A leading Mid Wales country house hotel has further enhanced its excellent reputation by again being listed in the top 100 UK restaurants.

The listing in Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2018, published on December 15, was a welcome early Christmas present for Llangoed Hall at Llyswen, near Builth Wells and a reward for a lot of hard work and attention to detail.

Llangoed Hall is listed at 49 and is one of only five Welsh restaurants included in the country’s most comprehensive restaurant guide available in bookshops. The other Welsh restaurants listed are Gareth Ward at Ynyshir, Eglwys Fach, near Machynlleth at 15, Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo at 38, Restaurant James Sommerin, Penarth at 74 and The Whitebrook Restaurant with Rooms, Whitebrook, near Monmouth at 76.

This is the first year Harden’s 100 list of top restaurants has been published independently from The Sunday Times, who made the ranking the basis of their annual Food List supplement for six years from 2010 to 2015.

Harden’s 27th annual poll of diners surveyed 8,500 participants who contributed 50,000 reviews, which form the basis for the inclusions and ratings in the guide.

Llangoed Hall’s listing states: “A beautiful Wye Valley setting and wonderful dining room help create the romantic ambience at this well-known country house hotel – a special place, offering fare served in a style long gone elsewhere. Nick Brodie’s “arty” dishes took some flak for “style over substance”, but most reporters think his food is “fabulous”.

“It’s wonderful news to again be named in Harden’s top 100 UK restaurants,” said Llangoed Hall’s managing director Calum Milne. “What is more outstanding is that we are the only Welsh hotel listed, as the others are all restaurants with rooms.

“Most of the listings are London centric and we have outstripped some very famous restaurants to make it into the top 50. This news is a superb end to a really interesting year at Llangoed Hall.

“We found Brexit the previous year to be challenging and we welcome some level of encouragement returning to the market place. I would like to say a big thank you to the guests and customers who voted for us and to wish them all a merry Christmas and peaceful new year.”

Llangoed Hall’s head chef Nick Brodie was also delighted with the Harden’s listing. “When you see the other top restaurants you are listed with, it’s a great boost of morale for everyone in the kitchen,” he said.

“It’s a good gauge and shows that we are going in the right direction. During the year, we have changed a lot in the style of our food. We have moved away from a tasting menu to an a la carte menu to suit the hotel guests and a special £15 lunch promotion was very successful.

“Highlight of the year for me was getting a full team on board in the kitchen. Recruiting chefs is a major challenge, as it is across the whole industry.”

Llangoed Hall’s listing follows wedding venue of the year awards from UK Brides and Destination Britain, an Excellence in Environmental Management Award at the Powys Business Awards, a five-star grading from Visit Wales with a score of 95 per cent and AA four red stars and three rosettes for the fifth consecutive year.