THE Moorland Garden Hotel near Yelverton is celebrating a double helping of success, having triumphed in the Taste of the West Awards 2013, taking both gold in the restaurant category and silver in the B&B category.

This is the first year that the hotel has taken part in the prestigious awards and comes as an accolade for head chef, Bruce Cole and his team of six.

Originally hailing from South Africa, Bruce took the helm at The Wildflower Restaurant in April and introduced a new menu in June, launching it at a Westcountry Producer's Day.

Announcing the awards, Emma Grainger from Taste of the West commended the hotel's success, saying: 'Many congratulations on your achievement — the competition is fierce and the bar extremely high.'

Andrew Jenkins, general manager from the Moorland Garden Hotel was delighted with the news

He said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to have achieved such glowing recognition as one of the best places to stay and dine in the South West.

'A massive well done to all our staff, I'm immensely proud of their success.'

Taste of the West is the largest independent regional food group in the UK. The annual Taste of the West Awards promotes the very best in the South West food and drink industry.