FOR the first time in nine years, a Hereford restaurant has taken a national newspaper's award for the Best Sunday Lunch outside of London.

At the Observer Food Monthly Awards ceremony last night the award was given to The Bookshop - A Rule of Tum, which is in Aubrey Street .

A Rule of Tum team, brothers Dorian and Edwin Kirk and friend Jon Stead, went to London to pick up the accolade.

Now in their 14th year, the awards reward the finest in British food and drink.

Dorian said: "Winning Best Sunday Lunch means so much to our team. A national award like this celebrates everything that Herefordshire is about.

"It puts Hereford on the map and shines a light on our county who is doing some seriously great things. "

The Bookshop, which also offers a steak menu Thursday to Saturday, opened in November 2015, a year after the team opened The Burger Shop, which is next door. They have also opened a Burger Shop in Worcester.

They offered Sunday lunches at the Beer in Hand in Eign Street before they opened The Burger Shop.

Dorian said: "As soon as The Bookshop was ready we started doing the Sunday lunches straight away as we knew people were missing that a lot."

The team take great pride in establishing trusting relationships with suppliers.

Dorian said: "All of the veg comes from Seb's Organics. He is at the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays in High Town and sells his organic veg.

"The meat is from Farmer Tom. We start at the beginning of the week making all the stock for the gravy. It's made from scratch using beef and chicken bones.

"It's about beautiful meat, beautiful vegetables and great gravy."

The awards are voted for by both readers and a judging panel and champion the best producers, restaurants, and retailers in the UK.

Observer columnist Jay Rayner and television personality and food writer Nigella Lawson co-hosted this year’s celebrations after Guardian News and Media editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and Observer Food Monthly editor Allan Jenkins introduced the evening.

Dorian added: "It is epic. It is nice to be able to fly the flag for Hereford."

The Observer Food Monthly Awards issue is available this Sunday, free with The Observer.