Stephen Terry is the chef and his passion for food earned him a Michelin star when he was at The Walnut Tree in 2001 and, more recently, BBC TV viewers have seen him in the Great British Menu. The Penderyn panel of judges was unanimous in its decision that The Hardwick should be awarded the title of Restaurant of the Year 2008. They all agreed Terry has earned his place at the top of the tree for his unfussy, simple and precise, style of cooking that has an Italian flair and the provenance of genuinely local ingredients. Neil Quigley, sales director of Penderyn, congratulated The Hardwick at the presentation of the prize, saying: "The Penderyn distillery has been awarding the Restaurant of the Month and Restaurant of the Year titles now for over two years because we wanted to find the world class Welsh restaurants that complement our own philosophy of fusing the finest ingredients with time and skill to create a perfect product. Penderyn is uniquely placed to champion the exceptional quality of the new generation of Welsh restaurants and hotels. "The standard of Welsh ingredients, talent and restaurants is superb and all too often the international plaudits and awards are London-centric. We know that there are many chefs in Wales who can equal or better the standards found anywhere else in Britain and Stephen Terry is one of them. Penderyn is proud to name The Hardwick as our Restaurant of the Year as it emanates all the qualities we are looking for – it is run by a team who are fanatical about excellence, fiercely independent, proud of its Welsh heritage and is consistently creating dishes of the highest standard." Speaking about the win Terry said: "The secret is in the preparation and the fact that all of the ingredients come from within five miles of the restaurant. It is always moist, succulent and bursting with flavour; the layers of crumb, black pudding and pork belly look stunning, but they also create a wonderful taste combination. "We buy local ingredients and, as we see the produce growing in the fields when we are driving around, we know what to expect. Wales has a fast-growing reputation for its food because our farmers use traditional methods that take advantage of the climate and virtually pollution-free countryside to produce excellent results; also the waters off our coasts are home to a wide variety of fish which are landed daily at our small harbours. It all comes down to the fact that farmers, producers, and fisherman know that perfection takes time – cutting corners is a recipe for disaster, not success."