ms Hagen, who has been at the hotel for six months said: “We have just been working, working, working and then the two awards came in back-to-back.”

She said that both her and Mr Hagen have been in the hospitality trade for “years and years” and worked with the royal family in Dubai at an eight-star hotel.

Ms Hagen added: “We have got a really good eye for detail and we try and make sure that everything is absolutely spotless.

“For both of us what we do is a real passion. Bernhard has a passion for cooking and many of the things he does are very complex. We have had a lot of people saying that some of his sauces, which can take two or three days to make, should be bottled.”

Ms Hagen said the ten-bedroom historic coaching inn, which put up King George II in 1737, has also recently entertained companies including Waitrose and John Lewis.