Peel’s Restaurant at Hampton Manor has staked its claim to become a part of the Midlands’ growing fine dining scene after being awarded a third AA rosette.

The first restaurant in Solihull to receive the coveted culinary accolade, it joins a handful of restaurants in the region which have made the jump form two to three rosettes, including Simpsons, Purnell’s, Adam’s, Turners and Loves.

The award comes ten months after the relocation of the restaurant at the country house hotel in Hampton-in-Arden, between Solihull town centre and Birmingham Airport.

That saw Peel’s move into the original dining room of the manor house, which was built by Prime Minister Robert Peel’s son Frederick Peel, in 1885.

The move also saw the conversion of the former drawing room into a new lounge and the opening of an eight-seater tasting room with a kitchen window that allows guest to see Peel’s chefs in action.

The new restaurant caters for 28 diners and is open from Tuesday to Saturday for dinner only.

Hampton Manor managing director, James Hill, said: “We’ve worked hard to try to craft an experience that makes guests feel at home.

“We now have a generation of diners that have highly sophisticated tastes but want to be relaxed and at ease when they go out.

“Fine dining as we’ve known is becoming an increasingly limited market and restaurateurs are having to rethink everything. What doesn’t change though is the importance of sourcing the best produce and cooking it well.”

One of the aims with the new restaurant has been to offer a less formal dining environment, with front-of-house staff ditching ties and instead donning tweed jackets and chinos.

Diners can choose from à la carte or tasting menus and there is also the option of barbecue-cooked rib eye or a Chateaubriand to share, served with chips or truffled dauphinoise.

The restaurant also features styling touches such as handmade plates from Cotswolds potter Neil Alcock, wooden trays from Solihull-based craftsman William Self and furniture designed by creative director, Fjona Hill.

Head chef Rob Palmer paid tribute to his team of chefs, all of whom are local to the area. He said: “All of the chefs have grown up within 20 miles of the estate and have worked hard together to make this leap.

“The foundations of the restaurant were laid by former Michelin-starred chef, Martyn Pearn, who trained the team from 2009–2013, nurturing the talented young locals and preparing them for this step. The emphasis of the restaurant is simplicity, focusing on sourcing good produce and delivering dishes with clean flavours that marry together harmoniously.”

Going forward, Peel’s is hoping to harvest its first produce from its own walled garden later this year.

The garden is part of a ten-year landscaping plan to help bring the grounds back to their former glory.

The independent hotel is owned by Janet and Derrick Hill, who have invested more than £6 million in the redevelopment of the estate since acquiring it in 2008.

The hotel sits on a 45-acre estate and offers 15 boutique bedrooms and facilities that include spa treatment rooms.

It also has separate dedicated events space that hosts meetings, dinners and weddings for up to 120 guests.