Orwells restaurant in Shiplake was voted ‘no 28’ in the top 50 restaurants in the UK by the Good Food Guide this week.

Coming in at number 28, one place up from last year, and the only Oxfordshire entry in the revered list, we spoke to Ryan Simpson about the exciting news.

“Liam and I are delighted to be once again included in the revered Good Food Guide Top 50 UK restaurants,” he said. “A big thanks to all our loyal customers too who have been so supportive from the very start.’

Ryan and Liam

Orwells is located in the rural location of Binfield Heath in an old 18th Century pub, where the style of food reflects the personalities of the chefs, sustainability and the seasons.

Think rural provenance with a modern approach.

Chefs Ryan Simpson and Liam Trotman previously achieved 2 AA Rosettes and a Michelin Star at The Goose in 2010. After leaving The Goose Ryan and Liam went on to open Orwells in May 2010.

So what next boys? “Next year we’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary and we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved with sustainability and locally sourced produce at the heart of everything we do,” Ryan adds.

The South East section also boasted 25 top eateries in Oxfordshire, with new entries for The Eagle Tavern near Faringdon, Pompette in Summertown, The Lamb in Crawley, The Bell Inn in Langford, The King’s Head in Bledington and Delhish in Bicester.

Here are the Top 25:

– The Lamb, Crawley, near Witney

– The King’s Head, Bledington, near Chipping Norton

– The White Hart, Fyfield, near Abingdon

– The Wild Rabbit, Kingham, near Chipping Norton

– Arbequina tapas restaurant, Cowley Road, East Oxford

– Branca, Jericho, Oxford

– Cherwell Boathouse, North Oxford

– Delhish Vegetarian Kitchen, Bicester

– Gee’s, North Oxford

– Oli’s Thai, East Oxford

– Pompette, Summertown, Oxford

– The Bell Inn, Langford, near Bicester

– The Eagle, Little Coxwell, near Faringdon

– The Magdalen Arms, East Oxford

– The Miller of Mansfield, Goring

– The Nut Tree Inn, Murcott, near Bicester

– The Oxford Arms, Kirtlington, near Kidlington

– The Oxford Kitchen, Summertown, Oxford 

– The Sir Charles Napier, Chinnor, South Oxfordshire

– The Star Inn, Sparsholt, near Wantage

– Turl Street Kitchen, Oxford city centre

– Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton

– Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse, Henley

– Wild Thyme, Chipping Norton

and of course Orwells, Shiplake, near Henley