AN ITALIAN restaurant in Thornbury has been honoured for the sixth year running at a national awards ceremony in London.

La Piazza, on the High Street, was awarded the gold Italian restaurant award at the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association Industry Awards at the Lancaster Royal Hotel on November 12.

“The PAPA award have been going for 26 years, to win for again is simply amazing,” said head chef Giuseppe Ferraro who collected the award.

“The event is popular and so to be a local restaurant recognised at a national level is a real honour.

“There were about 400 people in the industry from all over the country there on the night, even the likes of Jamie Oliver and Aldo Zilli.”

The awards recognise the use of genuine Italian recipes as well as the quality of service and ambiance provided to give an authentic Italian experience.

“The restaurant has just been refurbished to make it more appealing to the public,” said Mr Ferraro.

“But our main focus is always going to be to maintain the level of service and food quality to the highest level possible.”

“We always look for the freshest quality ingredients that are sourced locally, for example our fish is always the catch of the day.

He added: “Any restaurant can cook a sea bass, but getting the freshest and then knowing the techniques to get it right is the difference you need to be the best.

“At the end of the day, thanks should go to everyone involved from managers to the staff, it is a true team effort. None of this could be done simply by an individual.”