THE manager of a Cotswold hotel which lost its single Michelin Star after eight years has said his staff's focus will always be on 'delighting' guests rather than hunting accolades.

Lords of the Manor in Upper Slaughter did not feature in The Michelin Guide 2018, released on Monday, having looked to solidified its place since 2009.

Michael Obray, general manager at Lords of the Manor, said: "Here at Lords of the Manor our priority is to run an excellent restaurant under our highly talented head chef, Charles Smith, who has been in place for just six months.

"The restaurant at Lords has always been highly respected and it has been a thrill to be recognised by Michelin for the last eight consecutive years, a truly remarkable achievement for a privately-owned hotel restaurant.

"However, it is never right to run a restaurant simply to attract accolades and our focus is always to delight diners and guests."

Michael went on to say: "We were very pleased to recently be awarded an extra point by the Good Food Guide for 2018 and we will, no doubt, be Michelin-inspected again soon.

"As you might expect, Charles, with his experience gained at restaurants such as Per Se, Fera at Claridge's and The Westbury, is very keen to return the star and this, in fact, makes now a very good time indeed to dine at Lords of the Manor."